November 4, 2011 8:55 am
If we found the scenery of Theodore Roosevelt National Park stunning, and we did, it was just a warm-up for what we encountered in South Dakota’s Badlands.
Both parks exhibit miles of twisting canyons dimpled with colorfully striated buttes; but whereas Teddy Roosevelt is mostly rounded and weathered, the Badlands remains sharp, jagged . . .
and serrated.
Other areas are so forbidding they might be mistaken for lunar landscapes.
And still others are so colorful they hardly seem real, like the park’s aptly named “Yellow Mounds.”
“Surreal” is the only way to describe the feeling of walking out on a narrow peninsula at Burn’s Basin Overlook. The ground falls away on three sides, completely out of visual range. You get the sense of floating over this amazing vista. Shannon and I both felt the same way, and we both agree that it ranks among one of our favorite travel experiences.
Built up over epochs through layers of different sediment and now revealed and carved by erosion, the Badlands continue to change. The park’s buttes erode at a rate of about one inch per year. So fast that in another 500,000 year’s time the Badlands will likely completely disappear.
Far below a small stream carves a winding path leaving fantastic canyons in its wake.
Fortunately, that is more than enough time for lucky travelers to explore these amazing lands. But why wait?
Posted by Brian
Categories: South Dakota, Travel, United States
Tags: Badlands, National Park, Nature, Photo, Photography, Photos, Travel
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Fascinating!
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By Kristina on November 4, 2011 at 9:37 am
And like my experience at Bryce, if you hike down into the land formations, you get to see even more!
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By customtripplanning on November 4, 2011 at 9:41 am
So true. We did a fair amount of hiking. Truly awesome place.
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By Brian on November 4, 2011 at 10:16 am
Just beautiful!! The Dakotas are 2 states we have not yet visited. In the past my wife and I have often discussed doing exactly what you guys are doing. Hmmmmm I may have to bring it up again!
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By dhphotosite on November 4, 2011 at 10:00 am
Wonderful! Inspiring others to get out on the road is a big reason we’re writing this blog. Glad to see we’re having an impact.
Happy travels,
Brian
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By Brian on November 4, 2011 at 10:15 am
I have just found your blog and think it’s great, so interesting! I haven’t travelled much myself and love reading about other peoples travels.
Looking forward to reading future posts.
Maria
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By mariawriter on November 4, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Amazing! 🙂
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By Inge on November 4, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Awesome photos. Quick question: if you could have drastically reduced your hours and time at work (say, you work 10 months, rarely more than 40 hours a week) would you be a part-time traveler? Or would that just leave you wanting more? We are lucky enough to fit in that first category.
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By hennacornoelidays on November 4, 2011 at 9:41 pm
That is a good question. I definitely think I would have stuck around longer if I could have cut my hours significantly. My main complaint with my prior career is that it demanded everything. Everything was too much, so it had to go.
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By Brian on November 4, 2011 at 11:10 pm
This I why I like America so much … You have National Parks everywhere, and one is more stunning than the other. Great pictures!
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By thesweetkitten on November 5, 2011 at 10:38 am
They are wonderful, varied, and abundant. We’re doing our best to hit most of them. We’ve yet to be disappointed.
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By Brian on November 5, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Awesome shots!
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By singularjoy on November 5, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Thank you!
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By Brian on November 5, 2011 at 1:48 pm
I have always wanted to see the Badlands. Thanks for sharing your photos. It gives me inspiration to plan a trip.
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By f-stop mama on November 6, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Awesome! That’s why we’re doing this. Glad to see it is having the intended effect. 🙂
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By Brian on November 6, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I’ve never had much desire to visit the Dakotas but after looking at these pics I’m going to reconsider. I feel like a fat kid looking at chocolate cake!
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By shane on November 6, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Incredible photos – reminded me of the Painted Desert National Park whic I was very lucky to visit some years ago – you certainly do spectacular land formations in the States!
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By Julie Mundy on November 7, 2011 at 5:58 am
I just discovered you blog. Looking forward to reading more. The Badlands are one of my husband’s and my favorite places to visit. We go there every time we are in SD which is our favorite state to visit.
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By Cheryl on November 10, 2011 at 10:56 am
We’re glad you found us. Thanks for stopping by!
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By Brian on November 10, 2011 at 11:07 am
The Badlands and the Black Hills are my favorite places to visit in the US. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
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By Cheryl on November 10, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Absolutely love it –
its amazing and mind stopping!
Thanks for sharing the photos.
http://www.pierotucci.wordpress.com
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By Pierotucci on November 11, 2011 at 4:07 am
[…] Badlands, South Dakota […]
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By Best of the Blog: 10 Favorite Travel Photos | Everywhere Once on December 29, 2011 at 8:34 am
[…] Badlands, SD […]
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By 8 Favorite Destinations, Year 2 | Everywhere Once on April 30, 2012 at 7:47 am
[…] badlands (not to mention a solar eclipse ordered up just for our visit). While not as large as Badlands National Park in South Dakota, we found incredible diversity in this bite-sized park. Our favorite area is […]
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By Petrified Forest National Park | Everywhere Once on July 6, 2012 at 7:34 am
I live in the heart of the Black Hills and if you like the outdoors at all, it is a must-visit! God’s hand was busy at work in this area and there is so much natural beauty as well as some really great man-made monuments such as Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial!
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By cyberchica702 on September 5, 2012 at 3:35 pm
[…] off Key West; discovered things we never knew existed; climbed the Rocky Mountains; survived the Badlands; drove the Pacific Coast Highway; and made some 241 other stops along the way. Last week, our motor […]
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By RV No More – The End of an Era | Everywhere Once on January 27, 2014 at 8:31 am
I can’t wait to visit the park next week!
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By Tracy Nguyen on May 13, 2015 at 9:51 am