Largely an arid wasteland in the midst of verdant grass prairies, this stark contrast provides a rugged landscape of vivid and sometimes otherworldly beauty.
Days at Park: Sat-Sun, 13-14 Jul 2019
Base Camp: Days Inn - Wall, South Dakota
Expedition Parks: Badlands, Wind Cave, Theodore Roosevelt
Point of Embarkation: Rapid City, South Dakota
Another expedition began by flying into the relatively small airport of Rapid City, an interesting experience in itself. Up until the very last moment I was convinced we were going to land on the grass. Base camp was in the town of Wall, South Dakota, home of the famous drug store complex. I was reminded of this fact by billboards announcing some aspect of the store every 100 yards along the highway. I did make the obligatory visit to try the donuts and walk among the huge amount of souvenir paraphernalia.
Castle and Medicine Root Trails
At the border where the green grassy plains and the shelf of the badlands meet is the Castle Trail. The hike consists of wading through waist-high grasses following a barely discernible dirt path, while at other times the trail devolves into a scramble over a dry moonscape of white dust. At the intersection that leads to Saddle Pass, the Medicine Root Trail loops back through swarms of tiny yellow butterflies and fields of wildflowers, always punctuated by the rocky outcrops of white eroded formations in the distance.
Badlands Loop and Sage Creek Rim
The first stop along the Badlands Loop Road, from the east, is a short but steep climb up to Saddle Pass which affords a stunning panorama of the area which the Lakota named mako sica which literally means "land that is bad". As you continue along the road, there are many overlooks which provide colorful vistas of the mysterious and seemingly painted landscape. At the western end, the Sage Creek Rim Road leads to Roberts Prairie Dog Town where the field is littered with small mounds of excavated dirt with a hole in the center leading to the burrows of these engaging creatures. On the way out of the park I was fortunately held up by a road block caused by a herd of bison which were ambling across the road. They were untroubled and seemed unconcerned by the line of cars waiting for them to pass and the humans were content to wait and watch the slow progression, remarkably all staying within their vehicles (I hanging out the window of mine).
Notch and Door Trails
The following day I was back at the same place from which the Castle Trailhead is located, but this time heading in the opposite direction along a couple of trails more popularly traveled. The Notch Trail includes a climb up the side of a cliff, by way of a ladder with small logs as rungs connected by cable, and ends with a scramble up to the notch overlooking the vast expanse of the plains beyond. I was able to catch sight of a doe followed closely by two fawns picking their way through the trees below the notch. On the way back, upon the cliffs above the trail, a pair of bighorn sheep made an appearance to the delight of all the hikers, myself included.
At the opposite end of the long parking lot from the Notch Trail was the Door Trail which leads completely around the end, and to the other side, of the Badlands Wall. This trail is a raised platform complete with railings all the way to the far side of the wall. Here stairs lead down to the ground where the area is open to wander about. There are some awe-inspiring views of the results of erosion including the formation called The Window, where people who have taken the trail by the same name can be seen standing.
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