Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park
It is located in southwestern South Dakota
Even before the opening segments of the movie, Jurassic Park, Badlands National Park has been a paleontological paradise since the 1840′s when Native Americans found huge fossils belonging to creatures that no longer existed. Plan your next outdoor adventure vacation in a wilderness unique for it’s bizarre land formations and it’s vast prairie grasslands that offer bison, the once thought extinct black-footed ferret, and a glimpse into the lives of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Taking a camping trip or a backpacking trip are great ways to experience this exceptional park! Check out below for great Badlands National Park information.
Uniqueness
Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. The Badlands Wilderness Area covers 64,000 acres and is the site of the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, the most endangered land mammal in North America. The Stronghold Unit is co-managed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and includes sites of 1890s Ghost Dances.
Over 11,000 years of human history pale to the ages old paleontological resources. Badlands National Park contains the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds , dating 23 to 35 million years old. Scientists can study the evolution of mammal species such as the horse, sheep, rhinoceros and pig in the Badlands formations. The park has a professional paleontologist on staff that coordinates research with universities, colleges, and museums. Each year, the park has research staff that prepares fossils, conduct field surveys, and document the rich fossil history contained in the park formations.
The bizarre landforms called badlands are, despite the uninviting name, a masterpiece of water and wind sculpture. They are near deserts of a special kind, where rain is infrequent, the bare rocks are poorly consolidated and relatively uniform in their resistance to erosion, and runoff water washes away large amounts of sediment. On average, the White River Badlands of South Dakota erode one inch per year. They are formidable redoubts of stark beauty where the delicate balance between creation and decay, that distinguishes so much geologic art, is manifested in improbable landscapes – near moonscapes – whose individual elements seem to defy gravity. Erosion is so rapid that the landforms can change perceptibly overnight as a result of a single thunderstorm.
The park is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Entrance fees are collected year round. The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is open all year 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. from mid April to early June, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. early June to mid October and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. mid October to April. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. It is located at Cedar Pass “Badlands Loop Road” Hwy 240 in the park headquarters. It has a new a 95-seat, air conditioned theater, a new film, Land of Stone and Light, and improved classroom and restroom facilities. The Badlands Natural History Association operates a bookstore in the visitor center. Postcards, books, videos, posters, and other educational materials about the park and its resources are available for purchase. Exhibits, many interactive, focus on the cultural history, prairie ecology, and paleontology of the White River Badlands. Children can enjoy assembling a virtual skeleton on a touch screen computer and touching fossilized animal casts. Ranger programs, such as guided hikes, talks, activities, and evening programs, are offered during the summer season.
White River Visitor Center is open summer season only from 9:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. Located on SD HWY 27 roughly 20 miles south of Scenic, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation, this visitor station is operated by the Oglala Sioux Parks and Recreation Authority. It offers a staffed information desk, exhibits, restrooms, picnic tables, and water. Impromptu talks are offered daily throughout the summer season.
The Amphitheater is in the Cedar Pass Campground. It is accessible by a developed path from the parking area or campground. Each evening in the summer, park rangers offer a 40-minute slide presentation on some aspect of Badlands National Park. Scenic overlooks and wayside exhibits provide off-road parking. Restroom facilities and water are not available.
Badlands National Park was created to preserve the scenic and scientific value of a portion of the White River Badlands for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. Established as Badlands National Monument in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the area was redesignated “National Park” in 1978.
Although nomadic hunters and gatherers had occupied the region successfully since the end of the last ice age, Major Stephen H. Long reported during an 1820 expedition that, “The scarcity of wood and water, almost uniformly prevalent will provide an insuperable obstacle in the way of settling the country.” His description of the “Great American Desert” stuck in the popular imagination as many died crossing some of the most fertile land on the continent in an attempt to reach the forested landscapes of Oregon. Extreme seasonal temperatures, extended periods of drought, incessant winds, cycles of prairie fire, and “grasshoppers so big they could dig the potatoes right out of the ground,” were environmental hardships that postponed settlement of the Great Plains for many years.
For eleven thousand years, American Indians have used this area for their hunting grounds. Long before the Lakota were the little-studied paleo-Indians, followed by the Arikara people. Their descendants live today in North Dakota as a part of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Archaeological records combined with oral traditions indicate that these people camped in secluded valleys where fresh water and game were available year round. Eroding out of the stream banks today are the rocks and charcoal of their campfires, as well as the arrowheads and tools they used to butcher bison, rabbits, and other game. From the top of the Badlands Wall, they could scan the area for enemies and wandering herds. If hunting was good, they might hang on into winter, before retracing their way to their villages along the Missouri River. By one hundred and fifty years ago, the Great Sioux Nation consisting of seven bands including the Oglala Lakota, had displaced the other tribes from the northern prairie.
