Daytime at Badlands
After a 700+ mile drive from Illinois to South Dakota on a Thursday in June. I enjoyed a gorgeous evening visit to Badlands National Park . As darkness fell, I returned to Wall, SD for a good night’s rest while looking forward to spending the next day (Friday) at the park.
Friday morning, I was up early. I grabbed a ‘to-go’ breakfast and headed back to the park. I wanted to know what daytime at Badlands looked and felt like. I was at the parks’ Pinnacle Entrance Station by 7AM, before gate attendants were even there. Once in the park, I opted to drive the dirt road that was the origin of the dust kicked up by vehicles fleeing the scene of the setting sun the night before. The road is Sage Creek Rim Road.
At Badlands National Park, I found it equally difficult to find where to start as well as where it all ends. Because the end, in the distance, looks past so much not yet in sight until you cover the land. And, where do you start? There is so much up and down that is out of sight. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
As I said, it was fairly early for a National Park visit I guess, I felt like I had the whole place to myself. My rental van was loaded (thanks to my wife) with bottled water and all kinds of snacks like peanuts, jerky, granola bars, including sandwich meats, condiments, and bread. I was ready to see the park at my own pace. My own pace turned into a 405 minute (6.75 hours) visit/drive/walk/hike in, around, and through Badlands National Park. I covered 100 miles driving the roads in and around the park. I walked and/or hiked for another 6 plus miles. And of course, I stood and watched wildlife of all kinds. I took many, many pictures. I stood in silent awe of the landscapes not only for their immense beauty, but also for their diversity just by looking from one direction to the next. Sometimes I just stood and looked back and forth over the land, to the skies, and back again. I prayed often, and thanked God for the opportunity of being there to witness these gifts from our Creator. If only I could multiply those minutes, and hours in each place I stopped. I would give God the glory while exploring every nook and cranny I could get to, in silent reverence, if I could.
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons I loved visiting this park so much was that there were no real big crowds. I mean there were some crowded parking areas at some of the attractions, but I went where people weren’t. Then I returned in the evening to some places while the majority of folks had gone searching for the Friday night sunset.
There will be many pictures to follow here in this, my third ‘West 2022’ story. I will expand (with pictures) on my morning through early afternoon visit to the park, and also the three hours I spent in the park that Friday evening. Maybe there will even be a reference to my quick visit to the famous Wall Drug.
I took zero notes of my trip unless you count thousands of pictures. As I go through the pictures after the fact, much of my experience comes flooding back to me. Sorting these moments in any kind of sensible order is proving more difficult than the memories.
Anyway, please enjoy the pictures. I know they don’t do the scenes the full justice of being there in person, but some of them are pretty decent illustrations of what I loved about Badlands National Park. Click on the pictures. Zoom in and have a look around. There is a lot to see.
Early morning ride on a dirt road in Badlands NP. I saw only two other vehicles over a 90-minute span. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
One of the many pull offs that offered the beautiful views of land appearing in its own timeline, literally. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Meanwhile, across the road from the previous picture, there is this scene. Looking like unbroken grasslands as far as the eye can see. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Like a natural cheese grater, but on a massive scale. In the distance, gorgeous green meadows. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I cast a tiny shadow at the bottom of this panoramic picture that I took at Sage Creek Basin Overlook. It’s like the land multplies it’s own square footage with the ups and downs, angles, and climbs all the way back to what was once level ground. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
This was a hilarious scene from Roberts Prairie Dog Town. I watched from a distance, the prairie dogs going through all of their antics while sounding their alarms that would put any ‘neighborhood watch’ to shame. My favorite prairie dog move is seen here (if you look close), where they do their own version of ‘the wave’ as they stand in sequence and spin in the direction of the next prairie dog in line, who repeats the same. Of course the bison just did their thing in the distance. As it should be. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Obviously this is the prairie dog town. There are dozens of bison in the background and the grass goes on and on. However, if you were to stand where I was, looking at the sign, and look across the road, hard to your left, you would see the ground just drop away into the caverns and crevices of the “mako sica”. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Wildlife at Badlands National Park
I arrived at Burns Basin Overlook to take a short walk out into the ‘badlands’ and watch the sky change as the sun disappeared. Before I got started though, I noticed this rabbit relaxing by the boardwalk. As I took this picture, I noticed movement close by, down to my left. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
And down to my left, I saw this little rabbit. I snapped a photo of this very unafraid animal. Then I noticed a third rabbit, also close by, but I didn’t get a picture of the third one. I let them alone and started on my walk. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
So many bison to see. There are roughly 1,200 of them in the park.
