Castle Trail

Castle Trail runs 8 km one way along the north side of the Badlands Wall, in Badlands National Park. It's the longest maintained trail in the park and stays close to level the whole way. Spires, buttes and fins line one side, with mixed grass prairie opening out on the other. Best stretch is the first two kilometres in from the east trailhead, where the formations crowd closest to the path. Start there in the morning and walk west with the sun behind you. Numbered metal posts mark the route, which helps where it thins out across open grass. It's exposed end to end, so early or late in the day are the best times to visit. Two junctions give shorter options. Medicine Root loops back for a 6.4 km circuit, and Saddle Pass drops steeply off the Wall to the road. Park at the Door and Window lot on Badlands Loop Road if you want to start at the east end, or at the Fossil Exhibit Trail for the west end of the trail. Since the trail sits within the National Park there is an entry fee at the gate. Bighorn sheep and pronghorn often turn up here, so you may get to add some wildlife photography to your day if you are lucky. Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes and stay on the trail to protect this area's fragile ecosystem. (Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States)