If You Are Looking For Quick And Easy Hikes In Badlands That Are Still Super Fun, These 3 Trails Are It
If you don’t have much time but still want to stop in Badlands National Park while you are driving through South Dakota, these 3 short but classic hikes are just 10 minutes from I90 and will give you a great taste for what the Badlands are all about. Notch Trail, Door Trail, and Window Trail share one parking lot, making it so easy to do all 3 together.
Or perhaps you have teenagers that aren’t into long, boring hikes and so are looking for something that’s short and sweet but that will also capture their attention. Been there done that- half of our crew does not get excited about long walks to nowhere either. (Their words.) But they liked these 3 trails. Notch Trail is definitely the most fun here with the rustic log ladder climb and a trail that goes along the edge of the cliffs.
We hiked these trails on our first afternoon in Badlands and it took us an hour and a half to do all 3 trails so the time investment was small. We ended up walking 3 miles in all when you include walking between the trailheads, but it was all fairly easy and mostly flat, except for the ladder at Notch Trail.
Hiking these 3 trails was a great start for us to our 2 days in Badlands National Park, but I think it would also be a great short stop along I90 if you were driving through South Dakota. You could be there and back on the interstate in under 2 hours and still feel like you had seen some of the best of the Badlands.
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The 3 Trails
We hiked all 3 trails in one trip, starting with Notch Trail, then Window Trail, and finishing with Door Trail. It was about 3 miles all together when you add in walking between the trailheads. It took us about 90 minutes.
1. Door Trail
0.75 miles RT, easy. A 0.1 mile long boardwalk leads to a viewpoint and from there you can walk another approximately 0.3 miles over the rocks following trail markers. This part was super cool because you feel you are in the middle of some sort of sci-fi movie set. That’s the picture at the beginning of the blog.
2. Window Trail
0.25 mile RT, easiest trail. A boardwalk leads to a “window” in the cliff wall looking out over the Badlands. Kinda boring but would be great for small kids or anyone with mobility impairments. We did get to see a bighorn sheep hanging out along this trail which made it awesome for us.
3. Notch Trail
1.5 miles RT, moderate because of the ladder. The trail leads to a beautiful overlook of the valley below this section. There is a rustic log ladder about halfway and the trail has some steep dropoffs once you get up on the rocks so probably not for really young kids.
Map of Badlands National Park courtesy of the NPS. The area where the 3 trails are located is circled in blue. As you can see, they are just south of the Northeast Entrance to the park and only about 10 min from the interstate.
A more detailed map of Notch Trail, Window Trail, and Door Trail in Badlands National Park. Window Trail is all boardwalk and Door Trail has a boardwalk to a viewpoint and from there you can choose to walk further on the rocks. Notch Trail has a ladder about halfway down the trail. Map courtesy of OpenStreetMaps.
The Nitty-Gritty Details
We pulled into the parking lot at 3:45 pm on a Sunday in early October. It was still 80 degrees outside, even in October, and there is zero shade on these trails so we spent some time slathering on sunscreen and making sure everyone had water.
* If you are here in summer, flags at the entrances and at the Visitor Center will keep you apprised of heat stroke danger- yellow for moderate, orange for likely, and red for don’t even get out of your car.
The parking lot is quite large since it serves the trailheads for these 3 trails as well as Castle Trail, which is on the opposite side of the highway.
We started with Notch Trail since it is the hardest and the one we wanted to do the most. Its trailhead is at the far southern end of the parking lot.
Notch Trail
1.5 miles RT, 45-60 min, moderate because of the ladder
Pros- nifty ladder to climb, awesome viewpoint at the end
Cons- ladder would be hard for small kids, you might have to wait to go up or down the ladder if busy, very slick and dangerous in the rain or snow
The trail starts off fairly flat and winds along through the rock formations. In about 15- 20 minutes, you will come to the ladder. It isn’t particularly difficult but could be a problem for small kids because the log rungs are not uniformly spaced so some of the steps have quite a big gap between. It was harder going down it than up, but it wasn’t a problem for me and I have a well- developed fear of heights.
