Today we began a two day tour of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The Badlands park is unusual because it is a joint effort between the United States and the Ogala Lakota Nation. We started our tour of the Badlands in the Ogala Lakota portion of the park. Our drive to Red Shirt Table Overlook was mostly on gravel and dirt roads. You can see that it was very open territory and varying qualities of roads.
Red Shirt Table Overlook was amazing. The description of Red Shirt Table Overlook was a third class pull off overlook with minimal parking but world class views. It was the perfect description.
Our next drive was to Cedar Butte. This drive was on paved roads. We saw some horses on our drive. They had no tack visible, but they did not appear to be wild horses. We learned very quickly that the scenery in the Badlands is incredible. Here are three totally different vistas from our drive to Cedar Butte.
At Cedar Butte we saw gorgeous views in every direction. We also saw great flowers in the grassy areas around the parking area.
Our last stop at the Ogala Lakota portion of the Badlands was at the White River Visitor Center. This visitor center is staffed by the Lakota tribe. It was interesting to get a different view of history and land from the tribe members there. They had pictures of their leaders from the last several decades. June 25th is Victory Day for the Great Sioux Nation. That is the date of their victory at the Battle of Greasy Grass. Americans usually refer to it as the the Battle of Little Bighorn.
We also learned that Badlands National Park has an unusual rule about hiking. Most National Parks restrict your journeys to trails and specific locations. Not so here. They have open hiking. They ask that you respect the land, leave no trace, and take only photos back with you. There is also a warning that you better know what you are doing out there because it can be dangerous.
Our drive to Sheep Mountain Overlook took us through a more mountainous part of the park. We saw some tall mountains, some buttes, and some dry creek beds. We were traveling on very nice paved roads.
That changed quickly to gravel roads at the turn towards Sheep Mountain Table.
The grass was lush. The flowers grew right up to the side of the road.
After about seven miles of gravel road, we reached the first overlook. The vistas were spectacular. We spent quite some time just taking in the scenery.
Past the first overlook, the road changed from gravel to a dirt road of deep ruts and puddles through the grassy plain. The sign said high clearance vehicles were required in order to continue. Even though we have a high clearance vehicle, after trying a few hundred feet, we decided the gravel road was the better choice. We headed back toward the main paved road.
On the way to Sage Creek Basin Overlook, the paved road reverted to gravel. Traveling on gravel roads made the experience seem more like the west. Seeing buttes and prairie dogs just added to the western feel of the day.
One more look out into the distance from an overlook completed the sensation of the west, but also of understanding the past a little better.
We got back into the car to head to Robert’s Prairie Dog Town. The name sounds very touristy. It is not that kind of place. We got to see even more broad, magnificent panoramas. As we approached the prairie dog town, we had to slow for a buffalo crossing. We were looking forward to walking among the prairie dogs in this open area.
It did not take long to find a prairie dog. We were ready to get some good pictures. When we turned around, we saw we had a much larger friend to photograph. He seemed to have a prior claim on the place we were looking to walk, so we cut short our planned prairie dog town visit in deference to our large friend and the others that were following him.
We came to understand that the bison are big enough and bold enough that they really do rule the area. Whether out in the grassy area or up near the road, they travel where they want when they want. Perhaps a simple cactus can change their route since the cactus seems to survive in spite of the bison.
The Badlands Wilderness Overlook has the perfect name to capture the day. We had not seen much water here. We now know that the green we are seeing is unusually bright because of recent heavy rains. It is more often a softer green with lots of brown. All of these things make this a true wilderness. Our cars and roads are simply intrusions into that wilderness.
Our last stop in the Badlands for today was one of the best. The park seems to go out to forever. The color variety, the plants, and the sky all shout out how great the creation around us is. It is humbling to see how large and wild things really are.
Just in case we were going to forget our lesson for the day, a large herd of bison had gathered near the gate to the park. For those leaving, it is a reminder of what we have seen. For those entering, it is a statement about how big things are around us and how we need to understand and respect all that is around us.
Just about nine miles away, we found a part of what we call civilization. It was Wall Drug Store. The epitome of a tourist trap. Despite the reputation of such places, we enjoyed a chance to see a store that has come to define a town. If you believe their origin story, we owe all of this commercialization to the idea of giving free ice to customers in the hot dusty days of the dust bowl in the 1930s.
Here is a parable of the extremes of our lives, all out commercial success right next door to the survival tests of the Badlands. The Ogala Lakota Nation and the United States sharing some common land but with very different cultures and views of history. It is something to consider about how we live together in this world!