On an overcast day in August 2017, we hiked the Ridgeline Trail in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. To reach the trailhead from the visitor center, drive 6.4 miles on East River Road and continue straight an additional 4.1 miles on Scenic Loop Drive. Parallel parking is available on the right side of the road.
The easy to moderate 0.6 mile loop hike climbs 100 feet in elevation from the trailhead to the high point on the ridge. Note that there are numerous timber stairs along the route. The trail begins with timber stairs and switchbacks to a ridgetop meadow. After crossing the meadow, the ridge narrows and the trail climbs again via timber steps before reaching the summit of the ridge. Just beyond the summit, the loop trail turns right and descends into a hillside of juniper trees before climbing back up to meet itself at the meadow. Another path continues out to the end of the ridge. I assume it must be part of the trail system since there is a bench at the end.
A few drops of rain fell just after we started the hike, but it didn't amount to enough to put on a rain jacket. I did notice after we had hiked a bit that there was a drop of water on my camera lens. Most of my pictures of the climb and the meadow we crossed have a blurry spot near the center and aren't suitable for posting.
We chose to hike back along the ridgeline instead of following the loop down into the juniper trees in order to get some additional images to replace those that didn't turn out.
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| Parallel parking area |
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| Trailhead |
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| Timber stairs |
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| Prickly pear cactus |
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| Square Butte (3322' 11.7 miles) |
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| Badlands |
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| Ridgeline Trail |
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| View from the end of the spur trail |
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| View southeast from the spur trail |
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| View southwest from the spur trail |
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| Bench at the end of the ridge with Square Butte and Sentinel Butte on the horizon |
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| Light and shadows |
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| Looking east across the badlands |
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| Returning to the main loop trail |
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| Stairs down to the junipers |
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| View west from the summit |
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| Scenic Loop Drive in the valley |
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| View to the northwest |
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| Returning back along the ridgeline |
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| View south to Interstate 94 |
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| View north over the juniper "forest" to Scenic Loop Drive |
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| View east from the meadow |
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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