Maah Daah Hey Trail Section

The Maah Daah Hey Trail is North Dakota's most celebrated long-distance trail, stretching 144 miles through the Little Missouri Badlands and connecting the North and South Units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The section passing through the North Unit traverses some of the most remote and visually striking badlands terrain accessible on foot, following ancient bison migration paths and Native American travel routes through a landscape the Mandan people called Maah Daah Hey—a Mandan expression meaning 'grandfather' or 'an area that has been or will be around for a long time.' This 5-mile out-and-back section beginning from the North Unit offers superb opportunities to observe the park's small herd of feral horses—descendants of ranch animals that were left behind in the early 20th century and have since developed into a genetically distinct population. The trail winds through sculpted badlands formations, prairie dog towns, and cottonwood draws where wild turkey flocks roost in late afternoon. Interpretive turtle-shaped markers made of scoria post every mile provide navigation. The North Unit's remoteness means wildlife encounters here feel more intimate than in the more heavily visited South Unit.