Badlands National Park - June 2017


Badlands National Park is an absolutely stunning visual experience!  This was our first time there and it was amazing.  Unfortunately, when planning our 22 day adventure, I only allocated about 5 hours here.  We definitely missed out on some great trail hikes but we know to plan for more time on our next visit.  Before entering the park, we toured and had a picnic lunch at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.  We could see the landscape from I-90 but nothing prepared us for the amazing beauty of the park.  Our first stop was at the Big Badlands Overlook -and it's hard to explain using just words!


It was a warm sunny day and the colors and contrast were amazing.  Our next stop was the parking area for multiple trailheads (Door, Castle, Window and Notch).  We did venture out on the Door Trailhead along the boardwalk and immersed ourselves into the rocks.  Amazing!

           

           

We all had a great time climbing and exploring this beautiful landscape.  It was mid-day and was pretty  hot for late June but it was well worth it.


After returning to the parking area, we walked a bit further down to some "windows" in the rock that gave us more thrilling looks as well as nervousness as we sat on the window ledge.

                               

We next stopped at the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail.  Only Anna, Paul, and I were ambitious enough to get back out of the car to take on this short hike - but it was fun and we can say we "hiked" this quick loop!

                               


Next time, we definitely want to do the Notch Trail and Windows Trail but didn't have time today.  Our next stop was the Ben Reifel Visitor's Center.  This was a great place to explore with some awesome exhibits and air conditioning!  We didn't have time to do the Junior Ranger program here but Paul did get his exclusive Badlands Junior Ranger hat thanks to Grandpa Gene!

 

We hopped back on the Badlands Loop Road with additional stops at so many overlooks that perfectly framed the area.  It was truly mesmerizing driving through the park.                                         

                                         











The last two stops on the Loop provided some more amazing sights at Panorama Point, Yellow Mounds Overlook, and Pinnacles Point.  Just amazing!





We also saw lots of wildlife including pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs!





Badlands National Park is a incredible place loaded with beauty and adventure.  I can't wait to return with much more time scheduled to explore more of this amazing landscape.

                               


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Winning New York! Feb 2015

Image
This was a whirlwind trip with lots of thrills!  There's nothing quite like New York City. Prior to this trip, I had been to Manhattan twice before, so I felt comfortable heading there with my two oldest kids in tow.  Anna was 8 and Paul was 6 and we had the time of our lives! It all started when an amazing deal for airfare showed up from Spirit Airlines.  The three of us were able to fly round-trip from Detroit to NYC-LaGuardia for $75/ea!  We had one backpack each as a carry-on but that's all we would need since we would be in NYC for about 44 hours total!  The flight left Detroit at 6:00 am  and we were fortunate to stay with Aunt Katey and Uncle Rich the night before.  The flight was on time and we were on our way! We touched down at LaGuardia at 7:30 am and hopped a cab to our hotel near Times Square.  We were staying at  Staybridge Suites Times Square  and were able to check our luggage for the day.  This hotel was perfect for us - and the receptionist even offe
Read more

Old West Dinner Cook-out Yellowstone National Park - June 2017

Image
Our first night in Yellowstone was one to remember!  We had made reservations long in advanced for the Old West Dinner Cook-out  and we were very excited to take the wagons out into the wilderness.  You could also choose to go there on horseback if you'd like, but we opted to keep the family together since we all hadn't reached the appropriate age and/or height to ride the horses.   The wagon ride, although a little dusty, was a lot of fun.  Each of the kids were able to help "drive" the team across the prairie and the driver pointed out all sorts of wildlife and geological features.  We saw lots of yellow-bellied marmots and bison. The cook-out was nestled in a little grove of trees in a location that seemingly felt in the middle of nowhere.  There were quite a few people attending but we still felt the remoteness of the location.  They had some interactive animal skulls and antlers for the kids to touch and observe.  When it was time for dinner, the li
Read more

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument - June 2017

Image
Day 8 on our 2017 out west vacation was one of our longest days on the trip with over 7 hours of driving but with some amazing memories.  I've broken this day into to two posts.  Our first planned stop that day: The Little Bighorn Battlefield and National Cemetery. BUT....  thanks to reading through my favorite resource - Moon Yellowstone/Grand Teton Guidebook  , I had discovered something that by pure coincidence would be a memory our family would never forget.  The Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer's Last Stand) occurred on June 25th, 1876, and every year on the weekend nearest that date, the Real Bird family hosts the Battle of the Little Bighorn Reenactment .  The cost is very reasonable ($20 per car) and the history and entertainment value is tremendous.  There are bleachers for spectators to sit in and a narrator reads the story of the events leading up to the battle.  Actors posing as Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Two Moons, and General Custer among others bring the bat
Read more