Lessons Learned in Badlands National Park

Now, before you assume this will be all about hiking and outdoor activities, I want to assure you that is not 100% of our style. 😉

After leaving Nebraska, we headed for Badlands National Park, since it was on our way towards Yellowstone technically. It wasn’t even on my radar until I sat down to map out our trip little by little and I saw it on our “roadtrippers” map. Once our trip got closer, I started researching what to do there, and I was so excited by all the photos online. But – I found the NPS website super dry and unhelpful in understanding the trails deeply enough to know if they were appropriate for our experience levels, etc. With all this in mind, I will be sharing our tips and tricks for navigating and prepping for a trip to the Badlands and also our top 3 “musts”.

“Whatever your feelings about the Badlands, you will not come away unaffected. Stay awhile if you can, and let the Badlands reveal themselves to you.”.

TOP TIPS AND TRICKS:

1. Hit a local grocery store before embarking towards the Badlands. (Especially if camping for a couple days or a week like we did.) We were lucky enough to find a Super Target (*cue gushing over Starbucks and organic options) before we left Nebraska. There is NOT a grocery store or even a real restaurant in Badlands, the nearest cities of Wall and Philips are upwards of 45 minutes away. 🙂
2. Bring your sunscreen, water, and bug repellent. And bring more than you think you will need. Our first couple days were HOT and SUNNY in the Badlands (Mid-June), but then it cooled off and got cloudy… and the mosquitoes came out to play. When I say these mosquitoes were like tracker jackers… I am not kidding. lol We are a toxin free fam, so we were glad to have stocked up on a natural insect repellent that WORKS + straight up oils (citronella and purification) to keep them away. I added “water” because the tap water here is just not for you if you have been drinking SC mountain water your whole life. 😉 We brought in 3 gallons and a pack of bottled water but ended up heading to Philips (tiny grocery store there) to grab some more later in our stay.
3. Research the trails here before entering the park and be prepared for crowds + the crazy up and downs of the weather here. I’m going to link a super helpful website here that helped me to know what to expect for the trails in our range. I also listened to a great national parks podcast that was engaging and educational about each major trail to help us decide which to do together, solo, or not at all. lol My tip for any larger, more popular national park is to get up and out early. For Badlands, I would say you want to be heading into the park between 7-8am. By 9/10am in June the parking lots will begin filling up. And on the weather note, like I said, it was 90 for 3 days straight, then 70 and cloudy for 3 days straight, ending with a huge thunderstorm and hailstorm on our final night there, resulting in damage to our camper tail lights and our dodge truck/toolbox in the bed of the truck. *sad face lol

With all this being said, let’s move on to the musts of this park and the surrounding area. 🙂

The “Musts” of Badlands:

Enjoy All That the Park Has to Offer.

From the Notch Trail with its ladder in and out, to the scenic drive to Wall Drug, this park has so much to offer, especially if you come from grass and trees everywhere like we do.

The trails in this park are either pretty short (less than 2 miles) or SUPER long (castle trail going 10 miles out into the Badlands grasses). No matter what trail you take, I highly suggest having some solid hiking boots/shoes that have good grip. The entire park is made from eroding rock and dirt. Wet or dry, you want to have good footing on this ground.

There are night star talks in the amphitheater given by the park rangers that we did not get to join in on, but with the stars how they are at night here, I know it would be an amazing experience.

I will also add that there are TONS of scenic overlooks to stop and get your pictures at.

Take Advantage of Options Outside the Park.

While the town of Interior does not have a grocery store, it does boast 2 bars, and a tiny, delicious taco truck called “Katie’s Kantina”. The owner of this food truck has a special way of adding flavor to her tacos and burritos, by adding a little crusty cheese exterior around the taco… trust me. It was special and so yum!

And of course, if you listened to the podcast I linked above, you have heard about Wall Drug. Think Buc-ee’s of the Midwest. lol

Wall Drug is found in the small town of Wall, SD. It is a string of touristy shops, but make sure to stop in for a cake donut! We enjoyed the vanilla iced the best, and Sage loved the splash pad behind the main street area. WALL DRUG IS DOG FRIENDLY (other than the cafe area indoors where people will be eating, understandably). The girls got to go in all the shops – they had a blast!

Give Yourself a Real Chance to Learn Something from the Badlands.

I love reading – I always have. I read ALL the things before and while visiting this park about the park. I finally read the captions on the folded map they give you at the gate upon each entry. People have visited and tried to understand the Badlands for as long as they have been here. Each human has their own experience here, but what I read on the park map said this, “Whatever your feelings about the Badlands, you will not come away unaffected. Stay awhile if you can, and let the Badlands reveal themselves to you.”. I found this to be entirely true. From my fear of climbing up and down the ladder on the Notch Trail, to riding over the hills through the mounds to experience the plethora of yellow flowers, tall grasses, and wildlife, the Badlands taught me most of all to be BRAVE. I have missed out on a lot in life by overthinking or being just entirely afraid of the possibility of getting hurt (emotionally or physically).

While the Badlands taught me to be brave, it will most definitely teach you something that is unique to you and your journey. 20 days into our trip and we are almost to Yellowstone! We are thankful to have made it this far out West to continue to experience sights, sounds, and flavors that grow us as individuals and as a couple. We hope you enjoy our take on Badlands and that you, too, get to take in all that makes it so magical and life changing.

See You in Yellowstone,

Samantha

PS: Find our VLOG post here on Badlands!