Fossil Exhibit Trail

This is about as low-key as hiking gets — a short paved loop that barely qualifies as a walk, but what it lacks in physical challenge it makes up for in sheer weirdness. You're strolling through what was once a prehistoric sea floor, past replica fossils of creatures that roamed here 30-plus million years ago: ancient horses the size of dogs, saber-toothed cats, and three-toed ancestors of the modern rhinoceros. Interpretive signs along the way do an excellent job of making you feel appropriately tiny in the scope of geologic time. The trail is fully exposed with zero shade, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Badlands' striped buttes and eroded spires. It's over before you break a sweat, but you'll walk away knowing things about the Oligocene epoch you never expected to care about. Perfect for curious kids, science nerds, and anyone who wants a meaningful stop without lacing up serious boots.