Badlands National Park; South Dakota By TKDDad on - Updated Oct 15, 2011
We recently took a family vacation out West.
We stopped at the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. This is a must see. It is conveniently off of Highway 90.
My family really enjoyed this place. The rock formation is incredible. As you are driving up to the park it is amazing how you see prairie land for miles and then all of a sudden you have these incredible rock formations with these beautiful colors. It's like you drove into a different world.
There are many different scenic overlooks you can stop and take pictures, there are plenty of photo ops.
My son and myself enjoyed walking out to the edge of the cliffs, much to my wife's dismay. It was beautiful, away from all the craziness in the World. I enjoyed the peacefulness of it all. My son and I really ourselves.
We decided to go to the Badlands in the very early morning hours. It was worth getting up for. It seemed like we were the only ones in the park. We did not see another car for hours. We arrived at the park around 5:00am. Seeing the sunrise over the rocks was breathtaking. We pulled into a scenic overlook and as we were sitting there a herd of bighorn sheep walked right by us! If you can see the Badlands at sunrise or sunset, it's an amazing site.
There are many hiking trails in the park. You will also see many different animals. We even saw a Rattlesnake in the distance!
There is a decent place to eat right in the Badlands. It is Cedar Pass Lodge, although not a fancy place, it was decent food for a decent price and the place was clean with friendly workers.
We loved this place so much that we ended up driving through the park three different times on our trip.
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Yes, another South Dakota gem! We loved the hiking trails there!
I'm glad that rattlesnake was in the distance! This sounds like an awesome experience. Thanks for the info
Thanks for enjoying one of the quieter of the Parks! I have to chuckle though... you make it sound like somebody built it near the interstate! Glad you had some special moments there with your son.
I have never been to the Badlands area of SD. I would love to visit one day and take in the beauty. Thank you for the great information!
This sounds like a very beautiful place, but I don't know about getting there at 5 am to see the sunrise, I'm not really a morning person, maybe the set, that I could do.You mentioned that this is a park. Is there an admission fee or is it free to go through?
This place is amazing! We traveled through Badlands National Park several years ago. I've never seen anything to compare to the beauty. Like you said, the scenery changes so much, I almost felt like being on the moon! I hope to return someday to capture the splendor once again.
My folks to a trip out west many years ago and they still talk about the Badlands. They said it was the highlight of their trip. It sounds beautiful. Can't wait to get out West and see if for myself. Thanks
I would love to go to the Badlands. I'm a rock hound, I have a thing for all that natural stone! The sunrise sounds spectacular!!
Oh wow....This sounds like a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing the detailed information.
I remember going to the Badlands when I was a kid. I would love to go back, it's beautiful out there!