Badlands National Park

Revered as one of the most stunning landscapes in South Dakota, Badlands National Park is home to vast prairies and unique rock formations. The park receives over a million visitors each year, to gaze at this natural wonder of North America. There are several scenic trails and driving loops to traverse the land, as well as two campgrounds and a lodge for those wishing to stay overnight. Visitors can even visit the fossil laboratory to see the continuing work and impact of paleontology, of the great prehistoric beasts that once roamed the land. For those staying or visiting during the evening, the park has one of the best views of the night sky in all of South Dakota.

The Stronghold District, also known as the South Unit, of Badlands National Park is comprised of lands on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation owned by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and managed by the National Park Service under an agreement with the Tribe. Pine Ridge Reservation is home to many communities including the Oglala, Kyle, Manderson, Porcupine, Wanblee, and Long Valley. The reservation itself is the 8th largest in the country, as it covers 11,000 square miles (2.2 million acres). The first recorded notice of the Oglala Nation from Lewis and Clark, who in 1806 found them living above the Brule Sioux on Missouri river, between Cheyenne and Bad rivers, in present South Dakota.

Don’t miss Badlands National Park or the Pine Ridge Reservation, skip this natural beauty during your trip to South Dakota.