Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [29]
If You Have Only 1 Day
It's relatively easy to explore the highlights of the North Unit of Badlands National Park in a day or less. (Most visitors spend an average of 3–5 hr.) A few miles south of the park's northeast entrance, the closest entrance to I-90, is the park headquarters. It's open year-round and includes the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, Cedar Pass Lodge, and a campground, amphitheater, and dump station. After you stop at the visitor center exhibits, bookstore, and information desk, then watch an orientation video (which we recommend), it's time to hit the trail.
The visitor center is within 5 miles of several trailheads, scenic overlooks, and three self-guided nature trails. Each of the seven trails in the area offers an opportunity to view some of the formations for which the Badlands is famous. The Fossil Exhibit Trail is wheelchair accessible. The Cliff Shelf Nature Trail and the Door Trail are moderately strenuous and provide impressive glimpses of Badlands formations. But none is longer than 1 mile, and you can hike any one of them comfortably in less than an hour. (See "Day Hikes," below.)
Leading directly from the visitor center is the 30-mile Badlands Loop Road, the park's most popular scenic drive. Angling northwest toward the town of Wall, it passes numerous overlooks and trailheads, each of which commands inspiring views of the Badlands and the prairies of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Binoculars will increase your chances of spotting bison, pronghorns, bighorn sheep, and coyote.
The paved portion of the Loop Road ends at the turnoff for the Pinnacles Entrance. Beyond this point the road becomes the Sage Creek Rim Road, a 30-mile gravel road, at the end of which is the Sage Creek Campground. Five miles west of the end of the pavement, a visit to the Roberts Prairie Dog Town gives you a chance to watch black-tailed prairie dogs "barking" their warnings and protecting their "town."
If You Have More Time
Those staying overnight have more opportunities to explore the park at a leisurely pace, taking advantage of some of the other trails, such as the Castle Trail, which connects the Fossil Exhibit Trail and Window Fossil Exhibit Trail, and Notch Trail. You could also take in some of the park's summer evening ranger programs.
Organized Tours & Ranger Programs
In addition to these suggestions, look at "Other Sports & Activities," below.
Motor Coach Tours. A number of charter bus park tours and "step-on" guide services operate throughout the area. Gray Line of the Black Hills, P.O. Box 1106, Rapid City, SD 57709 (☎ 800/456-4461 or 605/342-4461; www.blackhills grayline.com), offers bus tours of the area; prices run $35 to $79. Foreman Charter (☎ 800/678-6543), a new company in Sioux Falls, SD, also offers tours.
Ranger Programs. A limited schedule of naturalist-led walks and programs generally begins in mid-June, and offerings become more frequent as visitation increases. Check the activities board at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center or campground bulletin boards for times, locations, and other details. Activities vary each year, but often include the following:
Evolving Prairie Walk. Generally conducted in the early evening, this 60-minute, 1-mile stroll introduces visitors to the paleontology, prairie, and people of the Badlands. Participants meet at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.
Fossil Talk. Generally slated for midmorning and late afternoon, this program allows participants to join a naturalist for a 20-minute discussion of the geological history and fossil resources of the White River Badlands. It's wheelchair accessible and meets at the Fossil Exhibit Trail.
Evening Program. Beginning at 9pm, these 45-minute amphitheater programs cover topics such as paleontology, geology, the prairie, and the area's human history. The program is wheelchair accessible and meets at the Cedar Pass Campground amphitheater.
Day Hikes
Numerous hiking trails provide a closer look at the Badlands for those adventurous enough to leave the comfortable confines