Badlands National Park

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I love National Parks and take very opportunity I can to see them. I have to do a lot of driving for work in South Dakota and decided to swing into Badlands National Park on my way to Rapid City.

I had never been to the Park and was wondering how different it might be from the North Dakota Badlands. I was surprised to find that the Badlands in the two states are very different but very special in their own ways. Whereas the North Dakota ones seem to have more reds and the greens of all the grass, the South Dakota ones have rich tans and pinks. In South Dakota, the Badlands seem much more arid than in North Dakota. They also have strong jagged edges on the tops. If travelling by car, there are several lookouts to get out and see their massiveness and just admire their uniqueness.

I was surprised to find that the Park is made up of over 244,000 acres and home to the largest grassland protection in the US. You can also drive through them and weave along the 30 miles getting an excellent up close look. I did the 30 mile drive and stopped several times to snap some pictures. So unique! If you don't hike, it's a park you can get a good look at within a couple hours by vehicle.

Signs (see photo) are posted to be aware of snakes but like in North Dakota, I expect that encounters are extremely rare. Hiking is also allowed and they've done a good job setting up areas to make hiking easier. Lots and lots of trails. I noticed the Park was also very inclusive by having accessible routes for people with disabilities to get up to the some of the main features.

I'm so glad I took the couple hours to take a look. It's something that I'm glad I did and encourages me to go take a look at North Dakota's again at the next opportunity.

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Photos

Badlands National Park
Miles and miles of Badlands.

Beware of Snakes
Beware!

More of the Badlands
So very pretty!