Last Updated on: 22nd February 2025, 01:30 pm
At over 11,000 acres, Makoshika State Park, located just outside of Glendive, is Montana’s largest state park. ‘Makoshika’ is the Lakota word for ‘badland,’ and the park accordingly shares a lot in common with nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
But despite a proposal in the 1930s, Makoshika was rejected by the National Park Service and instead became a state park. Nevertheless, Makoshika State Park is within easy reach of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and should best be thought of as that park’s unofficial ‘West Unit.’
In addition to thrilling hikes, Makoshika should also be of interest to dinosaur enthusiasts, as numerous species have been uncovered in the area.
The following guide focuses on hikes and overlooks that you can expect to accomplish within a single day. While not all of the park’s trails are covered, you’ll find a majority of them here.
For more info on reaching the park and where to stay nearby, be sure to check the end of the article.
Visiting Makoshika State Park
As mentioned above, the following guide focuses on trails and overlooks that you can experience in a single day. While not all of the park’s trails are covered, a majority of them are.
It would be wise to download the various trails featured below on AllTrails before your trip. If you don’t want to pay for a subscription, a free app like Organic Maps should also come in handy.
Visitor Center
Makoshika State Park is open daily from 7:00 – 22:00. For non-Montana residents, the park costs $8 per vehicle or $4 for those arriving by bicycle.
Near the park entrance you’ll find the Visitor Center, which is open from 9:00-17:00 during the summer months.
It’s well worth a visit to learn more about the geology of the park and the history of paleontology in the region. You’ll even get to see dinosaur fossils on display, in addition to a cast of a Thescelosaurus, a type of herbivorous dinosaur that was found within the park.
Otherwise, there’s no actual evidence of dinosaurs right now on the trails themselves.
Bluebird Trail
Located just near the Visitor Center, the Bluebird Trail is a short 1-mile (1.6 km) hike with just 98 feet (39 m) of elevation gain. It should only take about 30 minutes to complete.
The path starts off flat and then gradually takes you up a hill to the Birdseye Overlook. While the views are quite nice, as we’ll cover shortly, they won’t end up standing out much compared with all the other overlooks you’ll end up visiting.
All in all, the Bluebird Trail is by no means essential for those in a rush. But for those with more time, it serves as a nice little warmup hike. Or, you might also consider saving it for last on your way out of the park.
Gunners Ridge Trail
Just a bit down the park’s main road, you’ll find the trailhead for Gunners Ridge, a hike that shouldn’t be missed.
If you’re using the AllTrails app, you’ll notice two variations of this hike, both of which are out-and-back hikes. The normal version is 1.8 miles (2.9 km) long with 370 feet (113 m) of elevation gain, taking around an hour.
The longer version, meanwhile, has you walking much further to the Hungry Joe Overlook once you’re at the top of the plateau, making this a 4.3-mile (7 km) hike in total that takes around two hours.
In either case, the trail starts off flat before gradually leading up to a large plateau. On the way up, you’ll want to repeatedly turn around to take in the views of endless badlands, but things will only get better from here.
Not only do the views get better the higher you go, but the top of the plateau itself is home to some of the park’s most striking formations. As cliche as it sounds, it really does feel like being on another planet.
The formations here reminded me a lot of New Mexico’s Valley of Dreams and Bisti Badlands.
Walking along the plateau, you’ll encounter toadstool-like formations that are capped by hard rocks. They remain in place after much of the softer layers below have eroded away. And it’s only a matter of time before they disappear due to natural processes.
You’ll also encounter large wrinkly formations that are fascinating to observe from up close. If you’re doing the basic version of this hike, it’s around here that you’re supposed to turn around.
I was originally considering hiking all the way to the Hungry Joe Overlook and walked a bit past the end of the regular trail. But I soon realized that the trail would have me walking into the sun the whole time, and so I turned back.
Diane Gabriel Trail
The Diane Gabriel Trail is a 0.9-mile (1.45 km) loop with 127 feet (39 m) of elevation gain. It should take around thirty minutes – as long as you don’t get lost, that is. This trail is meant to appeal to both hikers and paleontology enthusiasts.
This is yet another hike that takes you up to the top of the plateau and then back down. But the trail’s main claim to fame is being where a Hardosaur was excavated at some point.
Confusingly, however, there are no dinosaur fossils to be found on-site anymore. Furthermore, it’s not entirely clear where the dig took place.
In addition to the confusion surrounding the Hardosaur site, the trail itself was rather hard to follow at times, even with the aid of an app. It seems like parts of it were fairly recently washed out.
As much as I enjoyed visiting Makoshika State Park, one of my main criticisms is that there should be at least double the amount of trail markers as there currently are.
In any case, the views from the top of the Diane Gabriel Trail are excellent. But I unfortunately got a bit lost (again) on the return journey, and instead of the main trail, I ended up walking through a wash to get back to the parking lot.
