Badlands NP, South Dakota

[awolfe]

  I'm going to be taking a very quick 2-3 day trip to the Badlands National Park.  I'm looking for buttes and rock formations.  I'm currently eyeballing the areas in the southeastern part of the park around Interior - should I be looking elsewhere?  Photography will be primarily landscape and details.

Can someone offer me advice on:

Different feels to the different areas of the park.
Good places to camp - I will *not* have 4WD, and also will not be walking in - i.e. somewhere to car camp.
General tips/tricks/concerns.

Thanks!

[wolfnowl]

It's been a decade since I was in the badlands...  on that trip I was driving down a dirt road at night and a car passing the other way through a beer bottle through my driver's window (I think he was aiming for the windshield), but I wouldn't let that reflect on the park as a whole.  The one thing I remember most about the badlands is that I'm used to rock climbing, but the badlands are all clay.  You have to learn respect for them very fast or you can end up going down a slope with no way of getting back up.  As far as locations, I remember the entire park as being starkly beautiful, but in the south end there was a place where there coloured layers in the hills, like horizontal bands.  Don't have a specific location, though.  It's amazing what 50 million years of evolution can do.

Remember to bring lots of water!

Mike.

P.S. Depending on where you're going in the state, Bear Butte (outside of Sturgis, north of Rapid City) is also quite interesting, and there are some great sites in the Black Hills.  There's also Wind Cave National Park...

[image66]

You can also camp in Sage Creek campground where it is free and the bison roam through the sites.

I highly recommend Sheep Mountain Table.

If you contact the White River Visitor Center, you can arrange for access and a guide into the Stronghold and Palmer Creek units. The terrain there is well worth the bother!!!!!

The North Unit, which has the overlook road is quite pretty, in a badlands kind of way, but is also where everybody goes to shoot and you'll just end up with your version of every postcard shot in the book.

[Geoff Wittig]

I'm going to be taking a very quick 2-3 day trip to the Badlands National Park.  I'm looking for buttes and rock formations.  I'm currently eyeballing the areas in the southeastern part of the park around Interior - should I be looking elsewhere?  Photography will be primarily landscape and details.

Can someone offer me advice on:

Different feels to the different areas of the park.
Good places to camp - I will *not* have 4WD, and also will not be walking in - i.e. somewhere to car camp.
General tips/tricks/concerns.

Thanks!

I just love Badlands NP. Gorgeous and unique scenery, and very lightly visited compared to other national parks.

1) Accommodations: I would candidly recommend staying in a motel in Wall, South Dakota. It's only a few miles to the main park road, and camping in the Badlands can be a challenge. Large parts of the Sage Creek wilderness have quite literally no water anywhere, so you have to carry everything in, unless you're staying in the main campground. The bentonite formations that make up most of the park are insanely treacherous if it rains. Any unpaved road can become an impassable quagmire after a few minutes of heavy rain; you can easily find yourself marooned for days.

2) The main park road running from Wall to Interior has plenty of spectacular overlooks, and if you only have two or three days, it's probably the best place to start. Most of the eroded badlands formations will be to your south, and they are spectacular when side-lit at sunrise and sunset. If there are good cloud formations you can get great images any time of day, but if it's clear blue skies then the morning and evening 'windows' are pretty much your whole shooting day. Spend the middle portion of the day scouting for sites worth photographing in the evening or next morning.

3) Sheep Mountain Table, just south of Scenic, has a fabulous vista overlooking an apocalyptic landscape that can really sing in good sunset light; pray for just enough clouds for 'spot-lighting'.

4) Wildlife is absurdly abundant; there are small herds of pronghorn antelope and bison all through the park, so it's worth having a long lens ready on the seat next to you if the light is good and they're close to the road. Prairie rattlesnakes are also around, to the extent that it's wise to look carefully before stepping into high grass. On the other hand, they can be photogenic too.

5) The southern/Palmer Creek portions of the park are more dry grassland/prairie, but there are large 'tables' and some photogenic badlands formations there. This really requires 4WD and knowledge of the dirt roads, probably better if you have a week or more rather than just a couple of days.

6) If you actually try hiking into the badlands, stay on the trail. The eroded formations are so transitory and complex that even a GPS will be almost worthless for finding your way out.

7) The official park guide is here: http://www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm
Lots of information and a very good map highlighting many of the best locations.


Hope that helps.

