Badlands National Park is a 244,300-acre park in southwestern South Dakota featuring miles of towering pinnacles that appear to rise from the nearby grass prairies out of nowhere. Known as The Wall, this mass of rocky spires features an array of majestic colors as well as 28- to 37-million-year-old Oligocene fossil beds. Whether you want to drive through The Wall or explore the rugged landscape on foot, Badlands will wow you with its beauty.
Before the United States established Badlands as a national monument in 1939, the area held great significance to the local Sioux Oglala tribe. In 1890, the Oglala held their last "Ghost Dance" in an area of the Badlands known as Stronghold Table. Weeks later, more than 150 Lakota Sioux were killed at nearby Wounded Knee. On November 10, 1978, the National Parks Service transitioned Badlands from a national monument to a national park. In addition to the park itself, the Buffalo Gap National Grassland protects bison and other species.
Badlands is broken into north and south units. Highway 240 will take you on a 30-mile loop to all the main sites of the north unit: Big Badlands Overlook, Bigfoot Pass Overlook and Pinnacles Overlook. For a closer look at Badlands' rock formations and fossils, stop at some of the trailheads along the route and take a hike. Hikes range from the rigorous (the Notch Trail) to simple boardwalk trails through The Wall (such as the 3/4-mile round-trip Door Trail). Other popular trails in Badlands include the steep Cliff Shelf Nature Trail and the easier Fossil Exhibit Trail.
The south unit is far more inaccessible. County Road 589 cuts through a small section of the south unit, but to access the memorable features such as Stronghold Table you will need to drive through desolate grasslands on twisting dirt roads that contain few signs. If you want to explore the south unit, visit the White River Visitor Center on Route 27 and ask a ranger for advice.
Although The Wall contains some of America's most unforgivable and desolate terrains, the grasslands that surround the wall are full of diverse wildlife. To see the park's most impressive wildlife displays, turn onto the Sage Creek Rim Road right before you exit the park on Route 240. Here you are likely to see herds of bison, bighorn sheep, swift fox and perhaps an endangered black-footed ferret. While many of these animals may look friendly, they are wild creatures that you should observe from afar. Do not feed the wildlife or get too close to them.
The climate in Badlands varies between brutally hot summers and freezing winters. Summer temperatures often exceed 100 degrees while winters drop to well below freezing. In addition, water in Badlands is scarce. If you plan to camp, make sure you have adequate water. Visit Badlands in the fall for milder weather and smaller crowds.
The only formal lodge in Badlands is the Cedar Pass Lodge, located near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center on Route 240. Outside the park are a variety of inns and motels. If you'd rather camp in the park itself, there are two campgrounds: Cedar Pass and Sage Creek, both in the north unit. Expoect to pay a fee for camping, as well as general park entry.