Switchback Trail
Located just parallel to the road which takes visitors up the hill, the Switchback Trail isn’t exactly essential, but it does offer some nice views for relatively little effort.
The basic trail is a simple (yet uphill) out-and-back hike that’s 1.2 miles (2 km) long and should take about forty minutes to complete.
After walking through a forested area, the views will open up and you’ll get to admire an excellent viewpoint of Makoshika’s stunning badlands.
There is, however, a longer version of the Switchback Trail that’s combined with something called the Ponderosa Trail. This is what I attempted to do, but I ultimately wouldn’t recommend the extended version of the hike.
The Ponderosa Trail is arguably the most bland section of Makoshika State Park, with nothing but prairie and trees.
The area is most known for being the location of the McCarty Cabin, named after the family who donated over a thousand acres of land to establish what was then just a county park.
But the ‘McCarty Cabin’ doesn’t actually exist, and you’ll only encounter a small informational placard near where it once stood.
Up The Plateau
Just past the Switchback Trail, the park’s main road will take you to the top of the large plateau. From here, you can access some of the park’s top hikes and viewpoints.
Note that in contrast to the bottom section, which is all paved, much of the road at the top of the hill is dirt. Normal sedans should be able to handle it, however.
You’ll also encounter numerous viewpoints on the way up. Some are unnamed, while there’s also the Doc Hiatt Overlook. As we’ll cover below, there will be several more overlooks to check out in the area.
Cap Rock Trail
The Cap Rock Trail is a short 0.5-mile (0.8 km) loop trail with 92 feet (28 m) of elevation gain. It just takes around 20 minutes or so to complete, but it’s definitely one of Makoshika State Park’s essential experiences.
In contrast to some of the hikes mentioned above which involve strenuous ascents, this one begins with a gentle descent. And you’ll be able to enjoy stunning badlands formations right from the start.
The formations here are arguably among the most unique and colorful in the entire park. Near the beginning, you’ll even encounter a natural bridge.
Eventually, the loop trail will take you back uphill to the parking lot, with the ascent offering more jaw-dropping views of the surrounding scenery.
Kinney Coulee Trail
From the Cap Rock Trail, continue south and then turn left to head east. Then take a right at the fork. The road leads to a small parking lot at a dead end, and nearby you’ll find the trailhead for the Kinney Coulee Trail.
Like the Cap Rock Trail mentioned above, this hike has you descending before you eventually hike back up. But this one is a lot more strenuous. The trail is 0.9 miles (1.45 km) long with 311 feet (95 m) of elevation gain.
Given the steepness of the descent, you’ll want to skip this hike if it’s rained recently and the ground is still damp.
Once down at the valley floor, there are lots of cool formations to check out. And as you follow the loop trail, you’ll be constantly impressed by each new area you discover.
This is another trail at which I got a bit lost – perhaps because I was distracted by all the interesting hoodoos. I seemed to miss the turn that leads hikers to complete the loop, and it took quite a while to get back on track.
As mentioned, Makoshika State Park doesn’t have as many signs and trail markers as it should, so you’ll want to be extra careful on the Kinney Coulee Trail.
Finally making it back up to the parking lot, I was breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. But despite the challenges, this is arguably the park’s top hike after the Gunners Ridge Trail.
Various Overlooks
Finished with hiking, a nice way to finish your day at Makoshika State Park would be to check out more overlooks.
Note that in this part of the park, the main road is called Radio Hill Road. And as you continue north along it, you’ll encounter a turn for Pine on the Rock Rd which leads to a campground. And it’s from this campground that you can enjoy the Pine on the Rocks Vista Point.
Back on Radio Hill Road, continue until the very end. Along the way, though, be sure to stop at the Eyeful Vista Point.
Finally, at the end of the road, you can enjoy the views from the Caines Coulee Overlook. You can also take a small hike to the local Amphitheater which has a one-of-a-kind backdrop.
Additional Info
As mentioned above, Makoshika State Park is an easy day trip for those basing themselves near Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
The closest town to Theodore Roosevelt National Park is Medora, a charming and well-preserved Old West town. Medora is also just about an hour from Makoshika State Park.
Hotels here, however, can be quite pricey. And there aren’t many options online other than AmericInn by Wyndham Medora.
The next best option is the city of Dickinson, about a 35-minute drive away from Medora and 90 minutes from Makoshika. Dickinson is also about an hour and fifteen minutes from the park’s North Unit – not much further than the one-hour drive from Medora.
Dickinson is a rather unremarkable city of 25,000 people, albeit one that has plenty of shopping and dining options compared to Medora.
I stayed at the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham which was fine for the price. Other popular options include the Holiday Inn and Hawthorn Extended Stay.