Little Missouri National Grassland

The Little Missouri National Grassland sprawls across western North Dakota, covering nearly one million acres — making it the largest national grassland in the United States. It wraps around all three units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and stretches across the badlands and rolling mixed-grass prairie of the western part of the state, a vast, wild landscape of buttes, canyons, coulees and open plains.

The grassland is the setting and guardian of the Maah Daah Hey Trail — one of the premier long-distance trails in the country, running more than 144 miles through the badlands and prairie — and offers endless opportunities for hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, wildlife watching and badlands exploration. With its sheer scale, the wild badlands scenery and the Maah Daah Hey, the Little Missouri National Grassland is a treasured natural icon of North Dakota.

The Little Missouri National Grassland is a premier destination for the Maah Daah Hey Trail (144+ miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding through the badlands and prairie, one of the great long-distance trails in the country), dispersed camping and backpacking in the badlands, hunting (mule deer, pronghorn, elk, upland birds), wildlife watching, and exploring the vast badlands country by road and trail. The Maah Daah Hey Trail and the sheer scale of wild badlands and prairie are the signature draws. The grassland is one of the most expansive wild public lands in the northern plains.

Late spring through fall is the prime season for the Maah Daah Hey Trail and outdoor recreation — spring bringing wildflowers and wildlife, summer (cool mornings and evenings are best; afternoons are hot with thunderstorms) offering full access, and fall bringing crisp air, golden cottonwoods and the elk rut. Autumn is particularly fine for long-distance hiking on the trail. The badlands are most vivid at sunrise and sunset. Spring and fall for the Maah Daah Hey and badlands exploration are the highlights — avoid the trail’s clay soils when wet (they become impassable gumbo).

The vast badlands and prairie of the Little Missouri National Grassland are the homeland of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota and other Native peoples, and the landscape where Theodore Roosevelt ranched in the 1880s, ranching and hunting that shaped his conservation legacy. The lands were acquired by the federal government in the Dust Bowl era, restored from over-grazed and degraded range, and managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Maah Daah Hey Trail (named from a Mandan phrase meaning “an area that has been or will be around for a long time”) was built on the grassland. The Little Missouri National Grassland preserves this vast wild heritage of the northern plains.

The Little Missouri National Grassland encompasses the full geological story of the North Dakota badlands: soft sedimentary layers of clay, sand, lignite coal and volcanic ash deposited over millions of years, then carved by the Little Missouri River and erosion into the colorful buttes, canyons, coulees and tablelands of the badlands. Burning lignite beds bake the clay into red ‘scoria.’ The grassland’s vast extent shows the full range of badlands geology, from the colorful, eroded canyon country near the river to the rolling mixed-grass prairie of the uplands.

The Little Missouri National Grassland supports some of the most diverse wildlife in North Dakota: bison (in and around Theodore Roosevelt National Park), mule and white-tailed deer, pronghorn, elk, wild horses, coyotes, prairie dogs, golden and bald eagles, sharp-tailed grouse, and a full suite of badlands and prairie wildlife. The vast scale — nearly one million acres — provides habitat for wide-ranging species. Wildlife watching, especially on the Maah Daah Hey Trail, is exceptional, with bison, wild horses, pronghorn and eagles among the highlights.

The Little Missouri National Grassland protects a vast expanse of northern mixed-grass prairie and badlands — a globally rare and declining ecosystem — along the Little Missouri River corridor and across the rolling uplands of western North Dakota. The U.S. Forest Service manages grazing, energy development, fire and wildlife habitat across the complex mosaic of public and private land. Protecting the native prairie, the badlands, the river corridors and the wildlife sustains both the ecological integrity and the wild beauty of this vast landscape.

The Little Missouri National Grassland holds a singular place among the natural icons of North Dakota and the country — the largest national grassland in the United States, nearly one million acres of badlands and prairie in western North Dakota, home of the legendary Maah Daah Hey Trail and guardian of the badlands where Theodore Roosevelt found his conservation calling. Its vast wild scale, the badlands scenery and the trail embody the grand, open spirit of the northern plains. It is a cherished natural treasure of North Dakota.

The Little Missouri National Grassland wraps across western North Dakota around Theodore Roosevelt National Park, with the town of Medora the primary gateway (off Interstate 94 at the South Unit), and additional access from Watford City (near the North Unit) and from U.S. 85 and area highways and roads across the region. Much of the grassland is open to dispersed recreation at no charge; some areas have trailheads and facilities (fees may apply at some sites). The Maah Daah Hey Trail has multiple trailheads and access points. Check the U.S. Forest Service (Dakota Prairie Grasslands) for maps, access, rules and conditions.

The U.S. Forest Service manages the Little Missouri National Grassland for multiple uses, balancing grazing, energy development, recreation and wildlife habitat. Visitors help by staying on trails and roads to protect the fragile badlands soils and native prairie, packing out everything, following Leave No Trace, respecting the Maah Daah Hey Trail’s use rules, keeping a safe distance from bison and wildlife, and avoiding the clay soils (and the Maah Daah Hey) when wet. The prairie, the badlands and the wildlife are sensitive. Protecting them sustains both the ecology and the wild beauty of the grassland.

The Little Missouri National Grassland is vast and remote — carry water, a map and GPS (cell service is very limited), and food for any backcountry trip (and multi-day Maah Daah Hey segments). The clay badlands soils become impassable ‘gumbo’ mud when wet (and the Maah Daah Hey Trail is closed or nearly unusable when wet); go only when dry. Summers are hot with afternoon thunderstorms; carry sun protection and seek shelter from lightning. Keep a safe distance from bison and wild horses. Watch for rattlesnakes in the badlands.

Most of the grassland is open to dispersed recreation at no charge; follow U.S. Forest Service rules. The Maah Daah Hey Trail has specific use rules (check for current conditions and closures when wet). Camp only in designated sites or with a dispersed permit; follow Leave No Trace. Hunting and fishing require appropriate North Dakota licenses. ORV and motorized use is restricted to designated routes. Respect private land interspersed with the national grassland. Pack out all trash. Check the U.S. Forest Service (Dakota Prairie Grasslands) for rules, maps and conditions before visiting.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (all three units lie within the grassland), the town of Medora, Watford City, the Little Missouri River (which the grassland surrounds), White Butte (ND high point), and the badlands of western North Dakota all lie within or adjacent to the grassland. The western North Dakota badlands and prairie define the region. The Little Missouri National Grassland is the vast public-land canvas of western North Dakota, encompassing Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Maah Daah Hey Trail and the badlands, a centerpiece of any western North Dakota adventure.

Tackle a section of the Maah Daah Hey Trail — one of the great trails of the northern plains, running 144+ miles through the badlands and mixed-grass prairie, with multiple trailhead access points and varying segment lengths for day hikes to multi-day backpacks. Base in Medora for the southern sections. Go only when the clay soils are dry (the trail becomes impassable gumbo when wet), carry all water and supplies (water sources are scarce), and watch for bison, rattlesnakes and afternoon thunderstorms. Combine your visit with Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the badlands country.