Badlands National Park - Summer

Being one of only two national parks in South Dakota, the Badlands draw people from all over the world to view its beauty. The national park protects 244,000 acres and is home to bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets. There is a bounty of mixed-grass prairie and my favorite part about the park is that it looks totally different during different times of the year! View my post from May of 2017 to see what I mean.

Millions of years ago, The Badlands was covered by water, which slowly changed over time. So now it is one of the world's richest fossil beds. When you are driving through, make sure to take time to walk through the museum at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. There is a wealth of information in that little museum and it really puts into perspective what has been here throughout all those millions of years. 

In May, we hiked some of the trails, and it was a totally different experience than driving through the scenic highway. If you have time, spend an hour hiking one of the trails. It is SO worth it!

Lastly, make sure to bring WATER if you are there in the summer. It is so very hot and can be really miserable if you are walking around. BUT if you wear protective sun gear and have plenty of water, you will be able to enjoy the gorgeous views of this stunning national park!

Badlands National Park
Interior, SD
Phone: 605-433-5361

​Blog post written by Amy Karras
​www.unnamedadventures.com