Slope County Badlands Backcountry Circuit

Slope County holds some of North Dakota’s most dramatic topography outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and this circuit follows ranch roads and old oil exploration tracks through a landscape of chalky buttes, deep coulees, and endless grassland. The route passes active prairie dog towns where black-footed ferret recovery efforts are underway, skirts the edges of badland formations that rival anything in the national park, and crosses several seasonal creeks that have carved deep gullies in the soft sedimentary rock. The stretch between Amidon and Rhame includes some technical rocky descents that demand attention.

This is serious backcountry requiring high clearance minimum, 4WD strongly recommended for the rocky sections and after any precipitation. Summer heat can be brutal with no shade for hours, and winter access is often impossible due to snow and ice. Spring brings muddy conditions that can strand vehicles for days. Fuel up in Bowman—services are scarce to nonexistent once you’re out there. The reward is experiencing North Dakota’s badlands without crowds, plus some of the darkest night skies in the lower 48.