The next great change came toward the end of the 19th century as homesteaders moved into South Dakota. The U.S. government stripped American Indians of much of their territory and forced them to live on reservations. In the fall and early winter of 1890, thousands of Native American followers, including many Oglala Sioux, became followers of the Indian prophet Wovoca. His vision called for the native people to dance the Ghost Dance and wear Ghost Shirts, which would be impervious to bullets. Wovoca had predicted that the white man would vanish and their hunting grounds would be restored. One of the last known Ghost Dances was conducted on Stronghold Table in the South Unit of Badlands National Park. As winter closed in, the ghost dancers returned to Pine Ridge Agency. The climax of the struggle came in late December, 1890. Headed south from the Cheyenne River, a band of Minneconjou Sioux Indians crossed a pass in the Badlands Wall. Pursued by units of the U.S. Army, they were seeking refuge in the Pine Ridge Reservation. The band, led by Chief Big Foot, was finally overtaken by the soldiers near Wounded Knee Creek in the Reservation and ordered to camp there overnight. The troops attempted to disarm Big Foot’s band the next morning. Gunfire erupted. Before it was over, nearly two hundred Indians and thirty soldiers lay dead. The massacre at Wounded Knee was the last major clash between American Indians and the U.S. military until the American Indian Freedom actions of the 1970s, most notably again, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
Wounded Knee is not within the boundaries of Badlands National Park. It is located approximately 45 miles south of the park on Pine Ridge Reservation. The U.S. government and the Oglala Lakota Nation have agreed that this is a story to be told by the Oglala of Pine Ridge and Minneconjou of Standing Rock Reservation. The interpretation of the site and its tragic events are held as the primary responsibility of these survivors.
The history of the White River Badlands as a significant paleontological resource goes back to the traditional Native American knowledge of the area. The Lakota found large fossilized bones, fossilized seashells and turtle shells. They correctly assumed that the area had once been under water, and that the bones belonged to creatures which no longer existed. Paleontological interest in this area began in the 1840′s. Trappers and traders regularly traveled the 300 miles from Fort Pierre to Fort Laramie along a path which skirted the edge of what is now Badlands National Park. Fossils were occasionally collected, and in 1843 a fossilized jaw fragment collected by Alexander Culbertson of the American Fur Company found its way to a physician in St. Louis by the name of Dr. Hiram A. Prout.
In 1846, Prout published a paper about the jaw in the American Journal of Science in which he stated that it had come from a creature he called a Paleotherium. Shortly after the publication, the White River Badlands became popular fossil hunting grounds and, within a couple of decades, numerous new fossil species had been discovered in the White River Badlands. In 1849, Dr. Joseph Leidy published a paper on an Oligocene camel and renamed Prout’s Paleotherium, Titanotherium prouti. By 1854 when he published a series of papers about North American fossils, 84 distinct species had been discovered in North America – 77 of which were found in the White River Badlands. In 1870 a Yale professor, O. C. Marsh, visited the region and developed more refined methods of extracting and reassembling fossils into nearly complete skeletons. From 1899 to today, the South Dakota School of Mines has sent people almost every year and remains one of the most active research institutions working in the White River Badlands. Throughout the late 1800′s and continuing today, scientists and institutions from all over the world have benefited from the fossil resources of the White River Badlands The White River Badlands have developed an international reputation as a fossil rich area . They contain the richest deposits of Oligocene mammals known, providing a brief glimpse of life in this area 33 million years ago. Comparisons between the fossils here and fossils of similar age around the world have helped paint a picture of life on earth millions of years ago.
Aspects of American homesteading began before the end of the Civil War; however, homesteading didn’t really impact the Badlands until well into the 20th century. Many hopeful farmers traveled to South Dakota from Europe or the East Coast to try to eke out a living in this hard place. The standard size for a homestead was 160 acres. This proved far too small to support a family in a semi-arid, wind-swept environment. In the western Dakotas, the size of a homestead was increased to 640 acres. Cattle grazed and crops like winter wheat and hay were cut annually. However, the Great Dust Bowl events of the 1930s combined with waves of grasshoppers proved too much for most of the hardy souls of the Badlands. Houses built out of sod blocks and heated by buffalo chips were soon abandoned. Those who remained are still here today – ranching and raising wheat. The roots of these people of the prairie run deep. Like the grasses they depend on, they are tenacious, surviving blizzards, droughts, and floods to remain firmly grounded in a place as unforgiving as it is beautiful.
The Stronghold District of Badlands National Park offers more than scenic badlands with spectacular views. Co-managed by the National Park Service and the Oglala Sioux Tribe, this 133,300 acre area is also steeped in history. Deep draws, high tables, and rolling prairie hold the stories of the earliest Plains hunters, the paleo-Indians, as well as the present day Lakota Nation. Homesteaders and fossil hunters have also made their mark on the land. There is a more recent role this remote, sparsely populated area has played in U.S. history: World War II and the Badlands gunnery range. As a part of the war effort, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) took possession of 341,726 acres of land on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home of the Oglala Sioux people, for a gunnery range. Included in this range was 337 acres from then Badlands National Monument. This land was used extensively from 1942 through 1945 as air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery ranges. Precision and demolition bombing exercises were also quite common. After the war, portions of the bombing range were used as an artillery range by the South Dakota National Guard. In 1968, most of the range was declared excess property by the USAF. 2500 acres are retained by the USAF but are no longer used.
Firing took place within most of the present day Stronghold District. Land was bought to leased form individual landowners and the Tribe in order to clear the area of human occupation. Old car bodies and 55 gallon drums painted bright yellow were used as targets. Bulls-eyes 250 feet across were plowed into the ground and used as targets by bombardier bombing flights. Small automatic aircraft called “drones” and 60 foot by 8 foot screens dragged behind planes served as mobile targets. Today, the ground is littered discarded bullet shells and unexploded ordnance.
For safety, 125 families were relocated from their farms and ranches in the 1940s. Those that remained nearby recall times when they had to dive under tractors while out cutting hay to avoid shells dropped by planes miles outside of the boundary. In the town of Interior, both a church and the building housing the current post office received six inch shells through the roof. Pilots in practice, operating out of Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, found it a challenge to determine the exact boundaries of the range. Fortunately, there were no civilian casualties. However, at least a dozen members of flight crews lost their lives in plane crashes.
The bizarre landforms called badlands are, despite the uninviting name, a masterpiece of water and wind sculpture. They are near deserts of a special kind, where rain is infrequent, the bare rocks are poorly consolidated and relatively uniform in their resistance to erosion, and runoff water washes away large amounts of sediment. On average, the White River Badlands of South Dakota erode one inch per year. They are formidable redoubts of stark beauty where the delicate balance between creation and decay, that distinguishes so much geologic art, is manifested in improbable landscapes – near moonscapes – whose individual elements seem to defy gravity. Erosion is so rapid that the landforms can change perceptibly overnight as a result of a single thunderstorm.
At Badlands National Park, weird shapes are etched into a plateau of soft sediments and volcanic ash, revealing colorful bands of flat-lying strata. The stratification adds immeasurably to the beauty of each scene, binding together all of its diverse parts. Viewed horizontally, individual beds are traceable from pinnacle to pinnacle, mound to mound, ridge to ridge, across the intervening ravines. Viewed from above, the bands curve in and out of the valley like contour lines on a topographic map. A geologic story is written in the rocks of Badlands National Park, every bit as fascinating and colorful as their outward appearance. It is an account of 75 million years of accumulation with intermittent periods of erosion that began when the Rocky Mountains reared up in the West and spread sediments over vast expanses of the plains. The sand, silt, and clay, mixed and interbedded with volcanic ash, stacked up, layer upon flat-lying layer, until the pile was thousands of feet deep. In a final phase of volcanism as the uplift ended, white ash rained from the sky to frost the cake, completing the building stage.
During the Oligocene epoch 40 to 25 million years ago, the region that is now the White River Badlands supported many kinds of animals. The land was then lush, well watered, and much warmer than now. The animals, mostly mammals, roamed the floodplains; many died in floods and were quickly buried in river sediments. Conditions for preservation were excellent; the Oligocene beds are one of the world’s richest vertebrate fossil sites, though they represent only a short segment of Earth history.
Broad regional uplift raised the land about 5 million years ago and initiated the erosion that created the Badlands. The White River, which now flows west to east five or ten miles south of the park, eroded a scarp, the beginning of what is now called the Wall. Numerous small streams and rills furrowed the scarp face and eventually intersected to create the Badlands topography. Each rainstorm over the next 5 million years chewed away at the Wall, making its crest recede northward away from the river as its base followed suit. This is an old story in the arid and semi-arid regions of the West. It always happens in rocks that are relatively non-resistant erosion and it always starts with a scarp.
At Badlands National Park, the White River produced the scarp. The physical character of the Badlands varies considerably according to the nature of the materials. The frosting of volcanic ash at the Park succumbs quickly as the Wall advances northward into the upper plain – the original land surface – exposing the more durable underlying beds of the Brule formation. Nature’s answer to great resistance is to carve steeper slopes, resulting here in incredibly slender spires above knife-sharp ridges and intricately creased slopes. Deeper into the layer cake, the more rounded ridges and spurs, and gentler slopes, reflect the softer mudstone of the Chadron formation. Numerous “islands” of Chadron mudstone dot the plain in front of the Wall. They look like nothing more than mud mounds, except for their striking color-banding which matches perfectly that of the base of the Wall. They are remnants, soon to be gone, of the earlier, ever changing Badlands.
The Park is located at the western edge of the mixed grass prairie. The mixed grass prairie of the central United States is actually a transition zone between the more arid shortgrass prairie to the west and the more moist tallgrass prairie to the east, but because of its size is considered worthy of separate distinction.Warm or cool-season plants, grasses make efficient use of seasonal trends. Cool-season grasses grow early in the season as well as in the late summer and fall attaining greater heights than the warm-season species that come alive during the hot summer months. They are distributed along a continuum from east to west, decreasing in height with a general decrease in available moisture.
Most of the 56 different types of grasses found in the Badlands are native, having developed over millions of years. Taller western wheatgrass, green needlegrass, and needle-and-thread grass dominate low moist spots while shortgrass communities of blue grama and buffalo grass cover drier, rocky outcrops. A number of exotic grasses were introduced as settlers immigrated to this country. Grasslands support more than just grasses. Within them one may discover many kinds of wildflowers, desert plants, and occasional trees that provide food and habitat for a unique assembly of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Researchers counted 134 different vertebrate species associated with a community of prairie dogs and also discovered an “invisible prairie” consisting of countless microscopic soil organisms equal to the total weight of all the vegetation.
A typical visit lasts three to five hours and includes the park movie, stops at four overlooks, and two walks. The 30-mile Loop Drive is accessed from Interstate 90 and is a two-lane, paved surface. The 30-mile Sage Creek Rim Road is gravel and impassable after heavy rains or snows. Five trails, varying from one-fourth mile to eight miles in length, explore park features. The remainder of the park is open to backpack exploring using a topographic map and a compass. Kids visiting the park enjoy walking the Fossil Exhibit Trail along the Badlands Loop Road, and viewing prairie dogs at Robert’s Prairie Dog Town on the Sage Creek Rim Road. Stop by the Cedar Pass Contact Station for directions or further suggestions. Almost 100,000 people visit the park ever year.
