Just ¼ mile north of the Window trailhead is the Door trailhead. The trailheads are located in the same large parking area located between milepost 2.5 and 2.8 on the Badlands Loop Road. The Door trailhead is near the northern end of the parking area at milepost 2.5. To reach the trailhead from the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, drive about 2.3 miles northeast on the Badlands Loop Road. Both the large paved parking area and the trailhead are on the south (compass east) side of the road.
The trail is rated as easy by the National Park Service. The first 700 feet of the trail is an ADA-compliant boardwalk with handrails at inclines and elevated locations. Like the Window Trail, the boardwalk provides close-up views of the landscape that aren't possible from the road. About 100 feet before the end of the boardwalk, a short set of stairs leads down to the badlands.
The remaining 0.3 miles of the trail may not be suitable for all visitors because it crosses the natural surface of the badlands with only a series of yellow posts to mark the route. Deep ravines have been eroded into the landscape on both sides of the trail. When wet, the bentonite clay expands and is extremely slippery. The round-trip distance is 0.9 miles.
This is a very heavily trafficked trail due to its short distance, easy rating, and proximity to the road. If you are looking for solitude, this probably isn't the trail for you. We did notice that many people stayed near the boardwalk and didn't venture out very far into the badlands. We walked the trail in August 2017 during our visit to Badlands National Park.
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| Boardwalk through the upper prairie near the trailhead |
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| The "Door" |
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| Wall to the left of the door |
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| Boardwalk extension to viewpoint |
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| Benches at the end of the boardwalk |
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| View from the railing |
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| Looking down at the results of erosion |
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| View from the left bench |
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| View from the right bench |
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| Numbered trail marker |
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| Looking back at the end of the boardwalk |
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| Vegetation in the damp bottom of a gully |
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| Fractured landscape of the badlands |
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| Badlands Wall |
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| Another view of the wall |
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| Water has cut deep chasms into the clay rock |
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| Carved by stormwater runoff |
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| Another trail marker and more of the wall |
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| The wall is a massive feature in the park |
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| Looking back at "The Door" |
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| Another deep ravine |
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| Tunnel carved by water |
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| More of the badlands |
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| A small butte to the northeast |
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| Trail passes through this gap |
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| The crowds dissipated the further we walked |
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| This ravine provides water, shade, and shelter from wind for these plants |
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| With no easy way forward, it is time to enjoy the view |
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| Ravines on both sides |
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| The aptly named Big Badlands |
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| Reminds me of the Grand Canyon |
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| The Wall |
An entrance fee of $20 admits all the passengers of a single vehicle for seven consecutive days to Badlands National Park. A fee of $10 applies to motorcyclists. Other entrance fee options include a Badlands National Park Annual Pass for $40, 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/badl.
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