Badlands National Park is one of the most underrated National Parks in the whole system. Sure, it doesn't have the jaw-drop factor of the Grand Canyon, or the one-of-a-kind natural features of Yellowstone, but it does have its own unique history, culture, wildlife, and special features that make it worth road tripping out to see. Still not sure? Here are just a few of the best-kept secrets of the Badlands to convince you!
Some tips for visiting Badlands National Park:
-The Badlands are a stunning, rugged landscape-- but they're not easy to photograph. The best time to take pictures of the hills and stone formations is in the soft morning light, or towards the end of the day. That way, the light is hitting the hills at an angle that better highlights them and their crevices and colors, as opposed to beating straight down on them and washing them out. -Another one of the coolest features about Badlands National Park is its location. It's within 100 miles of Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, and is even closer to other iconic roadside attractions that get their own mentions in this guide. You're basically smack-dab in the middle of classic road trip heaven, so plan to spend time exploring the area! -If you only have a short amount of time to spend here, drive SD-240, also known as the Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway. It's only 38 or so miles long, but you'll pass by 15 scenic overlooks, a visitor center, 8 trails, and numerous natural features.
The park's Ben Reifel Visitor Center has an awesome Fossil Prep Lab that educates tourists on the region's incredible prehistoric features. Fossils are wildly abundant here. In fact, in 2010, a seven-year-old girl found an incredibly rare and very well preserved saber tooth tiger skull. She, thankfully, reported her find to the rangers, which helped in the discovery of even more fossils in the surrounding area. Think about it... you could be the next person to find an ancient, maybe even extinct, animal's remains!
At 10 miles round trip, this is the longest trail in the park and offers the most to see. You'll pass by badlands formations as you cross the park on this hike, which ends at a .25 mile interpretive boardwalk that has replicas of the fossils of now-extinct creatures before taking you back to the trailhead.
Historically, the badlands were settled by enterprising pioneers who were able to make the most out of the rugged landscape by living in sod homes, exactly like the one you'll find at Prairie Homestead. One of the few original remaining sod houses in the country, the Prairie Homestead is preserving the unique way of life these pioneers developed. Slip into a period costume and tour the sod house, outhouse, barn, chicken coop, and other buildings on the homestead to better understand and appreciate just how easy we have it today.
Wall Drug might have started off as a simple drug store in a tiny little town, but it quickly grew into a full-fledged tourist attraction after the owner's wife came up with a brilliant plan to offer free ice water to tourists on their way to Mount Rushmore. The pharmacy evolved into a virtual mall, complete with a Western art gallery, a chapel, souvenir shops, a soda fountain and restaurant, an arcade, and kitschiness galore. There are huge statues dotted around, including a giant jackalope, an apatosaurus, a tepee, a stagecoach, and more than a few cowboys and outlaws. Their advertising campaign pretty much set the standard for tourist attractions: you can find billboards advertising Wall Drug lining the highways-- especially along I-90 between Minnesota and Billings, Montana.
But, Wall Drug more than a tourist trap-- it's an icon. It brings in 2 million visitors each year... to a town that people would ordinarily drive right past without a second thought. But the fact that, even though it has grown into a massive complex of kitsch and touristy cliches, they'll still serve you a free cup of ice water when you pull up, really does say it all.
Summer is a popular time to visit the Badlands, but keep in mind that there are few trees and little shade to enjoy when it gets hot, and that weather can be unpredictable-- afternoon thunderstorms are quite common. There's a big motorcycle rally in nearby Sturgis in early August that can cause crowds and price spikes. Spring and fall are super pleasant as well, with lower temps and fewer crowds, and even though some facilities and roads close in the winter, the landscape is even more intriguing covered in snow.