Junior Ranger Programs are held at 10:30 a.m. daily during the summer season (Friday, June 10 through Saturday, August 20, 2005). Activities and subjects vary according to the ranger presenting the program, and can include a walk, a game, or another activity. Each attendee (7-12 years old) receives an official Badlands National Park Junior Ranger Badge at the end of the program. Meet at the shelter of the Cedar Pass Campground Amphitheater for this 45-minute adventure. Throughout the year, kids can also earn a badge by completing a Junior Ranger booklet, available at the Cedar Pass Contact Station. Completing the booklet usually takes approximately 1-2 hours.
Enjoy park trails like Cliff Shelf Nature Trail, Fossil Exhibit Trail, or the more aggressive Notch Trail. Explore the limitless backcountry options available by taking a hiking or backpacking trip. There are no established trails through the Wilderness Area, so many people utilize the bison trails that meander through the prairie and skirt the badland formations. The longest backpacking trail in the park at 10 miles round trip (16km), the Castle Trail stretches from the Fossil Exhibit Trail and the Door/Window parking area. Primarily level, this path parallels some precipitous badlands formations. The Medicine Root Trail makes a loop within the Castle Trail from any connecting trailhead. Not heavily used, the Castle Trail offers a chance for solitude and wildlife viewing. Window Trail is 1/4 mile (0.4km) round trip trail that is accessible to athletic wheelchair users. Offering a view of an intricately eroded canyon, this trail leads you to a natural “window” in the Badlands Wall. This trail begins at the center of the Door and Window parking area.
Other visiting options abound. Visit the “Big Pig Dig”, a paleontological dig active each summer just across the road from the Conata Picnic Area. Another option is to drive from the Badlands Loop Road and take the drive on the unpaved Sage Creek Rim road to see bison, prairie dogs, and the 64,000 acre wilderness area. Explore Sheep Mountain Table in the Stronghold Unit south of Scenic, SD. Bird watching, camping, stargazing, biking and cross-country skiing are other options available.
Cyclists who prefer paved roads may want to ride on a portion of the park’s main loop road. Remember that the road can be quite steep. If you have an automobile shuttle available, you may want to begin your ride at the Pinnacles Overlook, 8 miles south of the town of Wall and end your ride at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. This 22 mile route is mostly downhill, although there are several steep passes that you must climb.
Riders of all terrain or touring bikes suitable for gravel roads may want to ride on the Sage Creek Rim Road along the northern boundary of the park. The road will take you from the Pinnacles Overlook past a prairie dog town, and on to spectacular views of the Badlands Wilderness Area. This is not a loop route. During summer, vehicle traffic is heavy, winds are high, and temperatures are hot.
Backpackers may camp anywhere in the park that is at least one-half mile from any road or trail and not visible from park roads. Because only the Castle Trail strays far from the main road, most backpackers set out cross country on routes of their own. When doing so, topographic maps are strongly recommended, if not essential. In the North Unit, the 64,250 acre Sage Creek Wilderness is ideal for backpackers. Leave your car at the primitive campground, and follow Sage Creek into the wilderness. Elsewhere, the Stronghold and Palmer Creek Units, in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, provide variations on badlands topography. Largely undeveloped, these areas of the park contain rough and isolated landscapes. Unimproved roads provide access deep into the Stronghold Unit.
What are the best times to experience the Badlands backcountry? Perhaps spring and fall, when days are pleasant and nights are cool. The months of April and May are often rainy, although storms are possible year round, so always carry rain gear and extra clothing. Fall is generally cool and clear, but don’t be caught unprepared for an early blizzard.
Prairie ecosystems are rejuvenated through the presence of fire. Prairies burned naturally through lightning for centuries. Plains Indians also regularly burned prairie to drive out game. However, during the twentieth century, fire developed a bad reputation. It has been suppressed in places where it should occur, such as forests and prairie.
Badlands National Park has an active fire management program. Each year, the park attempts to burn a given number of acres of prairie. If you visit the park and a fire has recently occurred, know that the mixed grass prairie ecosystem in the park will restore its green appearance within three to four weeks. Prairie recovers much more quickly in appearance than forests.
The Badlands experience hot, dry summers with occasional violent thunderstorms. Winters are typically very cold with 12 to 24 inches of total snowfall. Extremely high winds are common year-round. Sudden and dramatic weather changes are common, so be prepared for sudden changes. Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and adequate water are recommended for hiking.
In summer, temperatures exceeding 100° F can pose serious health hazards. Avoid heat sickness by drinking water (at least one gallon or more a day), and staying out of the sun at midday. Be alert for symptoms of heat exhaustion or stroke – cramps (especially in legs and abdomen), weakness, nausea, and dizziness. Serious cases require immediate medical attention, as they can be fatal. Hot summer weather is often interrupted by severe thunderstorms, complete with large hail and lightning. If caught in a sudden storm, look for shelter from high winds. Avoid ridges, exposed areas, and isolated trees where lightning may strike.
Current Park Weather[/DDET
Only the hardiest hikers will attempt backpacking trips in the winter. Weather is unpredictable at best. Although days can be sunny, with temperatures comfortably above 30° F, sudden blizzards occasionally send the mercury plunging well below zero. Combined with strong winds, severe winter temperatures make backcountry survival difficult for those unprepared. Hypothermia (chilling of the body’s core) is a very real threat. Staying warm, dry, and out of the wind is the best way to prevent problems. Winter backpackers should speak with a ranger at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center before setting out.
Fossil poaching has become a major park concern. You can help by: never removing a fossil or artifact from the park, reporting fossil finds to park staff, and reporting suspicious vehicles or other visitors who do pick up fossils while in the park. Digging and/or moving fossils or artifacts from their locations in the ground are prohibited by Federal law. The matter is taken very seriously in the park. Offenders are prosecuted. Fines range from $50.00 to $250,000 and in severe cases offenders have been jailed.
Seemingly easy to explore, the Badlands of South Dakota are deceptively dangerous . Although most visitors respect the relative instability of the highest pinnacles in the park, the lower and more accessible sod tables and buttes can be hazardous. Remain on trails in designated areas. If you go off trail, you must be able to read a map and keep your bearings. The expanses of badlands can become quite confusing. Coupled with the summer heat and high winds, a very dangerous situation can arise. Always travel with water, a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses. Make sure someone knows where you have gone. Statistically, the most dangerous creature of Badlands National Park is the prickly pear cactus. Always wear closed toe shoes when exploring the park.
There are several rules for the Wilderness Area . Fires are not allowed anywhere in the park due to high winds and dry grasses. Pets are not allowed in the wilderness area for their safety as well as the wildlife. Practice the Leave-No-Trace rules. Pack out what you packed in and leave the area better then you found it. Be prepared for extreme weather conditions and emergencies and plan your camping trip well. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Backpackers may camp anywhere in the park that is at least one-half mile from any road or trail and not visible from park roads. Don’t pitch your tent on or near the bison trails crisscrossing the wilderness area or you may have some unwelcome visitors in the middle of the night. Because few people use the Badlands backcountry, help may not be close at hand for those who experience problems. Let friends or relatives know when you depart and when you expect to return. Those who travel with a cellular phone will find it difficult if not impossible to get a phone connection out of most of Badlands ‘ backcountry.
No open fires are permitted! Fire danger in the Badlands remains high year round, so use a backpacking stove at all times. Boiling water, treating it with chemicals, or using filters does not make it fit to drink. Consequently, assume that no water in the Badlands is potable; an adequate supply must be packed in.
Be prepared and self sufficient. The following backpacking checklist items will help. Always carry a topographical map, compass, water (due to the extremely high concentration of sediments and dissolved minerals in the Badlands water, hikers and campers must carry all their drinking water-1 gallon per person per day), tent, sleeping bag and mat, GPS, signal mirror or whistle, first aid kit, multipurpose tool, layered clothing, good hiking boots, flashlight with extra batteries, food, campstove, matches (use cautiously!), rain gear, and insect repellent.
Just as it was difficult for pilots to determine the gunnery range from the air, it is challenging to find your way when exploring the Stronghold District. There are few roads. The natural conditions of rain and snow add to the complexity. Throughout the Stronghold District are spent 50 caliber machine gun shells and 20mm cannon shells. Larger explosive shells are occasionally found eroding out of the Badlands buttes. If you find any shells, do not touch them. Note where you are. If you have a map, note on the map where you are. As soon as possible, report this to the White River Ranger Station at (605) 455 – 2878. The National Park Service, working with the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are undertaking a clean up effort for this sacred ground. Do your part. Leave all objects you find in the park in place. Report anything unusual you find to a park ranger.
Dogs and other pets are allowed only in developed areas such as campgrounds, parking areas and along roads and must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet in length at all times. They are not allowed in public buildings, or on any hiking trails. This policy has been instituted to provide a greater degree of protection to park resources.
Bicycles are allowed only on designated paved, gravel, and dirt roads within the park. They are not allowed on hiking trails, closed roads, or in the backcountry. There is no off road cycling in Badlands National Park. The mixed grass prairie is easily impacted by wheeled traffic. The badland formations are centuries old, yet very fragile. Bicycle racks are provided at the Cedar Pass Lodge and selected trailheads.
For your safety, you should wear a helmet and appropriate clothing. Depending on the season, you may need sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen or gloves. Carry plenty of water in all seasons – at least one gallon per person per day. Water is available only at the park visitor centers.
Dirt and gravel roads can be extremely muddy and are frequently impassable. Check on road conditions before setting out. Use extreme caution when riding on park roads. There are no bike lanes provided. Recreational and agricultural vehicles travel all roads, particularly during the summer months. Drivers will not be watching for bicyclists. Large mirrors on such vehicles pose a hazard for bicyclists.
Bison were once the large dominant plant grazers in the grassland ecosystem of the northern Great Plains. Bison were reintroduced to the Badlands in 1963, after an absence of about 100 years. The 600 head animal herd lives in the Sage Creek wilderness area of the park, and small groups of them can often be seen while driving along the Sage Creek Rim Road, searching with binoculars from the Pinnacles Overlook, or hiking in the Sage Creek Unit. No longer free to roam millions of acres of prairie, the Badlands bison are kept within the boundaries of the park to prevent trespass onto surrounding private and public grazing lands. This also separates them from their once infinite lunch bucket of grass and deprives them of a cool beverage from the waters of the White and Cheyenne Rivers.
How do you keep an animate mass of up to 2000 pounds in the park? You don’t. These powerful and agile animals can walk through manmade barriers, climb very steep terrain, jump over the fences typically used by ranchers, and quickly outdistance humans on the run. The most resource managers can do is persuade the bison that it is a good idea to live here. The staff tries to assure adequate water by supplementing the area’s scarce supply. They manage for quality forage with plenty of room to roam, and we maintain 30 miles of seven foot high fence which acts as a physical deterrent and visual barrier. Lastly, they artificially reduce the numbers of animals through periodic roundups. These “extra” bison have primarily been used to provide starter populations, promote genetic enrichment of other herds, and enhance cultural, economic, and religious activities on American Indian reservations.
It is important to have semi-free roaming bison at the Badlands so that their influence on the grassland is expressed on the landscape, helping to define the type and distribution of plant communities here. For many, viewing bison in the natural setting of Badlands National Park arouses special feelings about time, place, and our relationship with the natural world. This magnificent animal, along with the entire wildlife heritage, serves as a reminder of our individual and collective responsibility to protect and preserve what we have for all time.
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is considered to be the most endangered land mammal in North America. Thought to be extinct in the 1970s, a small colony of this small member of the weasel family was found on a ranch near Meteetse, Wyoming. Canine distemper swept through the colony, killing all but eighteen ferrets. They were trapped and protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From these remaining animals, a captive breeding program has developed in U.S. and Canadian zoos. The black-footed ferret is a prairie resident that is dependent upon extensive prairie dog colonies for survival. Depletion of prairie dog towns throughout the twentieth century has lead to the near extinction of this ferret. Badlands National Park has been selected as one of the areas to reintroduce captive-bred ferrets. Native to the park, approximately 25 to 30 individual ferrets now live in wilderness areas of Badlands. Park staff is encouraged by the presence of wild born kits (young ferrets). In fact, the wild born ferrets are now producing young of their own.
215 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Commonly seen birds are the Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Swainson’s Hawk, American Coot, and Great Horned Owl. Rarely seen birds include the American Bittern, Snowy Egret, Northern Goshawk, and Broad-winged Hawk.
The park does have resident prairie rattlesnakes . However, the prairie rattler is the least aggressive of all rattlesnakes. If you remember that they like to hide in cracks and crevices or lie in wait for their prey – amphibians, insects, and small birds – in the grasses, you should not encounter a rattler. Watch where you place your feet and wear high ankle hiking boots.
It is against the law to disturb animals in all national parks; doing so can be dangerous. When hiking in the Sage Creek area be alert for bison, which may charge if approached. Bison gorings can kill.
Wildlife should never be approached closer then 100 yards. They are unused to human sounds and unpredictable. If an animal reacts to your presence, back off, you are too close. Checking our Wildlfe Precautions page will supply you with even more safety information.
Park fees are $15.00 – 7 days per car/family, or $30.00 – Annual pass. Individuals – hiker, bicycle, non-commercial bus passenger, motorcycle fees are $7 – 7 days. Cedar Pass Campground is $10.00 per night.
Cedar Pass Campground is open year round. The campground is operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis and a campground host is on-site during the summer months. No campfires are allowed. It has running water and a dump site for RV campsites. It has two sites that are fully accessible by wheelchair. These sites are designated for wheelchair users, but are available on a first-come, first-served basis; they may not be available if the campground is full. Many other sites are level and negotiable by wheelchair users. In summer, restrooms in the Agate Loop are accessible by wheelchair. In winter, there is a fully accessible pit toilet. The campground office is accessible by wheelchair and the pay telephone is equipped with a volume control. Reservations are required for group campsites only, and can be made by calling (605) 433-5361. The fee is $2.50 per person, minimum 10 people.
Sage Creek Campground is a free, primitive facility with vault toilets and no water. The campground is operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no water, it has pit toilets, and campground is used by horseback riders frequently. It is accessible from the unpaved Sage Creek Rim Road, but vehicles must have high clearance to travel the Sage Creek Rim Road. No campfires are allowed. Pets are allowed only if on a leash and under the control of a human at all times. All camping must be at least 200 feet away from a water source.
Devils Tower National Monument is 177 miles away. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is 99 miles away. Jewel Cave National Monument is 148 miles away. Wind Cave National Park is 132 miles away with Custer State Park next to this. Pine River Indian Reservation, Cheyenne River Indian. Reservation, Rosebud Indian Reservation and Buffalo Gap National Grassland are all nearby.
Rapid City and Sioux Falls have airports with multiple daily flights.
By car, take I-90 to exit 110 or 131 to access Hwy 240 ” Badlands Loop Road “. Hwy 44 west from Rapid City provides an alternate scenic route to the park.
Approximate Mileage from the following major cities to Badland National Park:
By Car:
Rapid City, SD – 84.22 miles (north entrance)
62.35 miles (south entrance)
Hot Springs, SD – 109.56 miles
Fort Collins, CO – 350.27 miles
Sioux Falls, SD – 333.93 miles
Denver, CO – 373.21 miles
By Plane:
Alexandria Airport – 50 miles south
Shreveport Airport – 84.22 miles northeast
Rapid City Regional Airport – 54.28 miles (south entrance)
84.22 miles (northeast entrance)
By bus:
Greyhound, Inc. – travels within 80 miles west of the park (limited bus service)
Badlands National Park , 25216 Ben Reifel Rd. P.O. Box 6 , Interior , SD 57750
Visitor Information (605) 433-5361
By Fax (605) 433-5248
Map[/DDE
Only the hardiest hikers will attempt backpacking trips in the winter. Weather is unpredictable at best. Although days can be sunny, with temperatures comfortably above 30° F, sudden blizzards occasionally send the mercury plunging well below zero. Combined with strong winds, severe winter temperatures make backcountry survival difficult for those unprepared. Hypothermia (chilling of the body’s core) is a very real threat. Staying warm, dry, and out of the wind is the best way to prevent problems. Winter backpackers should speak with a ranger at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center before setting out.
Fossil poaching has become a major park concern. You can help by: never removing a fossil or artifact from the park, reporting fossil finds to park staff, and reporting suspicious vehicles or other visitors who do pick up fossils while in the park. Digging and/or moving fossils or artifacts from their locations in the ground are prohibited by Federal law. The matter is taken very seriously in the park. Offenders are prosecuted. Fines range from $50.00 to $250,000 and in severe cases offenders have been jailed.
Seemingly easy to explore, the Badlands of South Dakota are deceptively dangerous . Although most visitors respect the relative instability of the highest pinnacles in the park, the lower and more accessible sod tables and buttes can be hazardous. Remain on trails in designated areas. If you go off trail, you must be able to read a map and keep your bearings. The expanses of badlands can become quite confusing. Coupled with the summer heat and high winds, a very dangerous situation can arise. Always travel with water, a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses. Make sure someone knows where you have gone. Statistically, the most dangerous creature of Badlands National Park is the prickly pear cactus. Always wear closed toe shoes when exploring the park.
There are several rules for the Wilderness Area . Fires are not allowed anywhere in the park due to high winds and dry grasses. Pets are not allowed in the wilderness area for their safety as well as the wildlife. Practice the Leave-No-Trace rules. Pack out what you packed in and leave the area better then you found it. Be prepared for extreme weather conditions and emergencies and plan your camping trip well. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Backpackers may camp anywhere in the park that is at least one-half mile from any road or trail and not visible from park roads. Don’t pitch your tent on or near the bison trails crisscrossing the wilderness area or you may have some unwelcome visitors in the middle of the night. Because few people use the Badlands backcountry, help may not be close at hand for those who experience problems. Let friends or relatives know when you depart and when you expect to return. Those who travel with a cellular phone will find it difficult if not impossible to get a phone connection out of most of Badlands ‘ backcountry.
No open fires are permitted! Fire danger in the Badlands remains high year round, so use a backpacking stove at all times. Boiling water, treating it with chemicals, or using filters does not make it fit to drink. Consequently, assume that no water in the Badlands is potable; an adequate supply must be packed in.
Be prepared and self sufficient. The following backpacking checklist items will help. Always carry a topographical map, compass, water (due to the extremely high concentration of sediments and dissolved minerals in the Badlands water, hikers and campers must carry all their drinking water-1 gallon per person per day), tent, sleeping bag and mat, GPS, signal mirror or whistle, first aid kit, multipurpose tool, layered clothing, good hiking boots, flashlight with extra batteries, food, campstove, matches (use cautiously!), rain gear, and insect repellent.
Just as it was difficult for pilots to determine the gunnery range from the air, it is challenging to find your way when exploring the Stronghold District. There are few roads. The natural conditions of rain and snow add to the complexity. Throughout the Stronghold District are spent 50 caliber machine gun shells and 20mm cannon shells. Larger explosive shells are occasionally found eroding out of the Badlands buttes. If you find any shells, do not touch them. Note where you are. If you have a map, note on the map where you are. As soon as possible, report this to the White River Ranger Station at (605) 455 – 2878. The National Park Service, working with the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are undertaking a clean up effort for this sacred ground. Do your part. Leave all objects you find in the park in place. Report anything unusual you find to a park ranger.
Dogs and other pets are allowed only in developed areas such as campgrounds, parking areas and along roads and must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet in length at all times. They are not allowed in public buildings, or on any hiking trails. This policy has been instituted to provide a greater degree of protection to park resources.
Bicycles are allowed only on designated paved, gravel, and dirt roads within the park. They are not allowed on hiking trails, closed roads, or in the backcountry. There is no off road cycling in Badlands National Park. The mixed grass prairie is easily impacted by wheeled traffic. The badland formations are centuries old, yet very fragile. Bicycle racks are provided at the Cedar Pass Lodge and selected trailheads.
For your safety, you should wear a helmet and appropriate clothing. Depending on the season, you may need sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen or gloves. Carry plenty of water in all seasons – at least one gallon per person per day. Water is available only at the park visitor centers.
Dirt and gravel roads can be extremely muddy and are frequently impassable. Check on road conditions before setting out. Use extreme caution when riding on park roads. There are no bike lanes provided. Recreational and agricultural vehicles travel all roads, particularly during the summer months. Drivers will not be watching for bicyclists. Large mirrors on such vehicles pose a hazard for bicyclists.
Bison were once the large dominant plant grazers in the grassland ecosystem of the northern Great Plains. Bison were reintroduced to the Badlands in 1963, after an absence of about 100 years. The 600 head animal herd lives in the Sage Creek wilderness area of the park, and small groups of them can often be seen while driving along the Sage Creek Rim Road, searching with binoculars from the Pinnacles Overlook, or hiking in the Sage Creek Unit. No longer free to roam millions of acres of prairie, the Badlands bison are kept within the boundaries of the park to prevent trespass onto surrounding private and public grazing lands. This also separates them from their once infinite lunch bucket of grass and deprives them of a cool beverage from the waters of the White and Cheyenne Rivers.
How do you keep an animate mass of up to 2000 pounds in the park? You don’t. These powerful and agile animals can walk through manmade barriers, climb very steep terrain, jump over the fences typically used by ranchers, and quickly outdistance humans on the run. The most resource managers can do is persuade the bison that it is a good idea to live here. The staff tries to assure adequate water by supplementing the area’s scarce supply. They manage for quality forage with plenty of room to roam, and we maintain 30 miles of seven foot high fence which acts as a physical deterrent and visual barrier. Lastly, they artificially reduce the numbers of animals through periodic roundups. These “extra” bison have primarily been used to provide starter populations, promote genetic enrichment of other herds, and enhance cultural, economic, and religious activities on American Indian reservations.
It is important to have semi-free roaming bison at the Badlands so that their influence on the grassland is expressed on the landscape, helping to define the type and distribution of plant communities here. For many, viewing bison in the natural setting of Badlands National Park arouses special feelings about time, place, and our relationship with the natural world. This magnificent animal, along with the entire wildlife heritage, serves as a reminder of our individual and collective responsibility to protect and preserve what we have for all time.
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is considered to be the most endangered land mammal in North America. Thought to be extinct in the 1970s, a small colony of this small member of the weasel family was found on a ranch near Meteetse, Wyoming. Canine distemper swept through the colony, killing all but eighteen ferrets. They were trapped and protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From these remaining animals, a captive breeding program has developed in U.S. and Canadian zoos. The black-footed ferret is a prairie resident that is dependent upon extensive prairie dog colonies for survival. Depletion of prairie dog towns throughout the twentieth century has lead to the near extinction of this ferret. Badlands National Park has been selected as one of the areas to reintroduce captive-bred ferrets. Native to the park, approximately 25 to 30 individual ferrets now live in wilderness areas of Badlands. Park staff is encouraged by the presence of wild born kits (young ferrets). In fact, the wild born ferrets are now producing young of their own.
215 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Commonly seen birds are the Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Swainson’s Hawk, American Coot, and Great Horned Owl. Rarely seen birds include the American Bittern, Snowy Egret, Northern Goshawk, and Broad-winged Hawk.
The park does have resident prairie rattlesnakes . However, the prairie rattler is the least aggressive of all rattlesnakes. If you remember that they like to hide in cracks and crevices or lie in wait for their prey – amphibians, insects, and small birds – in the grasses, you should not encounter a rattler. Watch where you place your feet and wear high ankle hiking boots.
It is against the law to disturb animals in all national parks; doing so can be dangerous. When hiking in the Sage Creek area be alert for bison, which may charge if approached. Bison gorings can kill.
Wildlife should never be approached closer then 100 yards. They are unused to human sounds and unpredictable. If an animal reacts to your presence, back off, you are too close. Checking our Wildlfe Precautions page will supply you with even more safety information.
Park fees are $15.00 – 7 days per car/family, or $30.00 – Annual pass. Individuals – hiker, bicycle, non-commercial bus passenger, motorcycle fees are $7 – 7 days. Cedar Pass Campground is $10.00 per night.
Cedar Pass Campground is open year round. The campground is operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis and a campground host is on-site during the summer months. No campfires are allowed. It has running water and a dump site for RV campsites. It has two sites that are fully accessible by wheelchair. These sites are designated for wheelchair users, but are available on a first-come, first-served basis; they may not be available if the campground is full. Many other sites are level and negotiable by wheelchair users. In summer, restrooms in the Agate Loop are accessible by wheelchair. In winter, there is a fully accessible pit toilet. The campground office is accessible by wheelchair and the pay telephone is equipped with a volume control. Reservations are required for group campsites only, and can be made by calling (605) 433-5361. The fee is $2.50 per person, minimum 10 people.
Sage Creek Campground is a free, primitive facility with vault toilets and no water. The campground is operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no water, it has pit toilets, and campground is used by horseback riders frequently. It is accessible from the unpaved Sage Creek Rim Road, but vehicles must have high clearance to travel the Sage Creek Rim Road. No campfires are allowed. Pets are allowed only if on a leash and under the control of a human at all times. All camping must be at least 200 feet away from a water source.
Devils Tower National Monument is 177 miles away. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is 99 miles away. Jewel Cave National Monument is 148 miles away. Wind Cave National Park is 132 miles away with Custer State Park next to this. Pine River Indian Reservation, Cheyenne River Indian. Reservation, Rosebud Indian Reservation and Buffalo Gap National Grassland are all nearby.
Rapid City and Sioux Falls have airports with multiple daily flights.
By car, take I-90 to exit 110 or 131 to access Hwy 240 ” Badlands Loop Road “. Hwy 44 west from Rapid City provides an alternate scenic route to the park.
Approximate Mileage from the following major cities to Badland National Park:
By Car:
Rapid City, SD – 84.22 miles (north entrance)
62.35 miles (south entrance)
Hot Springs, SD – 109.56 miles
Fort Collins, CO – 350.27 miles
Sioux Falls, SD – 333.93 miles
Denver, CO – 373.21 miles
By Plane:
Alexandria Airport – 50 miles south
Shreveport Airport – 84.22 miles northeast
Rapid City Regional Airport – 54.28 miles (south entrance)
84.22 miles (northeast entrance)
By bus:
Greyhound, Inc. – travels within 80 miles west of the park (limited bus service)
Badlands National Park , 25216 Ben Reifel Rd. P.O. Box 6 , Interior , SD 57750
Visitor Information (605) 433-5361
By Fax (605) 433-5248
[DDET + Mapquest]