After the ladder, the trail follows along the edge of the rock formations and there are some steep drop-offs in sections, which could be another issue if you were trying to do this with young kids. And I wouldn’t try this at all in rainy conditions as the specific type of clay that makes up the Badlands becomes incredibly slick apparently.
30 minutes after we started, we arrived at the “Notch,” which is a break in the rocks where you can look down on the valley below. It was really pretty and easily worth the short hike there. You can see down to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, Cedar Pass Lodge and Campground, and the viewpoint of Cliff Shelf Nature Trail below you. It would be a great place to watch the sunset.
We hiked back to the trailhead which was easy except we had to wait a little bit at the ladder for people coming up. Which was fine and we weren’t in a hurry but the people who came behind us apparently were. The guy was coming down the ladder so fast, he was stepping on my hands so I had to move off and let him by. Not sure what that was about since he had to wait on the rest of his group at the bottom anyway. The park wasn’t busy in October and this still happened so I can only guess what it must be like in the summer months. Notch Trail is the most popular trail in the park so I bet you see a lot of impatience waiting on the ladder.
I would go very early or late in the afternoon if I could in the summer in order to avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds.
You can see people climbing up the ladder on Notch Trail. We hiked this trail later in the afternoon, after the sun had set behind some of the rocks which made it much cooler. There is zero shade on this hike otherwise.
Click on images below to enlarge
Window Trail
0.25 miles roundtrip, 10 min, boardwalk trail to an overlook
Pros- super easy, suitable for toddlers or mobility impaired
Cons- overlook wasn’t that great
This short stroll to a “window” in the wall overlooking the rock formations beyond was pretty but nothing I would stop for on its own. Maybe it’s because you get so spoiled for these kinds of views all over Badlands National Park.
We walked over to see it merely because it was adjacent to the Notch Trailhead and there was a bighorn sheep hanging out there. He was chilling (literally) on the shady side of the rocks. Eventually, I think one too many people gathered taking pictures or maybe he got hungry, I don’t know, but he decided to make his way down the short rock face and off into the tall grass. He didn’t seem all that bothered by the people though, so maybe he was clocking out after doing his time performing for the tourists.
Nice view from the “window” on Window Trail.
Click on images below to enlarge
Door Trail
0.75 miles roundtrip according to the website, 30 min, easy-moderate
first o.1 mile is easy boardwalk, the next approx 0.3 miles is unmaintained trail that is marked by small posts that was a little bit more difficult because of the uneven terrain.
Pros- fun wayfinding over the rocks, terrific views
Cons- wish it was longer
At the very other end of the parking lot from Notch Trailhead (it is almost 0.3 of mile between the two), you will find Door Trail. The first bit of the hike is a handicap accessible boardwalk that was super easy and ends at a bench overlooking the rock formations. This took us 5 minutes and only that long because I stopped to read the signs about the geologic formations in the Badlands.
Once the boardwalk ends, you can climb down a few stairs and set off over the rocks if you want to explore more. The trail sign says this bit is 800m long (about 0.5 miles), difficult, and that you need about an hour to do it. I am not sure if the trail is different from when the sign was made but the trail we did was not difficult and took us about 20 min there and back and was more like 0.3 miles each way according to my Garmin.
The hardest part of the unmaintained trail is watching your step on the uneven footing and looking for the short yelllow posts that mark the trail. At first, I didn’t really think they were necessary but after you go a bit, you realize all the rocks look the same and not all of them connect back to each other. You could easily find yourself on a peninsula surrounded by dropoffs if you weren’t looking. It’s a bit like a maze which was neat. You know you are at the end of the trail because there is a handy sign that says “End Of Trail.”
The trail end was a gorgeous spot where you are surrounded by all the rock formations and it was definitely worth the 10 min walk out there. It was especially cool for us because we were the only people out there in the late afternoon.
