The Badlands are a part of the largest undisturbed mixed prairie range land remaining in the US. Within the park's 244,000 acres is the Badlands Wilderness, 64,000 acres of pristine national wilderness.
The park was established as a national monument in 1939 and re-designated as Badlands National park in 1978 and hosts approximately 1 million visitors each year. It is considered one of the world's richest mammal fossil bed. Fifty percent of the park is co-managed with the Oglala Lakota Nation, the 8th largest American Indian Reservation in the United States.
Approaching the Badlands Wall.
Geological formations.
As seen from one of the many trails. They allow you to walk up to and even climb on the formations.
No wonder they are eroding so fast!
One of the amazing sights as you look at the buttes is how the Badlands were deposited in layers. Of the 6 layers the oldest formation exposed is the Pierre Shale - the black layer at the bottom, created by sediment filtering through the seawater forming a black mud on the sea floor that has since hardened into shale.
When the sea drained away it exposed the black ocean mud to air creating the Yellow Mounds.
The greyish Chadron Formation was deposited
over 34 million years ago as the river flood plain replaced the sea.
The Brule Formation deposited over 30 million years ago
is the tannish brown deposit. The red layers are fossil soil.
The two top layers are Rocky Ash, a thick layer of volcanic ash deposit and Sharps Formation is the top lighter color deposited by wind and water as the climate continues to dry and cool.
Some of our favorite stops during our last 2+ years of traveling have been the Grand Canyon, Bryce NP, Zion NP and the Arches. And although the Badlands are on a much smaller scale they are still an awesome sight.
We saw some wildlife along this drive.
Cute little prairie dog.
Bison, although from a distance.
And an "exotic" long horn steer, that was able to escape the fence
and was eating along the side of the road.
Hope all is well!
