Saddle Pass - Medicine Root - Castle Trail Loop Hike in Badlands National Park
View down from a rock outcropping overlooking Saddle Pass Trail. One member of our group ran up but the rest of us elected to stay on the trail and wave up at him. You can see the trail ascending up the rock formations on the right of the picture.
Badlands National Park doesn’t actually have a ton of hikes, something I was surprised to discover when we were planning our trip there in October of 2021. The NPS website only lists 8 official trails in the park and 5 of those are under a mile long.
We wanted a good loop hike of around 4-7 miles on an official trail and settled on Saddle Pass to Medicine Root Trail to Castle Trail, a nice hike of about 4.8 miles that combines 3 park trails into a lollipop loop.
We really enjoyed this hike as we found not only beautiful scenery but the variation over the 4.8 was more than I would have thought. There’s rock scrambling, strolling through the prairie, as well as fantastic views out over the classic rock formations of the Badlands all in this one hike.
*There are several back country trails that looked super interesting but we weren’t quite up for that with 4 kids and not having visited the park before. Plus, we had limited time. The Deer Haven Trail was one we especially considered and it is first on my list for my next visit.
Trail Details
4.8 miles long, 2.5 hours, moderate difficulty, + 311 ft
PROS- great views, peaceful stretches of prairie walking, fun rock scrambling
CONS- very little shade, Medicine Root can be a little boring if you don’t like prairie, Saddle Pass would dangerous to climb up (or especially down) in rainy or icy conditions
We started up Saddle Pass at 8:57 am on a weekday in early October and were back at the trailhead at 11:26 am. We saw a couple of other hikers, maybe 10-12 in all, so it was not busy, although in summer I can bet that is not the case.
It was about 60 degrees when we started and almost 90 when we finished. Not a cloud in the sky either so we definitely applied lots of sunscreen and took lots of water. You can huddle close to the big rock formations to get a little shade depending on the sun position, but otherwise this is a very open trail.
The trailhead parking lot is easy to find right off of Badlands Loop Road and is marked. It isn’t big though with about 7-8 parking spots and no amenities besides a trailhead sign. No toilet, no water fountain.
*The mileage, time, and elevation are according to my Garmin watch. The trailhead sign says 4.2 miles, and two online blogs I found said 4.7 and 4.75 respectively. I have found my Garmin to be pretty reliable in the past for mileage so that’s what I am going with- 4.8.
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Route- It’s A Lollipop Loop
Start and Finish
Saddle Pass- 0.36 miles- a rock scramble up the classic rock formations of the Badlands, great view from the top, this is where all your elevation gain is really, hiking down at the end was a little bit slidey
Middle
Medicine Root Trail- 2.2 miles- a nice stroll through the prairie, very mild uphill toward the end
Castle Trail- 1.9 miles- an easy walk back along the edge of the plateau and looking down over the valley, some interesting rock formations in parts
You could do Castle Trail first instead of Medicine Root if you wanted as it doesn’t really make a difference. We did Medicine Root first because it was a little longer and I read that it was slightly more boring so we thought we would go ahead and get it done. Also, Castle Trail heads east from the intersection with Saddle Pass and since it was morning when we hiked, we would have been hiking into the sun had we hiked it first. So Medicine Root first it was!
Saddle Pass Photos
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Medicine Trail Photos
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Castle Trail Photos
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Tips
Bring water. More than you might think. There was next to no shade on this trail and it was hot, even on an October day. I can’t imagine hiking the trail mid-day in July or August. Flags at the park entrances and at the Visitor Center will keep you apprised of current heat stroke danger- yellow for moderate, orange for likely, and red for don’t even get out of your car. Pay attention to those.
Bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses- whatever works for you to avoid sunburn. Again- no shade.
Go early or go late if you are here in the summer. Because, and let’s say it all together folks one more time, no shade. Also, the parking lot is not large so you are going to want to avoid busy times.
Wear good traction boots/hiking shoes. Saddle Pass is very steep in parts with loose dirt and several of us slid several feet coming down. This would be a very unfun trail in the rain or other slick conditions. And rattlesnakes can be an issue in the tall grass when you get out to the more prairie part. Stick to the trail and watch where you step.
Where We Stayed
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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. If you want a chain hotel, your best bet is in Rapid City which is an hour drive away, although there are a few budget chains in Wall, SD.
We stayed in the Residence Inn Rapid City and the Fairfield Inn & Suites Rapid City while on our 6 day trip in the Black Hills and liked both of them (the Residence Inn slightly better than the Fairfield Inn). There is a huge indoor waterpark adjacent to these hotels if that would be something your kids would be excited about.
Cedar Pass Lodge Is Amazing
My number one choice for lodging is the cabins at the Cedar Pass Lodge. We spent the night here before this hike The lodge is only 1.8 miles from the Saddle Pass trailhead and takes less than 5 minutes to get there. We actually ran back to the lodge for a bathroom break because one of the kids forgot to go before we left. That’s how close it was.
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.
* Pro Tip- Call if you can’t find anything online. They sometimes keep cabins for first come- first served or people who call. That’s how we got two cabins when only one was available online.
Cedar Pass Campground
If you are camping, then the Cedar Pass Campground was next to the lodge and looked nice. Not a lot of 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. 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.
Head here for a full review of the Cedar Pass Lodge and Campground, including pictures of our cabins and campsites. Our Review Of Cedar Pass Lodge And Campground In Badlands National Park
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a moderately difficult hike that won’t take you all day and will keep the kids interested, the Saddle Pass- Medicine Root Trail- Castle Trail was a great hike that we enjoyed. Be sure to start early in the morning or late in the afternoon if it's going to be hot and bring water and sunscreen. This is a great trail that has a little bit of everything I liked about the Badlands. Except bison. I didn’t see any bison which was actually fine because I would rather see them from the car anyway.
Happy Trails!
Amanda