One of the things that struck me about Badlands NP was the changes in the land. Looking north, from where a bighorn sheep might stand, the bison appear to have ample room to graze and to roam. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Then, looking west, everything about the views change. There were other people here at this spot and they wondered aloud, asking what I was so intently photographing. Most of them never even spotted the bison until pointed it out. When asked, most of them were looking for colors as the sun was arcing to the horizon. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Early morning, I came around a bend in the road and over a hillock to see this bison just resting in the grass. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
The bison feed in and around the prairie dog towns. They don’t seem to mind each other. The bison graze while the little prairie dogs dart from here to there and sound their alarms when bird, predator, or man come too close. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Here I obliged the request of the prairie dog closest to me. He asked for a photo of himself in the foreground with the massive bison in the distance. I promised I would mention it in my story. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
No matter how many of these animals I saw throughout the Western US, I never really did fully grasp their size. This guy was just a beautiful specimen of bison. He stood stone still and watched me from quite a distance. I know they can move in a hurry, to the tune of 40 MPH or more, so I stayed well beyond arm’s length in wildlife watching terms. Even with some space between us they are so huge! © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
This bison was standing, facing East at the northern boundary of the park. It was here that I really started to wonder if these bison had enough room to roam in the park. They cover 2 or 3 miles per day on average. The park has opened about 80,000 acres of range for the bison, so I guess that will give them some room to grow. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Up on Sage Creek Road I came through a narrow area of the road that put me in very close proximity to the bison herd in the area on that Friday morning. I waited back for quite some time waiting for a chance to pass by without getting too close. Also, to let some of these bison move away from the road or settle down. I picked my time to pass, slowly, while most of the moms and dads lounged care-free and unconcerned of my presence. Then this one calf turned and watched as I rolled by. I stopped for a second and took this picture, aiming through the passenger side window. I moved slowly away and the bison resumed their casual morning activities. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I pulled to the side of Rte. 44 onto an abandoned gravel road that ran for maybe 60 feet into a barbed wire fence. I stopped because of an old train trestle spanning a small ravine in this broken land. As I stood and took a picture or two, a bison suddenly appeared from behind the mound of grass pictured here. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
This was on the southwest boundary of Badlands NP, and I am not certain that I was even in the park at this point. This bison graciously showed itself to me for a few pictures. Then as it crossed from my left to right, it carefully lowered itself in to the drainage (center of the picture). As it dropped from my view, at a surprisingly steep angle I thought for sure I would see this animal again on the other side or retreating, or somewhere. But, nope, this huge animal all but disappeared. I still think that old bridgework is pretty cool. I am glad I pulled over. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Two little birds and a coyote
(You really need to click on these to get a good look)
I saw a coyote trotting through a beautiful green meadow so I turned my vehicle around to see if I could get a better look. I retraced my route for a good mile before pulling off of the paved road onto a dirt road. I parked by the main road and walked at least half a mile on hard packed, parched earth between buttes and some sun bleached skeletal remains of various prey. The hard pack gave way to cactus and low brush before reaching the edge of the green grass. There I spied the coyote approaching across the meadow. It was then that I heard coyote pups calling from a den on the other side of a small mound off in front of me to my right. I could not see them but I could hear them. Coyote mom was returning to the den and I wanted keep my distance so I started to retreat on the downside of the small mound. I was still at least 40 yards from the pups calls. As I left the area the wind changed for just a moment and coyote mom scented me for sure. She turned in the other direction as I had, and I just kept retreating to give the animals space. Ultimately, she turned for the den again and I was a mile away. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
As I made my way back to my vehicle I noticed birds coming and going from a little hole bored into the side of one of the buttes I had walked past on my way toward the meadow. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I got closer to that butte because I had parked not all that far from the massive rock. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I had my ‘big camera’ with me and I tried my fortune at capturing these birds in pictures even though I had my big lense on the camera and I was directly beneath the birds. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
