The Long X Trail
in North Dakota
The Long X Trail was one of the routes used by cattlemen to move cattle from the southern parts of the country to the prairies of modern-day eastern Montana and western North Dakota. The trail was a convenient route across the challenging terrain of the northern Little Missouri Badlands, and it passed through what would become the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Roosevelt himself is not known to have used the Long X Trail to move his cattle.
To help tell the story of ranching in this area, the park maintains a small display herd of longhorn cattle that you may see raoming through the park.
- States
- North Dakota
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid coords
- 47.6044°, -103.3445°
About Theodore Roosevelt 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/the-long-x-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm
Plan your hike
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 The Long X Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Trail's End
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Maah Daah Hey Trail
36 miles from this trail's centroid
Boicourt Trail
45 miles from this trail's centroid
Talkington Trail Roadside Pulloff
46 miles from this trail's centroid
Badlands Spur Trail
46 miles from this trail's centroid
Coal Vein Trail Post 1: Layers
47 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.