[John Camp]

Just to reinforce what Geoff said -- the place is fascinating, but can be treacherous, if you go anywhere on foot. (Not that you should be frightened of it, but it's just not like other parks, being essentially deeply eroded clay.) There are a number of campgrounds around Wall, which is the area I'm most familiar with, but an inexpensive motel is almost as cheap. I find the town of Wall itself to be an interesting subject -- a giant tourist trap perched exactly on the edge of the badlands wall, which is a pretty interesting feature of its own. Other possibilities depend on which direction you're coming from, and how you're getting there. A couple hours east of Interior on 94 is the Missouri River crossing at Chamberlain (sp?) which is also pretty dramatic, as is the Missouri River valley north of the highway. (Huge lake impoundments).

[flbrit]

Look up the KOA Badlands. We camp there a lot in our RV and they may have cabins for rent. Much nearer than Wall.

[awolfe]

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Working out a far more detailed itinerary right now.  

A few follow up questions:

Sage Creek Campground - does the access road become impassable in the rain?

Is there anywhere to take a shower on the way to Rapid City?  Even a truck stop?  I think it would be a good idea to shower after a few days before getting on an airplane!

[image66]

Sage Creek Campground - does the access road become impassable in the rain?

It's a regular gravel road.  No worries.

The slimy clay situation (on the extremely rare occasion that it rains more than two minutes) is when you are off the roads or beaten paths. However, Sheep Mountain Table's road is pretty much just a graded clay road.  I did go up there one time when it was a bit wet and my Jeep struggled some with traction when the tire diameter grew by a few inches.

I've camped in Sage Creek Campground two or three times now and it's just fine--unless it rains, or blows.  You are out in the open and on the clay itself.

The first time I camped there, in the middle of the night I had to get out of the tent to relieve myself. I unzipped the door of the tent and a bison was standing right in front of the door and wouldn't budge.  Within 30 feet of the tent the entire local heard had set up shop and there was no way I could "take care of business".

At the east end of the park, where the road breaks through the wall and starts to descend, there is a hiking trail (paved and stepped for the pleasure of regular visitors) which loops up and around the wall. This is actually a very good hike with the camera and will yield some good vistas and shots.  In fact, it offers one of the best evening shots with telephoto-lens views in the entire park.

Oh, and one other thing that comes to mind.  Sage Creek Campground, being on the west end of the park is near a road that will take you to Rapid City. In the miles between the park and Rapid City, the terrain changes and the transition offers excellent photographic opportunities.

[BlasR]

I'm going to be taking a very quick 2-3 day trip to the Badlands National Park.  I'm looking for buttes and rock formations.  I'm currently eyeballing the areas in the southeastern part of the park around Interior - should I be looking elsewhere?  Photography will be primarily landscape and details.

Can someone offer me advice on:

Different feels to the different areas of the park.
Good places to camp - I will *not* have 4WD, and also will not be walking in - i.e. somewhere to car camp.
General tips/tricks/concerns.

Thanks!

You can camp at badland, I was there in may in people was camping there.

I  stay in a hotel for $55.00 dollars  at night in was or is new, better the the one on monument valley

I was looking to camp, but the Rattlesnake scare me.

Good luck

Blas

[Tony B.]

Here is an stitched image of the yellow mounds overlook area.  This was a quick stitch using microsoft ICE with camera jpg's, no adjustments made.

As someone mentioned be aware of rattle snakes.  I went in the spring and luckly it was cold and the snakes were a little slow as I came about 2 feet from stepping on one.

[attachment=16612:_MG_0820_stitch.jpg]

the drive from interior west/north to wall takes about 25 minutes to drive, with no stops.  You could probably spend half a day driving from the northeast entrance to the pinnacles entrance checking the overlooks and everything so you could plan sunset/sunrise areas.

If you get lucky maybe you will get a little rain, it really helps with the colors.

I would recommend hiking some of the trails and not just checking out the overlooks.

The map on the nps site mentioned above does not show all the trails.  There are some trails going east of 240 across from the medicine root trail that have some good overlooks to the south and east.  Another unprocessed jpg ICE stitched image.

[attachment=16613:_MG_0745_stitch.jpg]

When are  you headed in that direction?

Tony

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Most of the eroded badlands formations will be to your south, and they are spectacular when side-lit at sunrise and sunset...

