If you have the time, take the 14-mile Scenic Drive that goes from the entrance station to the Oxbow Overlook with turnouts and interpretive signs along the way. Between the entrance and Juniper Campground you might see some longhorns, similar to the cattle raised by ranchers in Roosevelt's time.

About 3.5 miles west of the visitor center is a series of slump blocks, huge sections of bluff that gradually slid intact to the valley floor. This is not uncommon in the badlands where canyon walls are too steep to support a top-heavy formation. Continued erosion has moved the face of the parent bluff farther back from its original position. Though the blocks generally tilt as they slump, the bands of color on the bluff and the block can be matched so you can get an idea of the original position of the block.

As you go along the drive, you will come to a number of trailheads. Some are self-guiding nature trails. The descriptions below will give you an idea of what to expect. Any trail will help you gain an understanding of this land and its wildlife, so get out of your car and go for a hike, whether it be a short one or a long one. Take time to get to know the park!

Take a Hike

Little Mo Nature Trail - This self-guiding nature trail, which begins at the Juniper Campground, goes through river woodlands and badlands. Length: 1.1 miles. A shorter trail, 0.7 mile, is wheelchair accessible.

Achenbach Trail - Also beginning at Juniper Campground, this trail climbs from river bottomland up through the Achenbach Hills, drops to the river again, climbs to Oxbow Overlook along the way by a spur trail, and returns along the river bottom to the campground. Inquire about the condition of the river crossings before departing. Length: 16 miles.

Caprock Coulee Nature Trail - About 1.5 miles west of Juniper Campground is the start of a self-guiding trail through badlands coulees -- dry water gulches -- and breaks -- interruptions in the grassy plains. Length: 1.5 miles round-trip.

Upper Caprock Coulee Trail - This is a continuation loop from the self-guiding portion of the Caprock Coulee Nature Trail bringing you back to the trailhead. Length: 4.25 miles. As a loop with the nature trail: 5 miles.

Buckhorn Trail - This loop trail can be reached from the Caprock Coulee Nature Trailhead. You come to a prairie dog town about 1 mile from its beginning. Of the seven varieties, only the blacktailed prairie dog lives within the park. Remember that prairie dogs are wild animals, that they can inflict severe bites, and that they often carry disease. Do not feed them or get too close. Length: 11 miles.

Sperati Point - The trail from Oxbow Overlook, which is a portion of the Achenbach Trail, leads to the narrowest gateway in the badlands. The flow of the Little Missouri River once continued north from this point, ultimately draining into Hudson Bay. Blocked during the Ice Age, the river had to find a new course and finally broke through the gap between this point and the Achenbach Hills on the other side. The Little Missouri now drains into the Gulf of Mexico via the Missouri-Mississippi system. Near this point it leaves its old bed and follows its newer channel. Length: 1.5 miles round-trip.

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