Badlands National Park, SD

June 25
We all woke up early, still on VA time I suppose. It was cloudy and in the mid 60s.We drove the short distance and hiked the 1.5 mi round trip Notch Trail which includes a short climb up some log ladder rungs and a walk along a ledge. The notch at the end of the trail gives you a wide view of the White River Valley below. The various layers of rock are evident. The most interesting is the Bentonite “popcorn” layer which looks like, well, popcorn or cauliflower. It is exposed everywhere and can absorb huge amounts of water, swelling up to 20 times its size. Other layers have prehistoric fossils from the Oligocene, a geologic epoch that lasted from 23 to 35 million years ago. A shale layer is rich in marine fossils as 75 million years ago this area was a shallow inland sea
The 0.25 mi boardwalk Window Trail leads you to a view through a natural “window” in the Badlands Wall of some of the intricately eroded canyons.
The 0.75 mi Door Trail starts on a short boardwalk and leads you to the “Door” through the Badlands Wall. The view is of a very rugged, wildly eroded section of the Badlands that looks like another planet. Although the brochure cautioned against leaving the trail as some people lose their bearings and get lost in the twisty canyons, we went beyond the maintained trail, always preferring the solitude and being away from other people. We climbed down into one of the many canyons, meandered through the rock formations and continued out across a plain within the buttes. There was evidence of lots of recent rainfall as the washes and little rivulets still had occasional puddles of muddy water or wet mud. Of course Ethan enjoyed making mud balls and flinging them against the rocks. Some tough prairie grasses and cacti were flourishing in this little, damp plain. We were always on the lookout for rattlesnakes given the warning signs at the trail heads. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any. Liam did spy two small squirrel or kangaroo rat kind of rodents scurrying on the rocks.
On our way back to the campground we took the 0.5 mi Cliff Shelf Nature Trail which winds through a juniper forest perched on the slopes of the Badlands Wall. The forest is like an oasis in the usually parched Badlands. The loop trail follows boardwalks and climbs some stairs. The views are once again of the White River Valley below. After lunch we convinced the boys to do another quick hike although it was now sunny and 88 degrees. Thankfully there is always a breeze. We walked the short Fossil Exhibit Trail which is entirely on a boardwalk. In several clear domes along the way examples of prehistoric fossils are displayed. Next we hiked a short piece of the Castle Trail (normally 5 miles one way). As usual we ventured off the marked trail to explore. Again we found nothing but rocks, mud, some prairie grasses and some pretty wildflowers which grew in evidently more hospitable areas.

Here are the pictures.