Just wanted to illustrate the above  :

Taken along the route 240, close to Northeast entrance (I believe known as Big Badlands Overlook), at sunset:

[attachment=16614:20060812_IMG_2945.jpg][attachment=16615:20060812_IMG_2964.jpg]
[attachment=16616:20060812_IMG_2952.jpg]

[Geoff Wittig]

Attached are a few stitched panos I took last time I was at Badlands.
The first was taken on a very unusual foggy morning. Fog in the Badlands is pretty surreal, as it fills in all the little canyons and drifts around until the sun comes up and burns it off.
The second is a typical pano of the eroded bentonite formations. The topography really lends itself to panoramic compositions.
The last one is from Sheep Mountain Table. It's really a spectacular place, though the cliff is quite unstable and undermined by large fissures, so getting close to the edge is actually pretty stupid. It's just so danged photogenic, though!

[OwlsEye]

I make an annual pilgrimage to the badlands. I'm a big fan of the prairie landscapes juxtaposed w/ the arid mountains. There are a lot of landscape venues that can be easily reached by vehicle. In the Fall the light is good for longer periods of the day, but the best light is a very narrow shooting window. Be sure to check for sunrise and sunset and get yourself in a good spot... once the sun rises, the landscape bleaches out.

As for places to stay, Sage Creek is fine, but you definitely exposed. The road that runs adjacent to the Sage Creek Campground leads to "Interior SD." Interior is a quirky little "town" of sorts. Just outside of interior is a Bed and Breakfast / Cattle Ranch. This is a great place to stay. I've stayed at this location on two occasions, and have found it to be a great spot to crash after a long day of hiking and photography. The following is a link to the B&B: http://www.bbonline.com/sd/circleview/

regards,
bruce

[Del]

I agree completely on the Circleview Ranch.  I've been there for a photo workshop with Doug Beasley for 5 years straight.  They can give you insight into places to photograph that will really help and they are great people besides.  Hank the ranch guard dog will tag along, and if you want to rough it, you can stay in the old homesteaders cabin by the river.  Amy and Phil Kruse run the place and it is a very unique experience.  Also don't miss Wagon Wheel Bar for a real taste of the west.

Good luck the Badlands can grow on you.

Del

[awolfe]

Tony B - Oct 14th - 17th

Looking for features such as this one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbinns/173935109/

Printing up all my sun and moon tables now.

[Del]

You won't have any trouble finding views like you have shown an example of, as they are right in the main park tourist loup.  I suggest also going to the little almost ghost town of Scenic just west of Interior and south a little to "Sheeps Table" it is off the beaten track, but has amazing views.  You should also plan on having a four-wheel drive if possible.  If it rains the otherwise hard pack gravel roads turn to "Badlands Gumbo" and you will almost certainly get stuck.  Each year at least one vehicle has a mishap on the photo trip I go on.  There are great big fissures also on many of the back roads and travel will be very slow.  You could also look up "Ansel Woodenknife" while you are there, he lives in Interior (population 67) and is easy to find just across the road from the gas station.  If time permits he is an invaluable guide and a great individual.  "Wolfs Table" is another good place to go, and you will find it on the map.

If you go to Scenic, be sure to stop and go into the trading post. If it seems closed, just go around to the side door as the people who own it live there and often don't bother to unlock but will be glad for the business. A friend found a petrified turtle there for $100.00 that sells for thousands other places.  Also the open air jail is interesting.

When going to this area, it is important to have plenty of gas.  It can be hard to find and sometimes they are out of it.  Also water.  Rattlesnakes are plentiful but should be holing up this time of year.  Also take food to snack on if you can't find lunch.  The gas station actually has good food, but can run out.  The Lodge in the park serves meals, which this year were OK, but service is really spotty and I don't know if the dining room will be open now or not.

Wounded Knee is just to the South and a worthwhile trip as well.  Of course Wall Drug is just up on the Interstate as well.  The ultimate tourist destination but has pretty good food and lots of history, kind of a living museum if you look beyond the junk.

Good luck.

[awolfe]

Thanks for all the input - I had a great trip!  A little rain, a little fog, and a little sunshine!

Here are the edited end results:


http://wolfepackarts.com/imgdat/MKC/
http://wolfepackarts.com/imgdat/MK/

or the Mako Sica links from the main page

http://wolfepackarts.com

[wolfnowl]

Some beautiful work there... thanks for sharing them!

Mike.

[Geoff Wittig]

Lovely stuff. I'm feeling the itch to return already after seeing your work.
Really, Badlands is a magical place.