Go off the beaten path for the unique geology of the Terry Badlands

TERRY, Mont. — Most people’s only view of the small town of Terry in eastern Montana is buzzing by on the interstate.

From the roadway, traveling at 75 miles per hour, the area surrounding the town looks flat and unremarkable, but those who venture off the interstate will be amazed by the terrain hiding in the Terry Badlands.

“It’s one of our unexplored gems,” said Mark Jacobsen, spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management in Miles City, which manages the badlands.

The Terry Badlands are located about six miles west of Terry, which is just off Interstate 94 between Miles City and Glendive.

“It’s right off the highway,” Jacobsen said.

The badlands encompass 44,000 acres of public lands that are designated as a Wilderness Study Area. The area features sedimentary rocks that have eroded over eons into arches, bridges, spires and tabletops.

Jacobsen says the scenery at Terry Badlands is more spectacular than the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. And unlike the national park, the Terry Badlands are completely undeveloped.

“Terry Badlands is relatively pristine,” he said. “That’s kind of what makes it so special.”

Edward Gaub, who lives in Terry, has been exploring his backyard badlands for about 25 years.

“I like to go up there and take pictures,” he said.

He also enjoys taking visitors out to the badlands.

“Everybody that’s seen it is really amazed,” Gaub said. “There is just beautiful scenery and rock formations and hills.”

He likes to go into the badlands in the spring to see the wildflowers. He sees wildflowers there that he never sees closer to Terry.

But no matter what the season, the badlands are always beautiful.

“Each different time of year is a different show,” Gaub said.

While beautiful year round, the Terry Badlands aren’t always accessible.

“If it’s raining you don’t want to go anywhere near it,” he said.

Accessing the badlands shouldn’t be attempted when the roads are wet because mud can make them impassable.

“They’re not gravel roads,” Jacobsen said. “They’re gumbo. It’s basically bare dirt.”

After the spring rains are done and the roads are dry, the badlands usually remain accessible until the end of hunting season.

Hiking and horseback riding are popular in the badlands. People can take ATVs in, but must stay on designated routes. Some people also opt to mountain bike in. The area is popular for hunters, as well as wildlife and bird watchers and photographers.

The land is designated a wilderness study area, which means Congress has identified it as having wilderness characteristics and may some day be considered for wilderness designation.

“In the meantime, it’s a pristine area,” Jacobsen said. “It’s set aside by Congress as an area that is remarkable for its wilderness characteristic.”

Getting there

Terry is located just off Interstate 94 between Miles City and Glendive.

There are two routes to access the badlands from Terry.

State Route 253, which runs from Terry north to Brockway is a Big Sky Back Country Byway. Look for signs for Terry Badlands. That road will lead to a scenic vantage point, with a view of the badlands and the town of Terry.

Visitors also can travel west on Old Highway 10 out of Terry about 1.8 miles to the Milwaukee Road. Turn right and continue about 3.5 miles and cross the Yellowstone River. A kiosk about a half mile past the river gives information about the area and marks the beginning of the Calypso Trail.

The trail gets its name from an old railroad siding called Calypso from the days the railroad ran through the area.

“At one point in time there was a school house there,” said Mark Jacobsen, spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management in Miles City, which manages the Terry Badlands. “There were even a few people that lived there.”

Today, the Calypso Trail is a primitive road, running about 5.5 miles in the Terry Badlands. It will take visitors past a spire called Chimney Rock and ends at a trailhead for the natural bridges.

The BLM office in Miles City has maps of the area, and people are welcome to stop in or call for directions and information.

Don’t access the Terry Badlands when the roads are wet, as they often become impassable.