The expansive midwest region of the North America is home to rugged, colorful mountain ranges and canyons surrounded by prairies (lush grasslands); wilderness never seen before!
The states of North and South Dakota together comprise of the region of Dakota, also often referred as Badlands. I decided to explore this region over a relaxed timeframe of 3 days. Driving from Yellowstone - Wyoming to South Dakota and then further North was totally about 500 miles. This was a scenic route crossing multiple national forests (Shoshone, BigHorn, Custer, BlackHills offering many hiking opportunities; although I just drove through each).
Badlands National Park
This 250,000 acre of tiny colorful peaks and grasslands situated in the southwestern part of South Dakota is a must-visit national park in the United States. The magical drive through these colorful, layered rock formations (also known as buttes and spires) and basins kept me thrilled with the uniqueness of this landscape. I could neither compare it to the steep grand canyons nor to the high mountain ranges like Rocky’s, the badlands are very unique. For centuries, the badlands of the south did not seem favorable for humans, farmers, and visitors due to severe winds and non-traversable land until late in the 19th century.
The colorful layers in these rock formations are sedimentary deposits of silt, soil and other clay-rich minerals which were later eroded due to strong winds that caused the formations. Read more about their unique depositions here.
The entry to the national park is $30 (7-day pass) but you can avoid that with an $80 annual pass ( multiple entries to any national park in the US).
Things to do while in Badlands for half a day:
1. Drive through the most visited northern scenic loop road (SD 240). The scenic loop starts immediately after the entry to the northern gate (Ben Reifel Visitor Centre on the East) and ends at the Pinnacles Overlook (West).
This 31-mile scenic drive takes about 2-3 hrs if you decide to stop at every overlook point. The overlook points are very unique and offers different perspective into the badlands. Some of the highlights of the scenic drive were the following (from east to west):
1. Big Badlands Overlook:
2. Cedar Pass:
3. White River Valley Overlook:
4. Conota Basin:
5. Yellow Mounds:
6. Pinnacles Overlook:
Other Random Scenic Overlooks include:
2. Go on a hike from castle trailhead. This is a short 0.3 mile well paved walk known as Window and Door trail to the amphitheater of the badlands. On the way, you will get a chance to explore unique wildflowers of this region.
3. Watch the Badlands movie (20 mins) at the Ben Reifel Visitor Centre to learn the early evolution of life in Badlands.
While in Rapid City, do not miss the delicious Indian food at Kathmandu Bistro.
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is an iconic spot of American history depicting 4 of most famous and revered American presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln) carved on the top of Mount Rushmore at a height of around 60 ft.. The entry to the park is $10 (parking fee). One can spend about 30-40 mins around here. From the parking, one will get to the level where Information Centre is located and a straight walk towards the mountain for about 1/4 mile will take you to the overlook spot.
Do not miss the ice-cream at the restaurant and read through the history of Jefferson's first American ice-cream recipe.
Spot Bisons: Bisons are American Buffaloes, If you get lucky, there are high chances of spotting Bisons in North and South Dakota. The weather of Dakotas might not be as good as for farmers as much as Bisons. They thrive in the region of Badlands. I was lucky to spot a herd of Bisons on the way to North Dakota and also in the Thoedre Roosevelt National Park.
Dakota Drives:
Theodre Roosevelt National Park
Further driving north for about 4 hrs, next on the itinerary was Theodore Roosevelt National park which was 40 mins from Dickinson. After a delicious lunch at Upin Thai, I started driving towards the southern unit of the national park. On the way from Dickinson to Medora, you will spot Painted Canyon Visitor centre prior to the main Theodre Roosevelt visitor centre. I decided to stop the painted canyons during sunset and hence covered the other one first.
What formed the North Dakota Badlands? The Little Missouri River that flows through the Great Plains of this region eroded the rocks and left behind the sediments we see on the Badlands. The badlands in the north and south are distinctively different so do not miss the ones in the north even though you might think they are similar.
The entry to the national park is $30 (7-day pass) but you can avoid that with an $80 annual pass (multiple entries to any national park in US). The southern unit visitor centre is located on the left post crossing the town of Medora. The national park is divided into 3 major regions - north unit, south unit and elk ranch unit. One can drive through all the three but I decided to visit only the south unit as it is most popular in the park. I drove through the 36 mile scenic loop drive.
There are many short hikes (0.3-0.5 mile) to the lookout points. The recommended ones are the Wind Canyon Trail and Boicourt Trail. Since I visited during the summers (July-Sep), there are blooming sunflowers and tiny purple dots throughout the national park.
Painted Canyons
Although painted canyons are part of the Theodore Roosevelt National park, there is a separate road that leads to the visitor centre and overlook point. On I90 east, painted canyons overlook is at exit 32. There is no entry fee to this overlook point and is just a few meters from the parking lot.
Pre-Sunset:
Post-Sunset:
The visitor centre was closed during sunset so I just walked around the rim of the canyons for a panoramic view of the badlands, colorful canyons and valleys.
Traveling and appreciating the beauty of these badlands has certainly become easier now. But if you put on your explorer hats, you will be certain to see why traversing these formations was so difficult ages ago.
~Nomadic Traveller~
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