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North Dakota trails · Buckhorn Trail

Buckhorn Trail

A 11.3-mile network in North Dakota, with 505 ft of climbing. Managed by the National Park Service.

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Length
11.3 mi
Elevation gain
505 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
28%
Steepest mile
+393 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
1.1 mi
Shape
network
Bikes
no
Horses
no
Managed by
National Park Service

Elevation profile

1,953 – 2,448 ft1234567891011

Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 77% of the ascent, between mile 3.8 and mile 7.5. It gives back about 817 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Buckhorn Trail

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Buckhorn Trail access — parking nearby. 47.59608, -103.33142 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:39 a.m., the sun rises at 8:10 a.m. and sets at 7:07 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:38 p.m. (CDT) — 10 h 57 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 11.3-mile route takes roughly 4 h 26 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:36 p.m. — 6 h 31 min before sunset.

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