Buckhorn Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park) Hiking Guide
The Buckhorn Trail makes a big loop through the North Unit's east end: prairie dog towns, sagebrush terraces, a long climb through wooded draws to an open plateau, and back down to the river bottoms. It is a full day. If you only want the prairie dogs, the park's short version from the Caprock Coulee trailhead takes about an hour.
Permit: Theodore Roosevelt National Park charges a weekly entrance fee that covers the North Unit: $30 for a private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person entering on foot or bicycle (age 16+). The $55 park annual pass and America the Beautiful passes work too. A free backcountry permit from the North Unit Visitor Center is required to camp overnight.
Full Loop or Prairie Dog Town
The park's figure is 11.4 miles, a 6- to 8-hour day. Hiking Project maps 11.3 miles with about 1,040 feet of climbing and some short pitches far steeper than average. For a short outing, the park recommends a 1.5-mile round trip from the Caprock Coulee trailhead along the Buckhorn Trail to a prairie dog town, about an hour with time for wildlife. The park says no prairie dog town is visible from the North Unit road, and this is the nearest one.
The Route
Hiking Project's contributor suggests starting at the Cannonball Concretions lot near the campground and signing the register there. The trail crosses ravines and prairie to the dog town, drops into a sagebrush valley, then climbs through trees and rock to the high plateau. Coming off the far side the descent is steep and pocked by bison hooves, and one slumped hillside makes the path hard to see. Orange and pink ribbons help in confusing spots. The last miles follow the scenic road and pass the campground's water treatment ponds.
Prairie Dogs and Their Neighbors
Enjoy the towns from the trail and don't feed the residents. The park warns that prairie dogs can bite and may carry fleas that transmit bubonic plague to people. Rattlesnakes and black widow spiders often live in prairie dog burrows, so keep hands and feet out of holes. Bison graze the towns; give them at least 25 yards and step off the trail to let them pass. Coyotes and badgers hunt here at dawn and dusk.
Fee and Dogs
You pay once for the whole park: $30 per vehicle for seven days, collected at the North Unit entrance station from May through September and at the visitor center the rest of the year, or online when it's closed. Dogs aren't allowed on Buckhorn or any other park trail. The nearby Forest Service CCC Campground gives you dog-friendly trail on the Maah Daah Hey.
Planning the Day
There is no safe drinking water out there; the park's guideline is a liter per person per hour, so most people need several liters for this loop. Start early in summer, when afternoon highs reach the 80s and storms build quickly. Watford City, about 15 miles north of the entrance, is the closest town for gas and food. Keep in mind that the North Unit is on Central time, an hour ahead of Medora.
Hiking tips for Buckhorn Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Sign the trailhead register at the start and on your return.
- Watch for orange and pink ribbons where the tread fades.
- Never reach into burrows; rattlesnakes and black widows live there.
- Carry several liters of water; the loop has no safe source.
- Short on time? Walk only to the prairie dog town from Caprock Coulee.
Nearby trails to explore
- Caprock Coulee Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Petrified Forest Loop (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Jones Creek, Lower Talkington and Lower Paddock Loop
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Buckhorn is a long loop that's better with a group, and the prairie dog town is more fun with friends. Organize a North Unit hike in TrailMates, settle the start time and the Watford City meetup in the event's group chat, and do the full circuit together. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.