Badlands National Park

South Dakota!

So, here we are... badlands... turns out there is a reason it is called that. First of all... it is hot. Unpleasantly so (thank goodness for AC!). Second of all, the terrain isn't exactly conducive to human passage. Or habitation. Or really anything besides looking. While you pass through.

We arrived at Badlands after "stopping" at Mt. Rushmore. I say "stopping" because they wanted us to pay $11 to park, so we didn't. Instead we found a conveniently located pullout where we couldn't see the "no stopping or standing sign" and stopped and stood. And took pictures! Then, we left.

We arrived at Ben Reifel Visitor's Center after driving through a good portion of the badlands. It was hot, and didn't really inspire excitement. The good news was that the visitor's center had water! It also had some cool exhibits including a fossil area as there are many fossils found and recovered in the Badlands! We ate lunch outside (hot) and then decided we needed something to psych ourselves up before venturing into the park. We decided to watch the "award winning" video. They failed to indicate which award it won, but apparently someone found it award worthy. We found it good, but pretty normal for a NP video.

Because it was hot and dusty, we decided that a driving tour of the park was what we were looking for. Hiking sounded onerous. There is a road that winds its way through most of the northern section of the park, with several good overlooks. When we did get to the White River Valley Overlook there was a cool trail that called to us. It was fairly short, and some parts were steep and undeveloped, but that made it more of an adventure, and we were able to get some really good pictures away from the road and other visitors.

Personnel:
We talked to several of the park staff in the visitor's center, and they didn't disappoint. They were happy to direct us to the water faucet to refill our water reserves, and in the fossil area the ranger on duty was happy to answer any of our questions. One of the people working on fossil recovery also greeted us cheerily as we watched her work.

Climate/weather:
It was hot (as you may have gathered). Based on our (limited) data set it seems like a park that would be good to visit in the spring or fall when the temperature is more temperate. If you do come in summer, bring water (you can refill any water containers you have at the visitor's center before you venture forth!)

Facilities/signage:
The restroom facilities were blessedly cool, not to mention clean and well stocked. We only found restrooms at the visitor's center, but that is also the only place we really looked. The visitor's center also had a nice picnic area out front with shaded tables! The signs in the park were fairly standard for an NP, nothing really out of the ordinary.

Hiking trail experience:
One thing that was really neat about this park was that they allow you to hike anywhere in the park. According to the rangers at the visitor's center, the entire park is a hiking trail! How sweet is that! Not that you SHOULD hike everywhere, we found several areas that were pretty treacherous, but if you are willing to risk it, you certainly can! The hike that we went on was, while short, definitely fun to kinda find the path that worked best for us, and if we wanted to see what was over the next hill, we did! *Note* There are several designated hiking trails around the park that you can take if you want a more developed trail experience.*

Driving experience:
The Badlands Loop Road through the park is really quite full of unexpected beauty. They views from the well situated pullouts are not anything like what we have previously seen, but they do show the amazing geology and landscape that the Badlands offers. If you come to the Badlands this is a great way to get a park overview in a fairly short amount of time.

Camping options:
We didn't see any campground during our trip to, from, or through the park. The park is often bordered by private land, so camping in or near this park may be difficult. We stayed in Rapid City after leaving the park in preparation for heading north to North Dakota.

Hammockability:
Well, we did see 1 spot where there were 2 trees close enough for hammocks... but that was all.

Scenery:
The badlands kinda looks movie set. It felt to us like a miniature epic mountain range. The colors splashed through the set really added a unique beauty that was fun to see. The further we went through the park the more expansive the "mountain range" felt, but we still felt like we were driving to the summit of towering peaks in about 2 minutes. The miniature feel definitely didn't detract from the beauty, but it was kinda fun to pretend!

Nearby food:
Well, there really is nothing nearby. Unless you knock on a ranch house door... which there are a few, but that isn't recommended. There are a few food options in the nearby town of Wall (about 10 minutes from the Pinnacles entrance).


While the Badlands was a really cool NP to see, we didn't feel like we would be too tempted to go back unless we were in the area for something else. If you are nearby I would say it is definitely worth it, or if you can work it in as part of a larger, multi-destination trip, then go for it!

After leaving Badlands we headed to Rapid City, where we spent the next day doing some vehicle repairs (one of the drawer handles had ripped off, and we added some insulation to the canopy). We also got some laundry done! Woohoo! Clean clothes! It was nice to have an "off day".

Next stop, Theodore Roosevelt National Park!