October 13-14, 2024.
Way out in Eastern Montana, we pulled into Makoshika State Park to book a campsite and do some hiking. My first question to the ranger was: how do you pronounce it? The answer turned out to be complicated, and I appreciated how he delved into the history. The short answer is: ma-KOH-shi-kuh, which was not my first guess. I said it over and over in my head to try and drown out the mispronunciation I’d come up with. That taken care of, we paid for our visit and drove to find a campsite.
The campground is unusual in that there’s no central camping area. Individual sites and small clusters of sites are scattered throughout the park. We drove around for a while to scout out a spot, ideally one with a view and no neighbors. We almost got our wish. We set up some chairs to claim a spot on Pine on the Rock Road, then backtracked to do a few short hikes.
Quick hikes
Cap rock trail. This is the most popular hike in the park due to its relatively easy difficulty level, short distance and proximity to the visitor’s center. It’s also very beautiful and showcases a variety of interesting geological features. In just a half-mile loop, you really get to see a nice cross section of what the park has to offer. If you were really short on time, this would actually give you a good sense of the place.
Kinney Coulee. This mile-long lollipop loop drops down over 300 vertical feet to the bottom of a coulee, or ravine, where you can get up close and personal with the badlands. Out of all the hikes we did, including the long one I’d do the next day, this was my favorite. The rock formations are RIGHT THERE, not off in the distance somewhere. Boulders sat perched on top of mud hills frozen in time (for now). Fossil imprints in the rocks lay in place instead of behind glass in a museum. I was glad we did this one late in the day so we weren’t in full sun during the climb back up!
Twin Sisters. This is another iconic “hike,” although it only requires a tenth of a mile or less to get to a viewpoint of this rock formation. Once you get out of your vehicle, you can follow the short path to the base then explore around to your heart’s content to get your favorite angle. I enjoyed walking around to see how it looked from different sides. The sun was getting close to setting, so we didn’t hang around too long.
Just after we got back to our campsite, the sun dipped below the horizon and night came on quickly. After spending months in the land of the midnight sun, the darkness was really hitting me hard. Coyotes yip-yip-yipped in the distance as we nestled in for the night.
All across the park
I wanted to do a long hike and I knew I could get a pickup from Aaron at another trailhead, so I plotted a few possible routes. Depending on how it went, I could choose a shorter or longer path. I took off straight from camp and walked to the Hungry Joe Trailhead. I hoped there would be an explanation of who Hungry Joe was on a sign somewhere, but instead I just had the rest of the hike to make up stories in my head.
I followed the roughly marked route to Graveyard Coulee. I was glad I had the map on my phone so I could double check the confusing sections and stay on track. The terrain reminded me so much of the dry desert landscapes of Eastern Oregon and I was entranced. It was quiet, save for the occasional trailrunner, which helped me focus on finding the terrain clues so I didn’t get lost. My surroundings were not as interesting as those on the previous day’s hikes, so I opted for taking one of the shorter routes.
I continued to Graveyard Coulee and missed a turn, ending up stumbling into private property. I only figured that out by pulling out my phone and checking the public land layer. Upon realizing my mistake, I hastily doubled back and picked up the trail. It climbed up and out to another junction. I followed the spur to Hungry Joe Overlook only to realize I’d gotten better views elsewhere. Disappointing, especially after our adventures yesterday.
I texted Aaron to meet me at the Buccaneer Picnic Area. That took my mileage to 8.6, considerably less than I had hoped. But the hike was dry, dusty and not that interesting. Although I started out hiking in some cool badlands, I soon found myself in endless rolling hills of grass and following dirt ATV tracks. It wasn’t exactly how I was hoping to spend the day.
Overall, I thought Makoshika State Park was a great stop. I enjoyed the short, scenic trails and the general sense of quiet there. I can imagine this place is a colorful, beautiful wildflower haven in the spring and a delightfully snowy playground in the winter. Before this visit, I did not associate Montana with badlands. But as I’ve learned, each state has so much to offer beyond it’s three most famous spots. I’m glad I challenged myself to think beyond Glacier National Park and explore some off-the-beaten-path Montana.
