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| Overlooking the Badlands National Park, South Dakota |
I first read about the Badlands long ago, although I can't remember where. It seemed like the stuff of legends. A bleak and desolate place. A wasteland that surprised pioneers as they made their way west over the prairies filled with waving grass that suddenly dropped down into a strange landscape. A place where fugitives hide from the long arm of the law. Badlands. Even the name sounds forboding.
So, of course I had to go there. Right?
There are two ways to get to Badlands National Park from Rapid City. Interstate Highway 90 to Exit 131 is the quick and easy route. Having driven that road the day before, we chose the scenic way along State Highway 44 hoping to see something a little different. Even though IH90 runs near the northern border of the Badlands, I couldn't see anything other than rolling green hills. SD44, on the other hands, descends down into a vast ancient floodplain, and we could see the Badlands rising up in the distance on the left. Either way, it takes about 80 minutes to get their from Rapid City.
Our first stop was the Ben Reifel Visitors Center near the Interior Entrance. It's not too big but has good exhibits on paleontology, geology, wildlife and early people in the park. Make sure to watch the 20-minute film, Land of Stone and Light, as an introduction to what you'll see in the Badlands. My favorite part is the Fossil Room where we watched a paleontogist work on a speciman. Park visitors frequently come across fossils while hiking. We were told that if we managed to stumble across one, leave it in its place but note its exact location and report it to a Park Ranger. A large bulletin board displayed photos of an impressive number of visitors who had found fossils in the first half of the year. If you have kids along on your trip, make sure to pick up a Junior Ranger workbook for the park.
After the Visitors Center, we hiked the Door Trail and Window Trail. Both of them were relatively easy and delivered terrific vistas. If you have 45 minutes and want to do one hike in the park, I highly recommend Door Trail. Read last week's blog post, "Badlands Door Trail: Short Hike with a Big View" for more detailed information. The Window Trail is only 100 yards long and has a boardwalk the entire way. It leads to a break in the Badlands Wall that you can look out to see the almost alien landscape that has intrigued people for centuries. People entering the park through the Northeast Entrance can do these hikes before heading to the Ben Reifel Visitors Center.
It was about lunchtime at this point. Because we didn't pack a picnic lunch, we decided to eat at the only restaurant in the park, the Cedar Pass Lodge Restaurant, which is open from mid-April to mid-October. It serves sandwiches, burgers and the a local favorite, Sioux Indian Tacos. These tacos use thick Indian Fry Bread instead of a crispy taco shell and is served open-faced. Refried beans, seasoned buffalo meat, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese and olives are layered on top. Salsa and sour cream are served on the side. Believe me, it was very filling. Vegetarian options are available.
Well fed and having a museum and one hike behind us, we were ready to drive the Badlands Loop Road which strategically runs from one interesting overlook to another. If you don't stop, it takes about one hour to drive. Of course, I had to stop just about everywhere.
The Fossil Exhibit Trail takes its name from the numerous educational signs that dot the 400-yard long boardwalk loop. I had hoped to spot some undiscovered fossils but came up with nothing even though the area is knows as a rich source of fossils. This area has morphed from an inland sea to a subtropical jungle to a desert over millions of years. The distinctive layers of rock were created by the differences in climate as each layer was deposited.
As we drove westward along the Badlands Loop Road, I noticed that the landscape softened. Instead of jagged and spiky pinnacles, they gradually became more rounded on top. Bigfoot Pass is where Chief Big Foot (aka Spotted Elk) and his group of Native American Minnecounjou people crossed the Badlands on their way to Oglala land where they planned to stay for the winter, Instead, they were stopped by the Seventh Cavalry at Wounded Knee, 65 miles away. Explanations differ, but what is certain is that on December 29, 1890, the cavalry opened fire on the men, women and children, killing over 200 Minneconjou as well as 30 soldiers. This became known as the Wounded Knee Massacre.
At Prairie Wind Overlook, I was surprised by the how the lush, green prairie land suddenly gave way to the Badlands. What a surprise it must have been for some unsuspecting pioneer to unexpectedly come across this obstacle. The short, 14 second video above gives you an idea of the abruptness of the change. That sound is the wind rushing across the prairie.
If you want to spot wildlife in the park, just keep an eye out for places along the Badlands Loop Road where people have come to a stop even though there are no trails nearby. It's likely that they've spotted some sort of animal. The bighorn sheep were much easier to see when they were in the green grass instead of against the light beige and tan colors of the Badlands rock formation.
I thought that we'd have to drive the unpaved Sage Creek Rim Road in order to see prairie dogs. It turns out that there's a big enough prairie dog town along the Badlands Loop Road that it satisfied our curiosity. We watched them scamper around and into their holes in the ground all while chattering to each other.
The rock formations of the Conata Basin Overlook change from the spiky Brule formations in the back to the rounded Chadron formation in the front. The Yellow Mounds group is visible along the road in the center of the photo.
After the Pinnacles Overlook, we exited the park by traveling northward on State Highway 240 to where it intersects with Interstate Highway 90. Across the highway is the town of Wall, and more importantly, Wall Drug.
If you have kids along, the promise of a treat or ice cream a Wall Drug can keep the whining to a minimum. They indeed offered Free Ice Water which is advertised all up and down IH 90. With an
animatronic T-Rex that blows smoke, a water splash area, and tons of souvenirs, it's an interesting store to explore.
