Door Trail – Badlands

Distance: 0.75 miles Elevation Gain: 100 ft Difficulty: Easy Type: Out-and-Back Surface: boardwalk and open badlands Activity: Hiking Best Season: Year-round Typical Time: 30–45 min Fee: Included with park pass Dogs: No Permit: No

The Door Trail leads through a literal gap in the badlands wall — an opening in the eroded buttes that acts as a gateway into the interior of the badlands basin. A boardwalk carries visitors the first 100 yards through the "door" before ending at an interpretive sign; beyond, the trail continues as a marked route across open eroded terrain. The badlands basin on the other side of the wall is a moonscape of grey and tan spires, gullies, and fluted ridges completely unlike the surrounding mixed-grass prairie.

The lack of maintained trail beyond the boardwalk is intentional — the NPS encourages careful off-trail exploration within the marked area, allowing visitors to scramble over ridgelines and peer into slot-like drainages at their own pace. The terrain is soft and easily eroded, so staying aware of footing is important. On the boardwalk section, interpretive panels explain the geological history of badlands formation: alternating layers of volcanic ash and ancient river sediment, compressed and then exposed by millions of years of erosion. The Door Trail and the adjacent Window Trail can be combined for a satisfying short morning visit before the midday heat builds.