While at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center in the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I chose to hike the Painted Canyon Nature Trail. This 0.9 mile loop descends 250 feet to a small stream that flows into Paddock Creek before returning to the visitor center. The trail is rated easy to moderate by the park service. While I heard a couple of groups of hikers, I only met two hikers as I made my way around the loop in a clockwise direction.
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| Topographic map with GPS route |
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| Elevation profile |
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| Trailhead |
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| Side slope hiking |
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| A bit of shade |
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| This unnamed butte is an easily recognized landmark along the trail |
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| A footbridge and a turn down the hill |
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| I chose to go straight at the loop junction instead of right |
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| Peck Hill, the highest point in the park at 2867' |
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| Signs of erosion along the trail |
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| Looking back at the rim |
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| Steep descent with washed out stairs |
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| Looking down from the trail |
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| Color bands of the badlands |
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| Our favorite butte |
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| Evidence of a small landslide |
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| Looking back toward the visitor center |
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| Plains Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha) |
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| More banding with Buck Hill on the horizon at right |
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| The eroding east side of Peck Hill |
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| Ridge running trail |
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| Another bridge |
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| Badlands erosion |
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| Typical trail surface |
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| Three buttes |
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| Prairie bottomland |
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| Erosion resistant cap rock |
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| Bridge over a small stream and then stairs |
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| Small stream flows into Paddock Creek |
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| Descending via timber steps |
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| Another bridge |
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| More stairs |
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| The landmark butte from another direction |
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| Uneven erosion of sedimentary clays |
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| Buck Hill |
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| Erosion undercuts capstone layers |
About two-thirds of the way around the loop, a short side trail leads to a hilltop overlook. Of course, I climbed up to see what I could see.
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| The butte, once again |
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| The only bench along the trail |
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| Painted Canyon |
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| The nature trail is easy to find |
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| Looking down at the overlook trail junction |
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| Prairie grasses and shrubs |
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| Beginning the climb out of the canyon |
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| Keep climbing |
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| A final glance back at our butte |
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| Painted Canyon from near the rim |
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| Peck Hill |
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| Buck Hill |
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| The final side hill climb back to the visitor center |
An entrance fee of $25 admits all the passengers of a single vehicle for seven days to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Other entrance fee options include a Theodore Roosevelt National Park Annual Park Pass for $50, an Every Kid in a Park 4th Grade Pass for free and a variety of America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes providing access to most national park, national forest, and BLM fee areas
- Annual Pass for $80
- Military Pass for free
- Lifetime Senior Pass for $80 or $20 annually for those age 62 and older
- Access Pass for free for visitors with a permanent disability
The park website is https://www.nps.gov/thro.
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