North Dakota · National Park trail

Coal Vein Trail Post 13: Slumping

in North Dakota

The hill in front of you has the appearance of sliding slowly into a jumble. That is exactly what it is doing through a process called slumping. When the coal vein burned under this area, cracks formed in the hillside.

Rain flowing into the cracks weakens the hill, especially where it saturates bentonite clay layers which become slippery when wet. As the bentonite slides, the hill slowly slumps away. Slumping happens on a small scale like you see here, but also on a very large scale when entire hillsides slide.

The picture above, taken in the North Unit, shows masses of rock that slid from near the top of the canyon, coming to rest far below.

States: North Dakota
Trail type: National Park trail
Centroid coords: 46.9230°, -103.4026°

About Theodore Roosevelt National Park

National Park

This trail is inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/coal-vein-trail-post-13-slumping.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Coal Vein Trail Post 13: Slumping and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.