Jones Creek Trail

The Jones Creek Trail traverses the quieter eastern portion of Theodore Roosevelt National Park's South Unit, offering excellent wildlife viewing opportunities in a landscape of rolling mixed-grass prairie, eroded badlands buttes, and riparian creek bottoms. The trail begins near the park's east entrance and follows Jones Creek drainage through a series of open meadows and cottonwood groves. American bison herds are frequently encountered along the route; the park maintains a free-ranging herd of approximately 200 animals in the South Unit, and the Jones Creek area is a favored grazing corridor. Prairie dog towns are active along the creek floodplain, and hikers can watch the social colony's activity from trail-side vantage points. Black-tailed prairie dogs play a keystone ecological role, and their burrow systems provide shelter for burrowing owls, rattlesnakes, and black-footed ferrets. The surrounding badlands formations display vivid horizontal banding of gray, tan, and brown sedimentary layers laid down over 65 million years. Early morning hikes offer the best bison sightings, as the large animals prefer the cooler hours for movement. Hikers should maintain a minimum of 100 yards from bison at all times.