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Stronghold Unit Review

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All South Dakota National Parks

Stronghold Unit

Address: North and west of White River Visitor Center; entrance off Hwy. 27, Wind Cave National Park, SD

Category: Parks
Location: Wind Cave National Park

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Fodor's Review:

With few paved roads and no campgrounds, the park's southwest section is difficult to access without a four-wheel-drive or high-clearance vehicle. However, if you're willing to trek, the unit's isolation provides a rare opportunity to explore Badlands rock formations and prairies completely undisturbed. From 1942 to 1968 the U.S. Air Force and South Dakota National Guard used much of the Stronghold Unit as a gunnery range. Hundreds of fossils were destroyed by bomber pilots, who frequently targeted the large fossil remains of an elephant-size titanothere (an extinct relative of the rhinoceros), which gleamed bright white from the air. Beware of such remnants as old automobiles-turned-targets, unexploded bombs, shells, rockets, and other hazardous materials. If you see unexploded ordnance (UXO) while hiking in the Stronghold Unit, steer clear of it and find another route—however, note the location so you can report it to a ranger later. All visitors who previously haven't visited the area are requested by park officials to first go to the White River Visitor Center.

This 3-mi-long plateau can be reached only by crossing a narrow land bridge just wide enough to let a wagon pass. It was here, just before the Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890, that some 600 Sioux gathered to perform one of the last known Ghost Dances, a ritual in which the Sioux wore white shirts that they believed would protect them from bullets. Permission from private landowners is required to gain access to the table; contact the White River Visitor Center for details. Within Stronghold Unit.

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