One of North Dakota’s best kept secrets is the Maah Daah Hey Trail. Its about 144 miles of singletrack trail running straight through the Badlands, open to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. Most people do the trail in sections -- some run a port of it in one day (MDH50 & MDH100 races). This trail is maintained by the Maah Daah Hey Trail Association -- a local non-profit. 

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I’ve grown to really love the Badlands — it’s my favorite place to work. I’ve hiked parts of the MDH and photographed even more of it, from the open prairie stretches to the rugged buttes that give this place its personality. They’re not mountains, but these hills and bluffs will still humble you. The light out here moves differently; it slides across the landscape in a way that makes everything feel alive. After almost a decade of working in the Badlands, I know it like the back of my hand, and it’s still one of my favorite subjects. Not just because it’s beautiful, but because it teaches you something about persistence, space, and how wide open the world can feel.