May 29, 2025
9 a.m. MT

To prevent erosion on White Butte, the Badlands Conservation Corps will be working with the Maah Daah Hey Trail Association to place weathered posts and rocks.

Volunteers are welcome to join us! The work begins at 9 a.m. Mountain Time at White Butte on Thursday, May 29th.

What to bring:

• Lunch and snacks

• Water

• Work gloves

• Sturdy shoes or boots

• Sun protection

• Any other personal protective equipment

Please contact us if you have any questions and be sure to let us know if you plan on attending.

Note that this is a work day and not an outing, although you're of course welcome to hike on your own!

RSVP by contacting Shannon Straight.

From MDHTA’s Facebook post:

People love to hike up the new trail to the top of White Butte, North Dakota’s highest elevation. But coming down off the top of the Butte a few people let their inner child take over, descending on part of the old trail continuing the excessive erosion caused by what is now a casual trail. Soils on the Butte as well as in the badlands are thin and fragile compared to much of the rest of North Dakota. Though cows graze the area, when foot traffic is concentrated, such as on a casual trail, it doesn’t take long for the vegetation which protects the hill side from erosion to deteriorate, exposing soil to erosion. The new trail is surfaced with a mixture of compacted clay and gravel which protects the underlying soils from erosion. This well-designed trail sheds water, reducing erosion and keeping the surface on the trail, and will stay in place for a long time. When trails are “shortcut,” erosion increases and makes for more maintenance to keep the real trail in place.

One part of the old trail has eroded over four feet deep as a result of continued use. A few hundred people each year used to find their way to the top of White Butte prior to the cooperative trail improvement project between Slope County, the owner, Mary Dennis, Highpointers Foundation, and MDHTA, but since the improvement there are probably thousands annually climbing to the top, though a trail counter should be used to verify this. Roger Ashley and Curt Glasoe have reviewed where reminders for people to stay on the trail should be located. The reminders are not “stay off the grass” signs but provide visual clues such as brush, weathered wood posts and rocks. Brush was tried earlier but nearly as soon as the brush is placed on the old trail to discourage use someone seems to move the brush to one side. Weathered wood posts as well as rocks will be used now to discourage use of the old trail. Weathered posts are being provided by Ernie Holzmer, a local retired farmer. The weathered posts along with rock on the butte will clue trail users to continue down the trail rather than cut the trail.