North Dakota trails · Maah Daah Hey Trail
Maah Daah Hey Trail
A 8.1-mile out-and-back in North Dakota, with 448 ft of climbing. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 77% of the ascent, between mile 2.7 and mile 5.4. It gives back about 188 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Getting there
Maah Daah Hey access — parking nearby. 46.93290, -103.55177 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:40 a.m., the sun rises at 6:12 a.m. and sets at 7:36 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:07 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 24 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 16.3-mile round trip takes roughly 6 h 28 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:40 p.m. — 6 h 56 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Maah Daah Hey Trail + South Petrified Forest Trail + North Petrified Forest Trail — 9.9 mi loop, 912 ft gain
- Ekblom Trail + Maah Daah Hey Trail + Big Plateau Trail — 5.3 mi loop, 573 ft gain
- Maah Daah Hey Trail + South Petrified Forest Trail + Lone Tree Trail — 9.8 mi loop, 773 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Buffalo Gap — 2.1 mi
- Lower Paddock Creek Trail — 3.0 mi
- Lone Tree Trail — 3.8 mi
- Mike Auney Trail — 5.6 mi