Painted Canyon Nature Trail - Theodore Roosevelt National Park

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.

Topographic map with GPS route

Elevation profile

Trailhead

Side slope hiking

A bit of shade

This unnamed butte is an easily recognized landmark along the trail

A footbridge and a turn down the hill

I chose to go straight at the loop junction instead of right

Peck Hill, the highest point in the park at 2867'

Signs of erosion along the trail

Looking back at the rim

Steep descent with washed out stairs

Looking down from the trail

Color bands of the badlands

Our favorite butte

Evidence of a small landslide

Looking back toward the visitor center

Plains Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha)

More banding with Buck Hill on the horizon at right

The eroding east side of Peck Hill

Ridge running trail

Another bridge

Badlands erosion

Typical trail surface

Three buttes

Prairie bottomland

Erosion resistant cap rock

Bridge over a small stream and then stairs

Small stream flows into Paddock Creek

Descending via timber steps

Another bridge

More stairs

The landmark butte from another direction

Uneven erosion of sedimentary clays

Buck Hill

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.

The butte, once again

The only bench along the trail

Painted Canyon

The nature trail is easy to find

Looking down at the overlook trail junction

Prairie grasses and shrubs

Beginning the climb out of the canyon

Keep climbing

A final glance back at our butte

Painted Canyon from near the rim

Peck Hill

Buck Hill

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

An entrance fee is not collected at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/thro.