My husband and I started backpacking The Castle Trail on Saturday night June 1 at 4:30 pm. I had worked all day , got off at 2 pm, packed my gear, and headed out the door by 3 pm. A short hour or so drive and we were parked in the Notch Trail parking lot ready to go. I was so excited. I have always wanted to backpack in the Badlands and this had been on my bucket list for a very long time. .

Not far into the walk you hit this section. It becomes pretty cool and you walk around peaks and valleys and get pretty up close with the landscapes that so defines the Badlands.

At this point the hike is pretty level and easy. Occasionally, you’ll want to be careful of slippery gravel or the high step over a mound if carrying a backpack.

Once you come out of this section and hit the prairie you will start to see cacti and flowers. It is really a delight looking at all the different life forms in the Badlands and wondering how they can survive under some pretty harsh conditions at times.

After hiking/backpacking for 2 miles you hit a bridge that is at the Old Northeast Road. This is a great resting spot if tired. There is also usually water at this section which is rare at most parts of the trail.

Once you cross the Old Northeast Road, you come across this sign marking the trail for Medicine Root Loop Trail and Castle Trail. I recommend keeping on Castle Trail. The Medicine Root Loop Trail can be done if you are looking into doing a loop trail, and my husband and I hit the trail on our returned trip, but overall the Castle Trail is a lot prettier and better. Castle Trail follows more closely to the Badlands and has a lot more cool features, flowers, and cacti. At times you can also find shade, which is rare on the Medicine Root Loop Trail which just sends you out into the prairie even farther. If you are just starting the trail at this location, remember to register for going into the back country.

At this point of the trail, I just really enjoyed looking at the hidden beauty of the Badlands. The fun thing about backpacking is you move at a slower pace so you have a chance to see more.

Around one of the corners we came upon a group of mountain sheep. They were right on the path so after waiting a bit and them not moving, we decided to try to go around. With a backpack on, there were not many options - mountain sheep on one side of us, and rocky terrain on the other side. We first took some pictures.

When we tried to go around the rocky section we discovered even more mountain sheep on the other side.

I tried to climb a bluff and get between the 2 sections of mountain sheep. When I looked over the bluff, I had a stare down with one of the sheep.

These guys eventually lost interest in me and moved on.

This mountain sheep also got bored with us and he ended up leaving with his friends. Remember, be aware that they are out there and give them room. They can charge if they feel threatened. Continuing on we saw more beautiful and interesting things.

At 4 miles in, we hit the marker for Saddle Pass Trail which is the area where we wanted to camp for the night. The rules are you can camp anywhere in the Badlands as long as you are .5 miles from any trail and road, and you cannot see your tent from the road.

We found a perfect spot for the night and set up our tent. Afterwards we headed back to the Saddle Pass Trail and hiked it, taking pictures along the way. This is my favorite hike in the park. It is .25 of a mile one way but it is intense. I would not want to do the hike with a backpack on. The hike is hard enough and can be scary for some due to uphill and downhill slippery conditions. It can also take your breath away if you are not in shape or use to fast elevation gain. When we hiked it we ran into some young men from Chicago. Their direct quote was, “ I don’t like this trail”. I laughed. I think this trail is fantastic.

Once we got back to our tent we ate dinner and then waited for the sun to go down hoping to get some awesome pictures. We tried a couple of different spots and ended up with only a few good photos. With the Badlands, it is a hit and miss on getting a good sunset.

With night approaching we walked back to some cliffs and looked at the scene below. The small town of Interior in the background and the occasional car going through the park made it really pretty. The sky was cloudy so there were little stars. We listened to the coyotes howling in the distance and went to sleep. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Morning comes and I’m excited about getting some neat pictures of the sunrise. I get up at 5:30 am a little late, but still happy with some of my results.

After spending 30 minutes taking pictures, I woke up my husband and we decided to have a snack and hike the rest of the 2 miles of the Castle Trail to the Fossil Exhibit Trail - round trip 4 miles. This hike went a lot faster without our backpacks on. We wanted to start out early before it got too hot, so we started our hike around 0730 am.

After hiking 2 miles we see a mirage in the foreground - The Fossil Exhibit Trail and a bathroom - a pit toilet yes, but still a bathroom - a welcome sign for any backpacker.

When you arrive at the Fossil Exhibit Trail you can either turn around and start hiking back or you can hike the short trail that is there. The Fossil Exhibit Trail is informative, kind of neat, and definitely does not take a lot of time to complete, so I recommend doing it and crossing it off your list.

Once we used the facilities, it was time to turn around and head back to our tent near the Saddle Pass Trail area. We took our time hiking and just really enjoyed the trail and everything it had to offer.

Once we made it back to our tent, we ate breakfast, packed up our gear, and started to backpack back to our car.. On the way back we chose to do the Medicine Root Trail which is a 2 mile side loop that can be taken instead of the Castle Trail. The trails still leads you back to the Castle Trail and is the same length. The only difference is instead of doing 4 miles on the Castle Trail, you do 2 miles on the Medicine Loop Trail and 2 miles on the Castle Trail. I really had no desire to walk this trail other than crossing it off my bucket list. The trail takes you out into the prairie away from the Badlands formations. It is also very hot and has little shade. With this trail done, we have done every trail in the Badlands.

At times the trail got pretty with trees or bluffs, and the second mile of the Medicine Loop Trail was a lot prettier than the 1st mile.

After 2 miles we hit the Castle Trail again and started to backpack our last 2 miles to the car.

Dave and I got back to the car and rested for a bit before we started to head home.

While on the trails, we saw other people hiking, but it definitely is not crowded. Once the sun set, there was no one within several miles. This backpacking trip was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it. In less than 24 hours, we were able to drive from Rapid City to the Badlands, backpack to our camping spot, enjoy an evening with no one around us, and return to Rapid City.