Badlands National Park Travel Guide
- Overview
- Sights
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Shopping
- Activities
- Travel Tips
- Features
- Fodor's Choice
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So stark and forbidding are the chiseled spires, ragged ridgelines, and deep ravines of South Dakota's badlands that Lieutenant Colonel George Custer once described them as "hell with the fires burned out." Although a bit more accessible than the depths of the underworld, the landscape is easily the strangest in the Great Plains. Ruthlessly ravaged over the ages by wind and rain, the 380 square mi of wild terrain continue to erode and evolve, sometimes visibly changing shape in a few days. Prairie creatures thrive on the untamed territory, and animal fossils are in abundance.
Badlands National Park Hotels
Badlands National Park is oft visited by families on a vacation to see the American West, but very few opt to stay overnight here, especially when there's...read more
Badlands National Park Restaurants
Dining on the prairies of South Dakota has always been a casual and family-oriented experience, and in that sense, very little has changed in the past century...read more
Things To Do in Badlands National Park
Explore the best sights, entertainment, and shopping with our top choices and insider tips.
Travel Deals in Badlands National Park
- $161* & up -- U.S. Flight Sale (R/T incl. Tax) CheapOair.com
- $79-$104 -- Orlando: Resort near Universal w/Waterpark BookIt.com
- $249 -- Beachfront 4-Star Maui Resort w/$25 Daily Credit Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa
- $339 -- Orlando: 3-Nt. Disney World Getaway from New York BookIt.com
Badlands National Park Experiences
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Fossils: From the mid-1800s, the fossil-rich Badlands area has welcomed paleontologists, research institutions, and fossil hunters who have discovered... Read more
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Much of the credit for setting aside South Dakota's badlands as public lands is owed to Peter Norbeck, a powerful politician who was also largely... Read more
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The park's sharply defined cliffs, canyons, and mesas are near-deserts with little plant growth. Most of the park, however, is made up of mixed-grass... Read more
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In late December 1890 the men of the 7th Cavalry, armed with a federal mandate (and some light artillery), intercepted a group of 350 Lakota... Read more
Travel Blog
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Life-Changing Trips, Trip Ideas & Itineraries
We recently asked you, dear readers, about your most unforgettable travel experiences. ... Read more
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Trip Ideas & Itineraries
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Best of the Best, Trip Ideas & Itineraries
Philly's long-awaited Barnes Foundation has swung open its doors to reveal a weird and wonderful collectio... Read more
· Forums Trip Reports
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A beautiful scenic drive through Custer State Park and The Black Hills. Read more
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Seeing the Black Hills on the wings of a whirly bird. Read more
·Colorado Forum, Montana Forum, South Dakota Forum, Washington Forum, Wyoming Forum
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I am a amateur landscape photographer who after going to Alaska am meeting my wife in Seattle for the drive to MSP. Read more
