Badlands National Park PO Box 6 Interior, SD 57750 (605) 433-5361

For centuries humans have viewed South Dakota's celebrated Badlands with a mix of dread and fascination. The Lakota knew the place as "mako sica". Early French trappers called the area "les mauvaises terres a traverser". Both mean "bad lands." Paleontologist Thaddeus Culbertson has another reaction, "Fancy yourself on the hottest day in summer in the hottest spot of such a place without water - without an animal and scarce an insect astir - without a single flower to speak pleasant things to you and you will have some idea of the utter loneliness of the Bad Lands."

Established as Badlands National Monument in 1939, the area was redesignated "National Park" in 1978. The park consists of nearly 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. Travelers come to the Badlands for many reasons. Some are lured by the park's magnificent rock formations, others come to camp, photograph wildlife, or search for birds or flowers. More than a few are professional or amateur paleontologists who come to study the fossil remains of Badlands' ancient life.

The North Unit, which is the best known and most easily explored, includes the 64,000 acre Sage Creek Wilderness Area, a loop road with numerous scenic overlooks and trailheads, and Cedar Pass, where you'll find the Ben Reifel Visitor Center and the Cedar Pass Lodge. When you drive the Badlands Loop Road, you will find scenic overlooks and signs explaining some of what you see. Weather in the park can be severe and can go from one extreme to another in a short period of time. Prairie rattlesnakes, spiders and stinging insects are also found within the park, and proper care should be taken to avoid an unpleasant encounter like my wife and I did one morning hiking a trail.

We were hiking along a trail when we heard a prairie rattlesnake under the boardwalk we were walking on. Later on the same trail, we came around a bend in and there was another one just off the trail. Sandy was ahead of me and she was within 6 feet of it before she saw/heard it. She backed off slowly to gain some distance. I looked around for a stick or rock to throw at it to get it to move but none were close. So I tried kicking some of the gravel on the trail to get it to move. It didn't budge so we went back the way we came. On the way back, I recalled the snake under the boardwalk that we would encounter again. When we got to the boardwalk, we heard that now familiar sound of the rattlesnake's tail.

An array of extinct animals, ranging from very enormous to very small, once ranged through the area now included in Badlands National Park. Some lived in the subtropical forests that flourished after the retreat of the shallow inland seas, while others inhabited the savannahs and grasslands that came in the years afterward. Some of these creatures, whose fossils have been found in the Badlands, based on the best scientific knowledge from the geologic epoch known as the Oligocene, that lasted from 23 to 35 million years ago.

There are a number of things to do while enjoying Badlands National park. These activities include but are not limited to biking, camping, hiking, horseback riding, photography and wildlife watching. The 30 mile round trip paved road in the park travels through spectacular scenery and leads to major park features. The 30 mile Loop Drive is accessed from Interstate 90, and it is a two lane, paved surface. The 30 mile Sage Creek Road is gravel. The basic road tour with stops at overlooks requires several hours to a half day. Allow more time if you plan to hike or otherwise experience the park. You can also take the ten mile round trip drive to Roberts Prairie Dog Town via an unpaved road.

CAMPING: There are two campgrounds in Badlands National Park, Cedar Pass and Sage Creek Primitive Campgrounds. Both these campgrounds are open year round. Cedar Pass is first come first serve, but will take reservations for group camping. Saga Creek is a primitive camping area and is first come first serve. Call or write for backcountry camping information.

LODGING: The Lodge offers 23 rustic cabins for rent during their normal spring to fall season of mid- Apr to mid-Oct. Cedar Pass Lodge also has a restaurant that is open during the same time frame. You can contact the lodge via mail at:

Cedar Pass Lodge
1 Cedar Street
Interior, SD 57750

Other local lodging includes: Badlands Ranch RV Resort and Bed and Breakfast, Cedar Pass Lodge, and the Badlands KOA where my wife and I stayed on our visit to the Badlands.

WEATHER Weather Averages

Month	High - °F	Low - °F	Precip (in)
Jan	34	11	0.29
Feb	40	16	0.48
Mar	48	24	0.90
Apr	62	36	1.83
May	72	46	2.75
Jun	83	56	3.12
Jul	92	62	1.94
Aug	91	61	1.45
Sep	81	51	1.23
Oct	68	39	0.90
Nov	50	26	0.41
Dec	39	17	0.30

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Last updated July 16, 2000