Hi there!
There are hiking trails in Theodore Roosevelt National Park that you do because you want to see unique rock formations…
And there are hiking trails that you do because you want a chance to see wildlife!
Jones Creek Trail is one of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park hiking trails in the South Unit that you can do for a chance to see wildlife!
👆 Spot the trail! Spot the buffalo! If you see buffalo on the direct path of the trail… new plan! Do not approach!
Although the very beginning of the Jones Creek Trail on the Upper Jones Creek trailhead side can also be to see unique rock formations!
👆 There are some unique rock formations that you can walk around near the Upper Jones Creek trailhead.
Now the thing about wildlife is that… it is wild.
That means that animals do what they want and they go where they want!
There’s never a guarantee to see wildlife anywhere in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Although chances ARE good that you will in fact see wildlife while driving through Theodore Roosevelt National Park, whether that’s the South Unit Scenic Drive or the North Unit Scenic Drive!
These are the 2 main roads through the national park, in the South Unit and North Unit.
But if hiking to (possibly) see wildlife sounds like your kind of a good way to spend time in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, then you might try your luck by hiking the Jones Creek Trail!
Wildlife you might see hiking in Theodore Roosevelt National Park on the Jones Creek Trail
1. Buffalo (aka bison)
As I was walking along the Jones Creek Trail, I looked ahead and saw buffalo directly on the trail path!
Watch the Jones Creek Trail video on youtube!
2. Horses
On my way back to the Upper Jones Creek trailhead, I spotted horses off in the distance!
3. Prairie dogs
The Jones Creek Trail is one of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit hiking trails that passes by a prairie dog town!
There’s a good chance you’ll see prairie dogs hiking on the Old East Entrance trail too!
Yes, I saw buffalo, horses, and prairie dogs while hiking the Jones Creek Trail!
Also note that you have a chance to see buffalo, horses, and prairie dogs in the South Unit without hiking at all!
While I saw all 3 of these kinds of wildlife while hiking the Jones Creek Trail, I also saw buffalo, horses, and prairie dogs while driving the South Unit Scenic Drive too!
And buffalo also seem to like to roam through the South Unit campground too!
The Jones Creek Trail is part of the West Loop that is listed as 13.4 miles.
I did not hike the whole West Loop Trail, or even the whole length of the Jones Creek Trail.
I was on the Jones Creek Trail for a total of around 2 hours round trip.
It was around a 3.6 mile hike round trip.
I started at the Upper Jones Creek trailhead.
This is located down a short drive off of the South Unit Scenic Drive.
Note that you can start the Jones Creek Trail from 2 different spots near the South Unit Scenic Drive.
From the Upper Jones Creek trailhead, I hiked to the Jones Creek Trail / Roundup Trail junction.
There is a sign post indicating that it’s the trail junction.
And then I turned around and hiked back.
More ways to (maybe!) see wildlife in Theodore Roosevelt National Park:
- Ekblom Trail… maybe see buffalo?!
- Badlands Spur Trail… maybe see horses?!
- Old East Entrance Trail… maybe see prairie dogs?!
- Cottonwood Campground… maybe see buffalo?!
- North Unit Scenic Drive… probably see buffalo!
More below of hiking along Jones Creek Trail with buffalo sightings!
🌞
Hiking the Jones Creek Trail from Upper Jones Creek trailhead to Roundup Trail junction
I hiked the Jones Creek Trail in August 2021 starting at around 11am.
You want to make sure you bring a lot of water (and snacks!) if you will be hiking in the North Dakota summer heat!
So if you start from the Upper Jones Creek trailhead, you’ll start off hiking past some rock formations.
And then you can continue hiking on the Jones Creek Trail!
In another 5 to 10 minutes, you will come across a prairie dog town.
You will know it’s the prairie dog town because you’ll see an open field with tons of mounds of dirt and holes!
You can look around to see if you can spot some prairie dogs! And listen for them too. You might hear them chirping!
Then you can continue along.
Now, I had been hiking for around 30 minutes on the Jones Creek Trail.
I looked ahead… and I saw BUFFALO!
They were laying around DIRECTLY on the Jones Creek Trail path!
If you see buffalo on the trail while hiking… STOP!!!
And reassess the situation!
You don’t want to approach the buffalo. You don’t want the buffalo to think that you are a threat and suddenly turn aggressive towards you.
While a park ranger told me a story about a hiker who just stood and watched the buffalo walk around her, you do NOT want to do this and put yourself at risk!
There is also at least one report of a hiker being attacked by a buffalo while hiking in Theodore Roosevelt National Park! Read the story! Note that bison and buffalo are the same thing.
So, take care!
In the case of this particular spot on the Jones Creek Trail, I saw a safe alternate route to go (far) around the buffalo.
I could walk up onto the hill and around them at a safe distance.
So that’s what I did.
I have also been on the trail and have seen buffalo directly on the trail path in the North Unit on the Buckhorn Trail to the prairie dog town. One time I similarly found an alternate route. Another time, I just turned around.
I have also been on the trail and have seen buffalo directly on the trail path in Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. That time, I was very far along on a long hike, and turning around really was not ideal. There was no alternate route around as there was thick vegetation around. I waited and hoped the buffalo would leave. I walked away to get out of the buffalo’s line of sight in hopes that it would move. (It had been staring back at me!) I checked back about 5 minutes later, and the buffalo had moved far enough that I could continue on the trail.
/ end buffalo hiking stories! Back to the Jones Creek Trail!
I then hiked onwards to the Jones Creek Trail / Roundup Trail junction, and then turned around.
👆 Jones Creek Trail – Roundup Trail Junction. Jones Creek Trail also connects to the Lower Talkington Trail.
And that’s a bit about my experience hiking the Jones Creek Trail! Your experience may vary!
Where to (maybe!) see wildlife in Theodore Roosevelt National Park:
- Ekblom Trail… maybe see buffalo?!
- Badlands Spur Trail… maybe see horses?!
- Old East Entrance Trail… maybe see prairie dogs?!
- Cottonwood Campground… maybe see buffalo?!
- North Unit Scenic Drive… probably see buffalo!
Where to see wildlife in South Dakota:
- Sage Creek Campground… buffalo and prairie dogs?!
- Bighorn sheep
See more: Hiking in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
HAPPY HIKING THE JONES CREEK TRAIL HOPEFULLY WITH WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS!
There are partner websites included in this post. I may earn a commission.