ノースダコタのおすすめランニングルート

The Upper Caprock Coulee trail continues where the Caprock Coulee Nature Trail stops. After a short but steep climb from the nature trail, you'll find yourself in the quietest section of the Caprock Coulee Loop and views start to open up over the badlands.

This nature trail (part of the overall Caprock Coulee loop) doesn't have much elevation gain, so it makes a great warm-up or a short run in and of itself. It's very popular with hikers, though, so your best chance of an uninterrupted run is getting out here early or late, or maybe during the week. Keep an eye out for wildlife, including bison, which are fast and dangerous — you don't want to end up running sprints with one of those behind you.

This wild, remote-feeling trail takes you through a little bit of everything that makes Theodore Roosevelt National Park special, from open prairie to deep canyons and sagebrush terraces. Keep an eye out for wildlife as large as bison or as small as prairie dogs, and make sure to give them plenty of room.

There's a prairie dog town right about here, but the "town" is actually a series of underground tunnels — so you're best off watching for the prairie dogs themselves, which look much like fat little squirrels with short, stubby tails. Often, the easiest way to spot them is by watching for movement when they dash for the cover of one of their many burrow entrances, or listen for their chirping alarm calls. You might see lots of other wildlife here too, drawn by the prairie dogs.

The Cannonball Concretions seem like they are leftovers from a true historic fight. Turns out they are just as much a part of the incredible Badlands landscape as the canyons themselves. Through erosion of the nearby butte, the cannonball concretions are exposed and it is expected more of them will be exposed as erosion continues.

There's a prairie dog town right about here, but the "town" is actually a series of underground tunnels — so you're best off watching for the prairie dogs themselves, which look much like fat little squirrels with short, stubby tails. Often, the easiest way to spot them is by watching for movement when they dash for the cover of one of their many burrow entrances, or listen for their chirping alarm calls. You might see lots of other wildlife here too, drawn by the prairie dogs.

Most of the Big Plateau Trail runs over (surprise!) a big plateau with grasslands. This means little elevation changes on most of the trail. The only elevation changes are at the start and the end of the trail, going up and down the canyons. It's never a certainty, but the big plateau is known for big herds of bison hanging out. A river crossing is mandatory to make it out to both Big Plateau and Lone Tree Spring Loop Trail. Check-in with the visitor center about water depth and safety measures.

This trail has little to no elevation change, which makes it accessible to most people. Following the creek, there's a high chance of wildlife sightings. There are a couple of creek crossings, which aren't necessarily hard, but I think it's good to know.