Badlands National Park
From Burden's Landing
| "I had never seen anything which impressed so strongly on my mind a feeling of desolation.... The wind was high and bleak; the barren, arid country seemed as if it had been swept by fires, and in every direction the same dull ash colored hue derived from the formation met the eye.... We left the place with pleasure."
—John C. Frémont, diary, 1842
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"They call the Mako Sica 'Badlands,' ... but they should call them Mako Washte, 'Good Lands.' .... We Indians know that the Mako Sica teems with life. On the grassy tableland, antelope and mule deer graze... and the air is filled with the cries of hawks and eagles."
—Archie Fire Lame Deer, Lakota, 1992
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https://www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm
Lots of paleontology and fossils. Fossil Exhibit Trail short drive west of visitor center. Ranger talks at 10:30am and 1:30pm.
Sage Creek Wilderness Area in the north part of the park is a great place to see wildlife. Roberts Prairie Dog Town.
Night sky observing Fridays through Monday during the summer at the Cedar Pass Campground Amphitheater.
Loop Byway
Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway is a 39-mile loop. Takes about one hour without stopping. There are 16 scenic overlooks and eight trails.
Visited:
- Pinnacles Overlook
- Yellow Mounds Overlook
- Conata Basin Overlook
- Burns Basin Overlook
- Panorama Point Overlook (sunset)
- White River Valley Overlook
- Prairie Wind Overlook
- Sage Creek Basin Overlook
For sunrise:
- Big Badlands Overlook near northeast entrance and Ben Reifel Visitor Center
- Door Trail on east side of park
- Norbeck Pass area
For sunset:
- Pinnacles Overlook on west side of park
- Near Bigfoot Pass Overlook
Hiking
- Cliff Shelf Nature Trail near Cedar Pass (visited)
- Door Trail and Window Trail (visited)
- 10-mile round trip Castle Trail (longest in park — visited)
- Saddle Pass Trail. Nice to hike around sunset
- Medicine Loop is at the intersection of Castle and Saddle Pass
- Notch trail. See also this.
Backcountry:
Photography
- National Park Service photography bulletin
- Guide to photographing Badlands National Park
- Badlands National Park — A Quick Guide
- Black Hills and Badlands photography tips
Lodging
- Cedar Pass Lodge. Can also eat at the restaurant. Try the Sioux Indian Tacos: fluffy fry bread with buffalo meat and wojapi, a Native American berry sauce.
See Also
- wikipedia:Badlands National Park
- wikivoyage:Badlands National Park
- "Doorway to Forever"
- Tips for visiting Badlands National Park
- "In the Badlands, Where Hope for the Nation’s First Tribal Park Has Faded." New York Times. December 14, 2016.
- "Bison getting more space in Badlands." Rapid City Journal. December 13, 2016.
