Painted Canyon Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park) Hiking Guide
The Painted Canyon Trail is the backcountry door at the Painted Canyon rest area. Instead of looping back like the nature trail, it follows the rim east, drops off it, and crosses sagebrush and grassland to the Upper Paddock Creek Trail in the South Unit's interior. Turn around there for a half-day hike, or use it to reach the park's longer loops.
Permit: A Theodore Roosevelt National Park entrance pass is required: $30 per private vehicle for 7 days, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person on foot or bicycle (age 16 and up). The park's $55 annual pass and the America the Beautiful pass also work. No permit is needed for a day hike; overnight trips need a free backcountry permit from the South Unit Visitor Center, not Painted Canyon.
Distance and Route
Hiking Project maps the trail at 2.1 miles one way, losing about 388 feet on the way in and gaining 90, so an out-and-back is about 4.2 miles with roughly 478 feet of climbing, most of it on the way out. That matches the park's note that starting the Upper Paddock and Talkington loop from Painted Canyon adds 4 miles round trip. The route starts at the east end of the parking lot, follows a gravel road and two-track past the weather station and the rest area's lagoon, then turns down off the rim.
Finding the Trail
Hiking Project's contributor warns that bison trails branch off everywhere along the first half mile on the rim, and that bison rub the trail posts down, so study the map at the trailhead sign before you set out. A register box sits just below the rim; sign in. Below that, the path crosses gullies, a sagebrush flat and a deeper draw before rolling grassland leads to the junction with Upper Paddock Creek. The steepest climb of the day is the last stretch back up to the rim.
Seasonal Access
The visitor center at exit 32 is staffed only part of the year; the park's posted schedule has it closed from late October 2026 until mid-June 2027. Hiking Project notes that off-season hikers can park outside the gate and walk in, but check with the park first. With the building closed there is no water at the trailhead. If you plan to camp in the backcountry, get the free permit in Medora before you drive out.
Fee and Pet Rules
There's no booth at Painted Canyon, but you still need a park pass; a week's vehicle pass costs $30 and can be bought online or with a card in Medora. Pets, bikes and motorized equipment are banned on all park trails and in the backcountry. Leashed dogs are welcome on the paved rim walk behind the visitor center.
Weather and Water
This is open, shadeless country. The park recommends about a liter of water per person for every hour on the trail, and there is no safe water below the rim. Summer thunderstorms build fast, and the bentonite clay along the descent turns slick for days after rain. Spring and fall are the best seasons; in winter, lows in the single digits and strong wind make the exposed rim walk hard going.
Hiking tips for Painted Canyon Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Read the trailhead map first; bison paths make the rim section confusing.
- Sign the register box below the rim on the way in and out.
- Pack all your water, since nothing below the rim is safe to drink.
- Leave enough time and energy for the climb back to the rim.
- Pick up a backcountry permit in Medora if you plan to camp.
Nearby trails to explore
- Painted Canyon Nature Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Jones Creek, Lower Talkington and Lower Paddock Loop
- Coal Vein Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
The walk back up to the rim goes faster with good company. Post this hike in TrailMates, share the plan in the event's group chat, and meet at Painted Canyon for a half day in the badlands. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.