Theodore Roosevelt National Park · North Dakota

Painted Canyon Trail

1.8 mi of trail, end to end · Hike the Painted Canyon Nature Trail: 1 mi loop in the Service's write-up · about 350 ft of climbing · 2,463 ft–2,778 ft

2,480 ft 2,777 ft · 1.8 mi high 2,778 ft

Trailhead Painted Canyon Trailhead 2,773 ft Drive there

Hike the Painted Canyon Nature Trail 1 mi loop · the Park Service's write-up

30-80 Minutes · no dogs · season Trail conditions may be dangerous or slippery due to inclement weather. Speak to a ranger for more details.

Start Painted Canyon Nature Trail Trailhead

A view up a trail towards a butte through junipers. A trail marker reads Painted Canyon.
Painted Canyon Trail Photo: NPS Photo/J. Houghton

For visitors arriving from the east, Painted Canyon is a dramatic introduction to the badlands of North Dakota. Named for its vivid layers, it's also home to one of the most popular trails in the park, a 1-mile loop that drops down into the canyon. Winding through juniper and wildflowers, crossing cracked washes and showcasing ongoing erosion, the Painted Canyon Nature Trail offers a moderate challenge with massive rewards.

Proper footwear is recommended.

It is illegal to remove any resource from a national park. Leave any flower, stone, or other object where you find it so that other visitors can enjoy it as well.

It is illegal to carve, paint, or otherwise alter anything in a national park.

Accessibility Painted Canyon Nature Trail is an unpaved trail which includes uneven footing, steps, and potential slip hazards. Proper footwear is recommended. Service animals are allowed, but must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 34 trails in Theodore Roosevelt National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.