Makoshika State Park in Glendive, Montana, unfolds as an outdoor museum carved in stone and earth. Here, vast badlands stretch across the horizon, daring you to traverse trails that thread through layered cliffs, hoodoos, and fossil beds. Each step places you in a story millions of years old, where skeletal remnants of ancient creatures whisper beneath rocky surfaces.

The park’s trails vary in length and difficulty, offering hikers a choice between moderate loop hikes and shorter ramblers. The Fossil Trail, a 1.5-mile loop with a modest elevation gain of around 200 feet, packs dense geological storytelling into manageable terrain. Soft, crumbly rock layers slope down to dry gullies, while prairie grasses tussle with wind and sunlight. The landscape is unapologetically raw—surfaces cracked and colored with ochre and rust, cliffs crowned with weathered spires that point skyward like nature’s own monuments.

Venturing further, the Bluffs Trail extends roughly 3 miles, climbing gradual ridges to sweeping views of the park’s expanse. Here, you feel the air shift as the landscape changes—badlands meeting open grasslands, and the far-off Yellowstone River cutting a slow line across the valley floor. It demands respect: the terrain insists on sturdy boots and a steady pace. Loose gravel and uneven paths test your footing, while open sun invites careful hydration planning.

Practical planning pays off: bring layered clothing to handle abrupt temperature shifts and a wide-brimmed hat to shield against the relentless sun. Early morning or late afternoon hikes not only dodge midday heat but cast the rock formations in golden hues, making the fossil-rich outcrops seem to glow with ancient secrets.

The park’s fossil exhibits, paired with interpretive signs along the trails, offer insights into the Cretaceous period creatures that once roamed. Keep an eye out for preserved fragments of plants and dinosaurs, a vivid reminder that beneath your boots lies a snapshot of deep time.

Makoshika isn’t simply a walk; it’s an exchange with a landscape fiercely itself, demanding curiosity and preparation. Whether you’re tracing dinosaur footprints, scanning the horizon from rugged bluffs, or simply letting the dry wind narrate its elemental story, the park invites you into an adventure both thrilling and grounded in the living earth beneath your feet.