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| The Badlands stretch down towards an ancient flood plain |
There are two ways to get to Badlands National Park from Rapid City. Interstate Highway 90 to Exit 131 is the quick and easy route. Having driven that road the day before, we chose the scenic way along State Highway 44 hoping to see something a little different. Even though IH90 runs near the northern border of the Badlands, I couldn't see anything other than rolling green hills. SD44, on the other hands, descends down into a vast ancient floodplain, and we could see the Badlands rising up in the distance on the left. Either way, it takes about 80 minutes to get their from Rapid City.
 |
| Paleontogist at work in the Fossil Room at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center. |
Our first stop was the Ben Reifel Visitors Center near the Interior Entrance. It's not too big but has good exhibits on paleontology, geology, wildlife and early people in the park. Make sure to watch the 20-minute film, Land of Stone and Light, as an introduction to what you'll see in the Badlands. My favorite part is the Fossil Room where we watched a paleontogist work on a speciman. Park visitors frequently come across fossils while hiking. We were told that if we managed to stumble across one, leave it in its place but note its exact location and report it to a Park Ranger. A large bulletin board displayed photos of an impressive number of visitors who had found fossils in the first half of the year. If you have kids along on your trip, make sure to pick up a Junior Ranger workbook for the park.
 |
| Fossil finders |
After the Visitors Center, we hiked the Door Trail and Window Trail. Both of them were relatively easy and delivered terrific vistas. If you have 45 minutes and want to do one hike in the park, I highly recommend Door Trail. Read last week's blog post, "Badlands Door Trail: Short Hike with a Big View" for more detailed information. The Window Trail is only 100 yards long and has a boardwalk the entire way. It leads to a break in the Badlands Wall that you can look out to see the almost alien landscape that has intrigued people for centuries. People entering the park through the Northeast Entrance can do these hikes before heading to the Ben Reifel Visitors Center.
 |
| People climbing up the formations near the Door Trail parking lot. |
It was about lunchtime at this point. Because we didn't pack a picnic lunch, we decided to eat at the only restaurant in the park, the Cedar Pass Lodge Restaurant, which is open from mid-April to mid-October. It serves sandwiches, burgers and the a local favorite, Sioux Indian Tacos. These tacos use thick Indian Fry Bread instead of a crispy taco shell and is served open-faced. Refried beans, seasoned buffalo meat, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese and olives are layered on top. Salsa and sour cream are served on the side. Believe me, it was very filling. Vegetarian options are available.
 |
| Sioux Indian Tacos at the Cedar Pass Lodge |
Well fed and having a museum and one hike behind us, we were ready to drive the Badlands Loop Road which strategically runs from one interesting overlook to another. If you don't stop, it takes about one hour to drive. Of course, I had to stop just about everywhere.
 |
| Fossil Exhibit trail |
The Fossil Exhibit Trail takes its name from the numerous educational signs that dot the 400-yard long boardwalk loop. I had hoped to spot some undiscovered fossils but came up with nothing even though the area is knows as a rich source of fossils. This area has morphed from an inland sea to a subtropical jungle to a desert over millions of years. The distinctive layers of rock were created by the differences in climate as each layer was deposited.
 |
| Bigfoot Pass Overlook |
As we drove westward along the Badlands Loop Road, I noticed that the landscape softened. Instead of jagged and spiky pinnacles, they gradually became more rounded on top. Bigfoot Pass is where Chief Big Foot (aka Spotted Elk) and his group of Native American Minnecounjou people crossed the Badlands on their way to Oglala land where they planned to stay for the winter, Instead, they were stopped by the Seventh Cavalry at Wounded Knee, 65 miles away. Explanations differ, but what is certain is that on December 29, 1890, the cavalry opened fire on the men, women and children, killing over 200 Minneconjou as well as 30 soldiers. This became known as the Wounded Knee Massacre.
Panorama of Prairie Wind Overlook
At Prairie Wind Overlook, I was surprised by the how the lush, green prairie land suddenly gave way to the Badlands. What a surprise it must have been for some unsuspecting pioneer to unexpectedly come across this obstacle. The short, 14 second video above gives you an idea of the abruptness of the change. That sound is the wind rushing across the prairie.
 |
| Bighorn sheep picking its way across the rock |
 |
| Young Bighorn sheep grazing |
If you want to spot wildlife in the park, just keep an eye out for places along the Badlands Loop Road where people have come to a stop even though there are no trails nearby. It's likely that they've spotted some sort of animal. The bighorn sheep were much easier to see when they were in the green grass instead of against the light beige and tan colors of the Badlands rock formation.
 |
| Prairie Dog |
I thought that we'd have to drive the unpaved Sage Creek Rim Road in order to see prairie dogs. It turns out that there's a big enough prairie dog town along the Badlands Loop Road that it satisfied our curiosity. We watched them scamper around and into their holes in the ground all while chattering to each other.
 |
| Conata Basin Overlook |
The rock formations of the Conata Basin Overlook change from the spiky Brule formations in the back to the rounded Chadron formation in the front. The Yellow Mounds group is visible along the road in the center of the photo.
After the Pinnacles Overlook, we exited the park by traveling northward on State Highway 240 to where it intersects with Interstate Highway 90. Across the highway is the town of Wall, and more importantly, Wall Drug.
 |
| Fun times at Wall Drug |
If you have kids along, the promise of a treat or ice cream a Wall Drug can keep the whining to a minimum. They indeed offered Free Ice Water which is advertised all up and down IH 90. With an
animatronic T-Rex that blows smoke, a water splash area, and tons of souvenirs, it's an interesting store to explore.
As it turns out, the Badlands aren't so bad at all. In fact, it's just plain incredible.
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