Suggestions for Dayhikes from The Badlands to Yellowstone to Glacier…

[Mark Andrews]

Hey Guys… Heading out on this year's family roadtrip on Tuesday and looking for some suggestions/advice on dayhikes (possible overnights, although less likely) for the following:

Badlands NP, SD
Yellowstone
Tetons
Glacier NP

Other suggestions/advice in the general area of these locales would be much appreciated as well.

Our route will take us from STL…1st stop in the Badlands and then on to Mt. Rushmore, and perhaps Custer.

From there we'll swing by Devil's Tower.

Then it's on to the Tetons/Yellowstone via Cody.

I'd like to head up to Glacier and then loop back (possibly thru Minneapolis).

We normally wing it time wise at each location and modify as necessary.

Will Glacier have any decent opportunities in mid-late June?

Any other suggestions experiences for non-hiking activities, food stops, etc, also appreciated.

I'll have my wife and 7yo along for the trip. They're good for (enjoy) about 8-10 mile hikes max…so scenery/impact over distance/challenge here!

I've been to Yellowstone/GTNP but never been to Glacier.

TIA
-Mark in St. Louis

[Steofan M]

"Yes" to anywhere in the badlands, stop at Bear Butte SP up by Sturgis if you can. A very nice hike to the top on one of the few remaining living sacred places in the US.
The family will love a hike up the Eaton Trail from Mammoth, up through the hoodoos and back down via the old snow pass road. Nice views, marmots, pikas and very few folks. Put on your swim suit and soak off the day in the Boiling River on the northern end of the park (on the way out to Gardiner, MT), and get to Kiwis Takeaway in West Yellowstone for a great meal.
If you head home across N.D., stop at the northern unit of Roosevelt NP. Nice day hikes, not many get out of the car and away from the roads.
Keep it as unscripted as possible and create some great memories.

[Mark Andrews]

Thanx for the recommendations.

We will definitely check out Boiling River. Is the Eaton hike you mentioned, the hike to Sepulcher Mt???

Any specific Badlands or Roosevelt recommendations?

TA
-Mark

[Edward Jursek]

Castle Trail in Badlands NP. 10 miles. Flat and easy, passes some cool Badlands formations.

[Mark Andrews]

I'll check it out…plus I can combine it with the short Notch Trail!

-Mark

[Steofan M]

"Is the Eaton hike you mentioned, the hike to Sepulcher Mt???"
No, but you can get there… Howard Eaton Trail (4 miles of trail) , up to the Fawn Pass Trail(2.5 miles) north to Sepulcher Mt (a 6 mile trail), then a couple more miles back down. Check in at the ranger station regarding bears in the area and storms on the peak. Have fun!

[Mark Andrews]

OK…That's probably longer than the family would want for a single hike/event in Yellowstone. How many miles on the first loop you mentioned?

Also…in SD…Would you choose to do something at Bear Butte or Harney Peak, choosing only one?

TA
-Mark

[Steofan M]

"OK…That's probably longer than the family would want for a single hike/event in Yellowstone. How many miles on the first loop you mentioned?"
Eaton to Fawn to the snow pass to Mammoth loop is a about 7 miles. Nice views, lots of shade and volcanic stuff that you can walk right up to.

"Also…in SD…Would you choose to do something at Bear Butte or Harney Peak, choosing only one?"
Harney Peak, Bear Butte area becomes Stugis spillover and is sacred to bikers over the summer anymore.

[Gary Dunckel]

I think one of the prettiest valleys in Yellowstone is Slough Creek, in the north of the Park. It might be the premier cutthroat stream on the planet, a beautiful, meandering, smallish river. I finally get to backpack there for a few days over the 4th, which is only because Slough Creek will probably be too cloudy from the runoff for the fisher-folk to be there. It's an out and back hike, and you can go as far as you like. There's only maybe a 400' elevation gain over 6-8 miles, and almost all of that is a moderate grunt up from the parking lot. After that, it's a wonderful cruise through a sweet open valley. It's pretty sunny, but there are enough trees to have lunch in the shade, with a nice view. Plenty of wildlife usually, although I haven't seen bison there. Some years, a griz is sighted further up the valley.

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