I thought the off boardwalk section of Door Trail was lots of fun. Just keep following the yellow posts to get to a gorgeous endpoint.
Tips For Hiking
Water is your friend. The Badlands are an arid environment and can be super hot, especially in the summer. It got over 90 while we were there in October and over 100 degrees can happen in the summer. Hot + dry = heatstroke fast.
Sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses are also your friends. Shade was not something we found often on any of our hikes in the Badlands.
Watch for prairie rattlesnakes. They like to hide in rock crevices and hunt in tall grass so watch where you put your feet.
Early morning and late afternoon have the best light for photos. The overhead sun on the light- colored rocks can be almost blinding.
These are all popular trails so morning and evening would be better to avoid the crowds.
Avoid Notch Trail and the off trail portion of Door Trail if it is rainy, icy, or snowy. Thanks to my newfound knowledge about the geology of the Badlands courtesy of the signs on Door Trail, I know that the bentonite clay that makes up some of the rock in the Badlands is partly composed of volcanic ash that can absorb crazy amounts of water. The grains can swell up to 20 times their size, thus making surfaces extremely slick.
Where To Stay In Near Badlands National Park
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There isn’t a huge amount of choice near the park actually as this is a pretty sparsely developed area. There are probably more campgrounds/RV parks around here than hotels so that could be an option.
Cedar Pass Lodge Is Amazing
My number one choice for lodging is the cabins at the Cedar Pass Lodge. We spent the night here after doing these 3 hikes and we loved it. The lodge is only a couple of miles from the parking lot and takes less than 10 minutes to get there.
We had 2 of the 2 Queen cabins for our group of 7 and they were able to get them next door to each other. The sunset and sunrise views alone were worth the stay. Plus, the cabins are fairly new, spacious, and better than most national park lodgings I have stayed in. And you are so close to the trailheads for some of the most popular hikes in the park. I really liked this place and I would rearrange your itinerary if you can to get an available night.
The Cedar Pass restaurant next door was meh- we had the Indian tacos and they were huge and filling but nothing I would write home about. Get the order to go and enjoy them on the picnic tables behind your cabin which was way better than the kinda dinky restaurant. (And split them between people, I don’t think anyone in our group actually finished one by themselves.)
The rooms had fridges so get breakfast foods at the Badlands Trading Post on your way in or the restaurant serves breakfast too. We brought yogurt, pastries, and granola bars with us and ate breakfast outside, enjoying the sunrise. The rooms also have microwaves and single serving coffee makers.
The Cedar Pass Gift Shop is attached to the restaurant and had a decent amount of food and camping supplies as well as your typical national park swag. You could get some snacks here too.
Cedar Pass Campground
If you are camping, then the Cedar Pass Campground was within walking distance of the lodge and looked nice. It is run by the Lodge people and not by the park service. There was very little to no tree cover for campsites so I can imagine it gets hot in the summer and I might worry a little about the wind as a tent camper. There were more RVs than tents when I drove through the campground but that could also be because it was October and it got cold at night. That’s what stopped us from camping.
The campground is open seasonally from April through the end of October and has flush bathrooms and pay showers. They have tent only sites, non-electric and electric RV sites and group sites. The group sites are available over the winter apparently without running water and you must call to reserve them. There is a septic dump site available nearby as well for $1.
Each campsite does have a sheltered picnic table but no fires are allowed. The sites don’t have any privacy from each other either but the views during the day and the stars at night would make up for a lot of the shortcomings.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, 3 easy and fun trails for anyone looking to do a little hiking in Badlands National Park. Take 30 minutes and hike Door Trail if you are really limited on time or take 90 minutes and do all 3 trails and then continue on your way.
These trails could be a great stop on your drive through South Dakota as they are only 10 minutes from the interstate. Or if you have a half day or more, you could keep going from here and drive the rest of the Badlands Loop Road through the park (45 minutes from here to the Pinnacles Entrance of the park near Wall). That gets you to the vast majority of the good stuff in the park.
Happy Trails!
Amanda
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