There were two of the birds on patrol and they were very territorial. I was hoping not to get airdropped on by these two. Fortunately, we all stayed safe and clean. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I did not get a picture of the butte and the bored nest in the side of it only because it was up pretty high and the hole looked like a dot on the great rock. I did manage to get these pictures of the birds though. I talked to them and smiled as they went about their business to make sure that I would not harm them. I am glad I got to see them. They are beautiful birds. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Early Friday morning there was nobody working the entrance gate, well, except these friendly prairie dogs. They saw my pass hanging from the rearview mirror and waved me through. The day was off to a good start. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I had decided to start my park visit by exploring Sage Creek Rim Road to Rim Road to Sage Creek Road, to Route 44 and beyond. I had been in the park the night before and only seen about a mile or two of the park road. I still had no idea what to expect. Then, in and around the undulating land, in the tall grasses I spotted movement. I stopped behind a hill and walked back to a hidden vantage point where I got this picture. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
After seeing the coyote I was pretty excited to see what else was in the park. I had obviously seen some of the badlands and the lay of the land, and I couldn’t imagine there would be much wildlife in such dry, seemingly inhospitable land. Then around the next hill looking down into a hollow stood a gorgeous pronghorn antelope. I couldn’t believe it! © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
This prairie dog was kind enough to pose for me. Cute little thing. What a view off behind this little animal! © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I guess if I were a pronghorn I would want to hang out here too. What a beautiful little valley, and a splendid looking antelope. There were a few antelope in the area but I kept my distance and only took a picture of this one. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Life along Medicine Root – Badlands National Park
© 1inawesomewonder 2022.
© 1inawesomewonder 2022.
© 1inawesomewonder 2022.
© 1inawesomewonder 2022.
© 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Other views along the way…there are impressive views everywhere!
Good morning Badlands NP. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Morning shadows make the rugged terrain look even more impenetrable by a multiplier equal to the length of the shadows. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Scenes like this remind me of possibilities. Like all the possible ways to get across the lowlands between the buttes. Also, you could walk a couple hundred feet to my left and not even see any of this valley. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
The buttes and ridges frame these pockets of green grass, beckoning me to come and see. In reality, I am guessing the distance is longer than it looks and the terrain, well that might be too much to get through. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
So there are terms like ‘mesa’, ‘plateau’, ‘butte’, etc. My very basic understanding is that much of Badlands NP used to be a plateau. Then, through the years of nature taking effect mostly through erosion, the plateau wears away in places. What is left in this area are mostly buttes. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
After watching a magpie beg for fries and other treats, I turned around to study this scene. It was very hot so I took shelter under a tree. Green grass. Blue skies. Whiff of a cloud. And the colors in the rock. Wow! © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I think the sign says it pretty well. I saw comments about this trail calling ‘moderate’ an understatement and they would describe it as ‘difficult’. I also saw comments saying “don’t wear flip flops”, that is a no-brainer on most every trail. This trail climbs 200 plus feet in less than a quarter of a mile… © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
…Additionally, the climb pushes the hiker through some very narrow and very steep chutes that are lightly covered in pebbles and a trace of sand. Planning each step especially when descending kept things ‘moderate’. The view at the top, looking back from where I had been was pretty impressive. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
I took this picture while hiking along Castle Trail on my way back to Saddle Pass Trail. I found a smaller butte that had worn away some at its’ base and the wall ran up, at an angle which offered me some shade. I stopped in that shade and ate a snack bar, drank some water, and took this picture. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
Main Street, Wall, South Dakota. The famous Wall Drug is on the front, down the block. After my hike, I returned to my room and got cleaned up. Then I went to Wall Drug, which some publications call “the worst tourist attraction in SD”. I ate dinner, which was expensive, but good enough. I sat in the ‘cafeteria’ which was worth the price alone. The art collection they have at Wall Drug is worth stopping for. I liked the place regardless of who rated what. © 1inawesomewonder 2022.
West 2022 Stories
Story 1 – Travel Day Story 2 – Badlands Intro
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