Badlands National Park

Located 75 miles east of Rapid City, South Dakota the Badlands National Park was established on January 25, 1939 as a National Monument. It was redesignated as Badlands National Park on November 10, 1978. The park spans 379.3 square miles, covering 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and mixed prairie grasses.

Cedar Pass Campground-Electric only

The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is located 1/2 mile from the campground and is an excellent source for information about exploring the park including hiking trails and scenic drives.

How did the Badlands get there and why do they look the way they are?

The formations in Badlands National Park are the end-product of two simple processes: deposition and erosion. Deposition is the process of rocks gradually building up. The Badlands rock layers were slowly stacked on top of each other over millions of years. The rocks were deposited by a number of natural forces ranging from shallow inland seas, rivers, and wind. Deposition began 75 million years ago with the base and ended about 28 million years ago with the uppermost formations.

Erosion on the other hand is the process of rocks gradually being worn down. The Badlands began eroding about 500,000 years ago as the Cheyenne and White Rivers carved their way through the landscape. The Badlands erode at a rate of one inch per year

There are a number of different types of rocks found in the Badlands. The formations contain sandstone, siltstones, mudstone, claystone, limestone, volcanic ash, and shale.

Prairie Dogs come with the territory

There are a number of trails one can hike, it all depends on the length and difficulty level. The Notch Trail is considered a moderate to strenuous 2km round trip hike. The trail leads through a canyon then a climb up a rope ladder, then follows a narrow ledge, and finally the reward is a "Notch" with a dramatic view of the White River Valley.

The ladder

The view of White River Valley

After the hike the reward is more beauty on the drive back to the campsite and a much needed lunch.

A trip to Wall Drug in Wall South Dakota is a must when passing through the area, if just to see the jackalope. As the story goes in 1931 Dorothy and Ted Hustead bought the only drugstore in the small town of Wall. Dorothy was responsible for the free ice water idea which soon became a hit. There is also an endless supply of 5 cent coffee...even today.

On the way home from Wall we again took the scenic drive only because everything looks different in reverse. How appropriate that a bison would pose for us by the welcome sign. The bikers in the background were generally afraid to pass by this huge male bison and rightfully so. They waited until he crossed the road. Smart people.

We were treated to more beautiful scenery 

Another hike is the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail, a 1.38 km round trip hike that loops around juniper trees perched along the Badlands. This hike is considered moderate on the difficulty level with a boardwalk, stairs, and a path that climbs 200 feet.

The end has come to a wonderful 5 day adventure in the Badlands National Park. 

Left Tailrace COE South Dakota

Left Tailrace Campground, our next stop, is a US Army Corps of Engineers park located on the shore of the Missouri River just below Big Bend Dam near the town of Fort Thompson SD. Upstream is Lake Sharpe a very popular recreation area which was made possible by the creation of Big Bend Dam in 1966.

The campground has a total of 81 electrical sites and 12 dry tent campsites. There are water fill areas and a dump station nearby. The comfort stations have the best showers that I have encountered in a campground. This campground caters very much to the fishing person.

Big Bend Dam

Two Bridges that span the Missouri River in the town of Chamberlain

Dignity of Earth and Sky is a sculpture on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River near the town of Chamberlain, South Dakota. The 15.24 meter or 50 foot high stainless steel statue was designed to honor the cultures of the Lakota and Dakota people.

 

Dignity wears a garment patterned after a traditional two-hide dress of the 1850s. The statue’s most striking features is her outstretched star quilt — a symbol of respect, honor and admiration in Native American culture. The quilt’s 128 stainless steel diamonds feature color-changing pieces that glitter in the sun and move with the wind, creating a rippling effect. At night, LED lights cause the diamonds to illuminate the dark sky, casting a peaceful glow that’s easily visible from the interstate. The statue is easily accessible at the rest stop on 1-90 in Chamberlain SD.

Dignity: Earth and Sky

Pipestone National Monument - Pipestone Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument is home of the historic pipestone quarries and tallgrass prairies. For over 3,000 years, Indigenous people have quarried the red stone at this site to make pipes used in prayer and ceremony - a tradition that continues to this day and makes this site sacred to many people. Many believe  the pipe's smoke carries one's prayer to the Great Spirit.

Pipestone National Monument was established in August 1937 and is located in southwestern Minnesota. The monument encompasses 301 acres or 1.2 square kilometers. Pipestone NM protects the right of any Native American enrolled in a federally recognized Tribe to quarry the soft red stone also called pipestone. 

Along the entrance road to the park are large granite boulders known as the Three Maidens. These rocks were carrier here from further north by a glacier and left behind when the ice melted. They are called erratics. These boulders are considered sacred by Native Indians.

The visitor center is always a great place to start a tour,  Pipestone National Monument is no different. The amazing 22 minute film explained the cultural significance of this land.

Within the visitors center are great displays of petroglyphs and pipestone pipes.

The Circle Trail is a 3/4-mile long paved path. It cuts through a Tallgrass Prairie, follows a creek, meanders past a waterfall, and finally traverses ancient quarries still used by Native Americans today. The first stop is the exhibit quarry where the layers of Sioux Quartzite and a layer of exposed pipestone are visible.

Tailings from quarries past

Below is "The Oracle" a profile of a face in the rocks surrounded by cottonwood trees. The story told is of quarriers leaving offerings in exchange for wisdom. It remains a sacred site today. 

A crevasse filled with rock

Winnewissa Falls

In downtown Pipestone the worlds largest pipestone pipe is on display at the historical center.