Address
25216 Ben Reifel Road
Interior, SD 57750
United States
Customer Service
Phone: 605-433-5361
Email: nil
______
About Badlands National Park
Located in South Dakota, Badlands National Park is popular for natural fossil remains in large numbers, with a distinct mountainous rugged landscape. The Badlands National Park, established in 1978, was originally a shallow sea, which left behind sediment deposits, shaped like mountainous terrains. Visited by over 1 million people, the fossil deposits of sedimentary rocks, sprawls over an area of 244,000 acres, and said to have formed as deposits over 75 million years ago.
The sediment deposits have layers of red, brown, and white stripes, and each stripe is a different sediment deposit, left behind by sea erosion, and Cheyenne Rivers, resulting in rugged cliff facades, and spires. The natural process of soil erosion is still at work, as the cliffy terrain continue to transform, shift, and shape, thus attracting visitors to see this geological wonder of nature. Besides rocky cliffs, visitors can witness mixed-grass prairie lands, the country largest Greenland’s at the Badlands National Park.
Badlands animal fossils include the 3-toed horses, marine species, Eocene & Oligocene pre-historic mammals, and the rhinoceros. These fossil deposits are on display at the park’s natural trail exhibits, and educate visitors about the formation and excavation of these fossils. Badlands National Park is also home to the endangered Black-footed ferret mammal, and stands designated as a wilderness area in Dakota. The park, had formerly been a hunting ground for Native Americans, and continues to be home for their descendants.
Open 24 hours a day, visitors can spend around 2 days to explore the cliffy terrains, prairie grasslands and the fossil trail exhibits. For a half-day field trip, visitors can take the park rangers highlights tour, best explored at sunrise and sunset. Wild animals spotting, hiking and camping, is a major highlight of Badlands, at the Sage Wilderness Creek, and in the Northern end of the park.
The best time of the year to visit Badlands National Park, is the summer season, although fall and spring is less crowded, and offer good views of the cliffs. Entrance fee to Badlands National Park, cost 25$ for 7 day pass (private vehicle), and 15$ for 15 day pass (motorcycle), and 12$ for adults (hiking, cyclists, and individual vehicles). The entrance fee does not include access for camping grounds, at Badlands Park, and the two camping grounds, the Sage Creek and the Cedar Pass, are open to visitors, at additional cost, for a 14-day pass. For complaints or queries on tickets, camping, parking, photography, or others, reach the Badlands National Park support.
