Badlands National Park Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
national park in South Dakota, United States
About Badlands National Park
During the youth of theRocky Mountains, about 60 million years ago, large number of streams carried eroded soil, rock and other materials eastward from the range. These materials were deposited on the vast lowlands which are today called theGreat Plains. Dense vegetation grew in these lowlands, then fell into swamps, and was later buried by new layers of sediments. Millions of years later, this plant material turned into lignite coal. Some of the plant life became petrified, and we can find large amounts of exposed petrified wood in the badlands. While sediments continued to be deposited, more streams cut down through the soft rock layers, carving the variety of mesas, buttes, rock formations, pinnacles, spires and valleys are the features of the badlands seen today. For eleven thousand ye
Top Attractions in Badlands National Park
Explore the best things to see and do in Badlands National Park:
- ★Ben Reifel Visitor Center
- ★Castle Trail.
- ★Cliff Shelf Nature Trail.
- ★Door Trail.
- ★Fossil Exhibit Trail.
- ★Medicine Loop Trail.
- ★Notch Trail.
- ★Saddle Pass Trail.
Where to Eat in Badlands National Park
Must-try local food and restaurants:
- 🍴Cedar Pass Lodge Restaurant
Where to Stay in Badlands National Park
- 🏨Cedar Pass Campground
- 🏨Cedar Pass Lodge
- 🏨Sage Creek Campground
Badlands National Park Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 12 sections including: