Haven't seen many threads on backcountry hangers in this park given it's mostly grasslands.
We did a short backpacking adventure starting at the Peaceful Valley Ranch entrance to the Big Plateau Trail. With a mid-day start (which worked out perfect for this trail) we hiked this and later the North Petrified Forest Trail. With a nice stream crossing of the Little Missouri (just a bit over knee deep), we made our way up and onto the Big Plateau. Two things stood out that made this an outstanding place to visit. One is the incredible variety of wild life you can see in a relatively short time. Within the first few hours of hiking we saw buffalo, feral horses, mule deer, eagles, hawks, and the ever popular prairie dogs. As it turned to dusk, the chorus of coyotes was awesome to hear. In fact, the wildlife density made it surprisingly difficult to traverse the plateau via trail markers with the wild buffalo herds roaming and prairie dog towns everywhere; so planning on an unexpected diversion (and even a possible change in trail) is almost a given. The second was the beauty of the ND plains and plateaus. This park is located on the northern part of the badlands, is very picturesque in full fall colors, and much more lightly visited than its southern black hills counterpart, making for a more untouched wilderness experience.
One recommendation if you are going off-trail on the plateau is to make sure you use good snake preparedness as well as give a wide shoulder around the sage bush (where we mistakenly traveled a bit to close, disturbing a rattlesnake). Thankfully, it just did its tail shake and left us be. Perhaps better yet is to just to stay on the trail on the plateau.
As to hammock sites, there were a modest number of groves of trees to use. Was originally a little concerned with finding a place given the landscape, but that was quickly dispelled as we spent just a few minutes seeking a nice grove to setup our Clark Vertex.
Backcountry camping here (with an easily obtained permit at the visitor's center) is free and park entry fees are modest.
Great place for a short visit, particularly if you like wildlife photography as you're almost guaranteed to get some incredible shots.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks