Badlands National Park
In September of 2024 I took a trip with two of my cousins from Minneapolis to Denver, focusing on the drive through South Dakota. This included Badlands National Park in Southwest South Dakota. Even though it was September it was still pretty hot for an Alaskan like me, so the hikes were kept pretty short. We still hit up a few though, including the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail, the Door and Window trails, and the Fossil Exhibit Trail.
Views from the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail.
Signage near the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail.
View from the Window Trail Hike.
Me climbing some of the rock formations at the Window Trail.
Me climbing some of the rock formations at the Window Trail.
View from rocks I climbed at the Window Trial.
View from overlook along Badlands Loop Road.
Signage along Badlands Loop Road.
Random photographer along Badlands Loop Road, I think at Panorama Point Overlook.
Yellow Mounds Overlook.
View at Panorama Point.
One of the highlights was seeing all the cool wildlife. I had never seen a Prairie Dog before, so as silly as it sounds, stopping by Roberts Prairie Dog Town was a highlight for me. Seeing the Prairie Dogs run around, peeking out from the holes, and squeaking to each other was pretty cool. I had also never seen Pronghorn Antelope either, and unlike the Prairie Dogs, I had no idea they were there, so when we saw some, it was a welcome surprise. We didn’t see any large herds of Bison, but did see a few grazing along the road, and it was the first time my cousin from the DC area had ever seen one, so she was really excited. Overall, it was a great couple days and we did get to see a ton of unique geological features and it was great seeing the animals in their natural habitat.
First Bison we saw entering the park near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.
Bison grazing along the road.
Bison grazing along the road.
Bison grazing along the road.
Bison grazing along the road.
Prairie Dogs at Roberts Prairie Dog Town.
Prairie Dogs at Roberts Prairie Dog Town.
Prairie Dogs at Roberts Prairie Dog Town.
Pronghorn Antelope.
Bighorn Sheep near the Interior Entrance.
Bighorn Sheep near the Interior Entrance.
Bighorn Sheep along entrance.
Bighorn Sheep near the Door Trail.
Bighorn Sheep near the Door Trail.