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North & South Dakota Hiking


Badlands Traverse
​Centennial Trail
​Maah Daah Hey Trail

Badlands National Park


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Pre hike meal at the chicken finger stand in the town of Scenic.  We would visit this town again later about 50 miles into the walk
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Halfway through day one
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Climbing the first pass west of "The Castle"
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There are six major passes on the Badlands Traverse which goes from Ben Reifel VC to White River VC (80 miles one way)
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With heavy packs and muddy conditions day one was the shortest and we camped on some dry ground east of Conata
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Sunset from above camp
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On day two there was a clear path leading to the Deer Haven area from the Conata picnic area
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Climbing above Deer Haven
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Thumbs up as we found a way down into the valley
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Warmest night on the trip at the Sage Creek Camp, the temperatures ranged from 30F to 70F in early May
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Matt on a ridgeline in southwest Sage Creek. This section hurt the most with repeated climbs up the pinnacles and no clear way down the other side
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We reached the town of Scenic by late afternoon and said goodbye to Matt
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 Scott and I took a break, then continued to the Pine Ridge section of the park to complete the final thirty miles
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We felt strong after filling up on burgers and eggrolls at the convenience store, making it over Sheep Mountain by sunset
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Curious wild horses near Cactus Flats, they kept inching closer as I was looking at the map
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Scott climbing Stronghold Table
We got lucky finding ways over the final two passes on the first try
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We thought getting through Stronghold by nightfall would be a good, yet we had already reached the area by midday
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With the aforementioned good luck, we decided to finish the walk to White River VC. We went along the road as the light faded to avoid stepping on holes/cactus

Centennial Trail Black Hills

Centennial Trail in South Dakota backpacking
The Centennial is South Dakota's longest trail starting in Wind Cave National Park and ending near the town of Sturgis.  A beautiful fall hike and one that I would probably reserve for when the temperature is cooler due to longer water carries
Bison on the Centennial Trail in Wind Cave National Park South Dakota
Several bison encounters on the first day in the rolling hills of Wind Cave
Boxwork ceilings in Wind Cave National park tour
Depending on time constraints, a cave tour is a good way to start or end the walk.  The well-formed boxwork ceilings are unique to this area
Hiking the Centennial Trail through Custer State Park in the fall
The sun came out as I reached Custer State Park and stayed with me for the remainder of the walk
Legion Lake in South Dakota on the Centennial Trail walk
Legion Lake
Campsite on the Centennial Trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Camp on the first night near Legion Lake Lodge, where I had dinner and breakfast and resupplied with snacks
Overview map of the Centennial Trail backpack in South Dakota
Overview Map
The official trail end is in Bear Butte State Park, an additional ten miles from where I ended the walk in the town of Sturgis
Daily milage routes for the Centennial Trail in South Dakota
The walk took five days using somewhat expensive transport to and from the Rapid City Airport.  I got a Lyft to Wind Cave and used the local airport transport service for the return drive from Sturgis.  I resupplied food as I went picking up snacks at Legion Lake (limited) and Nemo Merchantile (larger grocery store).  I also had meals at Legion Lake, Mount Rushmore, and Sugar Shack
Mount Rushmore on the Centennial Trail in South Dakota
The trail goes alongside Mount Rushmore, a two mile side trip from the Black Elk Wildernerss Area
Black hills on the Centennial Trail backpacking walk north of Samelias Peak in South Dakota
Morning sun from a ridge north of Samelias Peak
Walking down to Sheridan Lake in South Dakota on the Centennial Trail
Heading down to Sheridan Lake
Sheridan Lake in Black hills of South Dakota on the Centennial Trail
Would bring some flavoring for the water, the lakes are all popular fishing spots and the water is hard to drink. I found myself paying for water in the towns
Elk Creek Canyon on the Centennial trail backpacking trip in South Dakota
Elk Creek Canyon
Water resupply on the Centennial trail in South Dakota
Lucky break at Elk Creek, an organization keeps water here for hikers.  Elk Creek looks like a reliable water source on the map.  After some post hike research, I found that there is a thirty mile section with no water from Dalton Lake to Sturgis/Alkali Creek Campground. For water sources, I used Legion Lake, Mount Rushmore, Sheridan Lake, Pactola Lake, Sugar Shack (restaurant in Merritt), Nemo Mercantile, Dalton Lake, and this monitored cache at Elk Creek
Fall colors on the Centennial trail in South Dakota
The final morning leaving the Black Hills for Sturgis

Maah Daah Hey Trail

Backpacking the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota
I returned to the badlands again a few years later, this time of the North Dakota variety with a walk on the Maah Daah Hey Trail (95 miles, 4 days)
Trail Mile Marker on the Maah Daah Hey Trail
The trail is well marked throughout with posts and mile markers
Nearing Magpie campground on the Maah Daah Hey Trail
The trail was often mowed, good for bikers so they are not peddling in high grass. And from a hiker perspective it helped me spot a few snakes
China Wall on the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota Grasslands
China Wall sunrise
Daily routes on the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota
I walked the northern section from CCC Campground to Medora. I joined a biker shuttle from Dakota Cyclery to reach the trailhead. The designated campgrounds are the only water sources in the fall and are about 20 miles apart. There are waterboxes between the camps, about a half day drive to put water in them. Worth the effort as the water sources become 10 miles apart when using the boxes
Overview map of the northern Maah Daah Hey Trail
Overview map of the northern Maah Daah Hey Trail
More cows on the Maah Daah Hey Trail
The downside to being outside a national park is the amount of cows on the trail.  Enough of an annoyance that it lessened the overall experience for me
Whitetail Creek on the Maah Daah Hey Trail
The only serious creek crossing in September was Whitetail -- waist deep mud.  The Little Missouri comes shortly after if walking south to clean up
North Dakota badlands on the Maah Daah Hey Trail hike
The weather was overcast for most of walk and around 70F in mid-September.  
Hiking the final portion of the Maah Daah Hey Trail in Theodore Roosevelt National park
The final stretch in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Resources
https://www.thehikinglife.com/2016/10/badlands-traverse-trip-report/

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Contact: darnoldhiking@gmail.com

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