cliff shelf trail

This trail is hilly with lots of steps but the view from the top is great! It isn't a long trail so it is quite doable. The trail is not that well marked so make sure you have your bearings.

At the pinnacle of the walk beautiful vistas were all around you. However you had to climb a lot of steps so I would rate the climb as medium difficulty.

This is another must-do hike for us when we're in the Badlands. A great friend of mine was the head of park maintenance until he retired a few years ago and I remember seeing him working on the upgrade of this trail in the mid-90s. There are now steps and a boardwalk for a good portion of it, but you can still get off the trail and into the cedar "woods" and other areas. It's a fun spot and is a good workout, and the views down to the valley are beautiful.

Our family enjoyed this trail that is mostly along a boardwalk. There are stairs, so be prepared for that on a hot day. The view is spectacular and it gives you a nice feel for the park.

Our day in the Badlands was one of our favorites of the whole trip. Coming from Rapid City early that morning, here was our itinerary:*Minuteman Missile NHS*Enter Badlands via Exit 131 and the NE Entrance.*Cliff Shelf Nature Trail*Ben Reifel Visitor Center*Lunch at Cedar Pass Lodge*Notch Trail*Window Trail*Door Trail*Drive NW on Badlands Loop Road taking in various overlooks, the best being the ‘Pinnacles’ overlook. Drove North on 240 to Wall, SD for dinner.We took in the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail on our way into the park, on the way to the visitors center and lunch at the lodge. If you can handle some incline and lots of stairs, it is a great little hike on mostly paved surfaces, with wonderful views.

We did this walk very quickly because a big storm was rolling in - which made the views from the top even more spectacular. The trail is a boardwalk, with stairs (quite a few) to climb to the overlook. Not an ideal trail for wildlife viewing, but if you want a good view of the park, this is it.

Not really a hike, but more of a challenging walk, as most of the climbing is on wooden boardwalk stairs. Still some very nice views and perfect for those that are a bit physically challanged as there are plenty of benches for resting along the way.

This is a fairly easy trail. There is little climbing over rocks or dirt. Most of the trail is on a boardwalk or on man-made steps. There are places to stop and rest on benches if the climb gets to be too much. The view at the top is well worth the hike.

This is a very easy trail along mostly boardwalk. There are places to stop and rest along the way so you can take it slow and easy at your own pace. It is another fun activity in the park that you don't want to miss.

This is a wooden trail that is easy to walk. It has great views and would be a great trail for children or hikers who do not want to walk far.

This is mostly a "boardwalk" trail and hike with a small section of rocky dirt and some stairs, up or down depending on which way you go! If you read a review that talks about climbing a rope ladder, disregard that portion of their review as they are confusing this trail with the Notch Trail. This trail does not have any rope ladder you have to climb and is a fairly easy walk. Got some great pictures along the 1/2 mile 30 minute walk, even though it started raining towards the end. Beautiful landscape. Don't pass this up!

As a senior I thought I'd go as far as I could and ended up hike the whole trail. The view is worth the effort and there are benches along the way to enjoy the peace. We came in the late afternoon in May and found the trail almost empty.

Despite the 'strenuous' rating this trail received, it's a very straightforward hike. You DO climb a rope ladder built into the side of a cliff, but it's an easy climb. Below and once on the cliff, you can freely wander around and marvel at the amazing rocky, sandy landscape before you.

The trial is mostly on board walks and stairs so it was quite easy. There were some climbing so it can get tiring for those who are less fit. The view was very nice though.

This has to be our favorite trail at the Badlands. Maybe the Notch Trail would be a runner up, but Cliff Shelf is amazing. There is a "new" (as of quite a few years ago now) boardwalk type trail for a good portion of it but you can get off of that and walk on the ground on the many trails around there. At the top of the steps (there are a LOT of steps), if you look up to the NNE you can see where the Notch Trail ends and folks stand there overlooking the Cliff Shelf area. I could spend hours here. I was working in the Badlands as an intern when they were building the steps up the hill and the boardwalk so the memories always come flooding back when I stop here.