Traverse the Door Trail in Badlands, South Dakota
Badlands National Park is located in South Dakota and offers a unique terrain and beautiful landscape of cannons and buttes. The park’s 244,000 acres consists of some of the world’s richest fossil beds, containing ancient horses and rhinos that once roamed there. You’ll spy bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and bison wandering the lands, in addition to unique habitats like the cliff swallow bird and their distinctive nest. .
The Door Trail in Badlands is right next to the Notch Trail. It shares the same parking lot, and although similar terrains, the Door Trail offers an entirely different experience.
Much of the rock layers that you see in Badlands was actually the muddy bottom of a streambed. Over time, those sediments hardened into the thick horizontal band of grayish red stone that you see. The most common mammal fossils found at Badlands are those of oreodonts, which were dog-sized herbivores though some grew to the size of cattle. They were heavy-bodied, with short four-toed hooves and long tails. Oreodonts grazed the Badlands for 24-34 million years ago.
When you enter the Door Trail you’ll make your way across the boardwalk and down to the wide-open Door Trail paths. There isn’t much of a path on this hike, it’s more wide-open space to explore and discover. The route we took was the more popular route that takes you straight back to a scenic view of that encompasses the beauty of the Badlands.
We explored the Badlands in the month of July. During the summer months, high temperatures may create dangerous conditions. They fly heat index flags at the entrance gates and Ben Reifel Visitor Center to indicate the likelihood of heat disorders with prolonged exposure or strenuous activity. Before you go out, make sure you have the proper footwear, plenty of snacks and water and gear to stay cool. Enjoy exploring!
Cost of Adventure
- Per vehicle: $30 (for 7 days)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total distance: 1 mile
- Calories burned: 100-200 calories
- Time suggested: 30-45 minutes
- Family friendly: YES
- Park size: 244,000 acres
Challenge Yourself
While the Door Trail hike is fairly short and doesn’t offer up much of a challenge, tap into your inner treasure hunter and take your time roaming about. You could stumble upon fossils from animals that roamed here millions of years ago.
Find Great Photo Ops
Photo ops begin the moment you enter the park. For us, we stumbled upon two bighorn sheep soaking up some sun in a patch of grass almost immediately. At Badlands National Park, every hike provides golden moments to snap some of the best photos that you’ll ever take — making anyone not on your trip super envious.
