Badlands National Park

[TheVBs]

We're tossing around a variety of vacation destinations and one of them is Badlands National Park. We have 2 girls 5 & 9. Can anyone tell me if this is a good family destination? I would love to hear about others' experiences there, what you loved and what you didn't.

Thanks!

[one2goofy]

I would love to hear what others say too! We are going there this summer with our DD's ages 8 & 10!!

[CleveSJM]

We did two days in BNP on our way to Yellowstone in 2008. It's a great park. Lots to do close by including Wall Drug. Mt. Rushmore is close by as well.

The only lodging in the park are some fairly quaint cabins. Perfect for a family of 4-6. Another great thing about the badlands is they let you hike everywhere. You don't have to stay on paths. Pretty much go whereever you like. Kids love that.

We saw plenty of deer and praire dogs. Lots of rabbits around the cabins too. We also saw bighorn sheep. We didn't drive over to the section that has bison but people saw those as well. I highly recommended Badlands!

Have a great trip.

[Altair]

The Badlands would be more of a side trip on a Black Hills area vacation. It is a drive through park with some short walks. The Black Hills area also includes Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, the Needles Highway and more.
The kids may find the Badlands boring.

Which direction would you be coming from?

[Scott C]

My wife and I had a great trip to SD in '08. We left the kids at home. I don't know your kids but mine would have hated it. There is not much to "do" there. Absolutely beautiful scenery and breathtaking vistas. We took our miata and just cruised around all week. If your girls are int hiking and nature it would be great -- but otherwise....... The town of Wall is nearby and Wall Drug is pretty fun. We found a great cabin near Hill City which is near Mt Rushmore -- Google "Newton Fork Ranch" -- it was fantastic.

Thanks
Scott C

[Tick-Tock]

Badlands had a nighttime ranger program that was interesting - it was a star observation walk, but lights were discouraged (to get you used to seeing in the dark). There also is a National Historic Site on the edge of the park that offers small guided tours of a decommissioned missile control facility and shows you the silo. You really have to book ahead for that one. And Wall Drug is a must with kids.

If you decide to get over to the Mt. Rushmore area (only a few hours' drive from Badlands), try to stop at Custer State Park as well. They have a good-sized bison herd that we've seen every time we go through there, usually right by the road. Wind Cave and Jewel Cave National Parks also are nearby.

[TheVBs]

Thanks everyone!

We would be coming from Michigan. Our girls love nature, animals, being outdoors. They haven't done much hiking though. DD9 is a total trooper in WDW and I bet she'd be fine. DD5 wants to be carried after two steps. I worry about how well they'll tolerate the hiking and the heat and if they'll enjoy the sights enough to overcome those. How hot does it get there in the summer?

If we stayed at the park, would it be a good home base for all of the attractions nearby, like Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drugs, etc.? Or is there a better, more centrally located spot?

[Altair]

If we stayed at the park, would it be a good home base for all of the attractions nearby, like Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drugs, etc.? Or is there a better, more centrally located spot?

Is Cedar Pass Lodge where you want to stay? I just found out it existed and don't know exactly where it is. You can do Wall Drug from there, but Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills are too far. Best bet for that area would be in or Custer.
On the way try to see Sioux Falls Park in Sioux Falls and stop at the Missouir River overlook at Chamberlain.

[TheVBs]

We were thinking of staying right in the park, can't remember what it's called. But it sounds like something more centrally located to all the attractions would be better.

And thanks everyone for the tips for extra sights!

Right now, it looks like this and DC are the two we need to decide on for this year's trip.

[NJGIRL]

We were going to do Mt Rushmore, the Badlands and Deadwood a couple of years ago. It was a really hard trip for me to plan since I had never been there before and didn't know anymore who had (since then my cousin has moved out there) to give me advice. My travel agent couldn't help me either! Finding a hotel (no chains out in that area) worried me and by the time I had that figured out the plane ride became a problem. I won't fly in small planes. We scrapped the trip and ended up at the Grand Canyon instead. I would still like to go there someday but I'm thinking about a road trip instead.

Please let us know about your trip when you're back because I'm really interested.

[TheVBs]

Thank you! If we go there this year, I'll definitely do a trip report. We'd be doing a road trip there.

[Tick-Tock]

Best bet would be maybe one night in Badlands (in the park or in Wall) and the rest in the Black Hills area.

Another couple ideas for stops - in Hot Springs, SD (also in the Black Hills area), there is a mammoth bone dig site and a wild horse sanctuary.

[Scott C]

Thanks everyone!

We would be coming from Michigan. Our girls love nature, animals, being outdoors. They haven't done much hiking though. DD9 is a total trooper in WDW and I bet she'd be fine. DD5 wants to be carried after two steps. I worry about how well they'll tolerate the hiking and the heat and if they'll enjoy the sights enough to overcome those. How hot does it get there in the summer?

If we stayed at the park, would it be a good home base for all of the attractions nearby, like Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drugs, etc.? Or is there a better, more centrally located spot?

I do not do well in the heat at all -- That being said we visited the badlands in July -- I had now problem at all -- very low humidity. I would recommend a good hat though -- the sun can be fairly tough. On our last day the wind really picked up.

We did spend one night in the cabins in the park-- they were quite rustic but clean.

Thanks
Scott C

[LVT]

Hello, We go through there frequently on the way to the Black Hills or Farther west. We did stay in the park once. It is interesting, but I do not need to do that again. I enjoy it as a partial day. We drive through and do the shorter hikes. It is very hot and dry in the summer. It is a good small park for training the kids for the western national parks in general. You hike, picnic, look at scenery and look for animals. It looks different than home and that is my thrill.

[joonyer]

We camped in the Badlands on a family vacation when my brother and I were young teens (touring of of the Black Hills). We loved it. We hiked 5 minutes from our campsite and it was if we had traveled to another planet. No sign of human civilization as far as we could see (our campsite was just over the hill). The landscapes and views are really different from just about everywhere else in the us. Beautifully bizarre and desolate.

[TheVBs]

Thanks so much for the input everyone! It's great to know that others have done well with the heat and the other attractions that are close.

The horse sanctuary would be great to see!

I'm going to get some travel books from the library for the Badlands and the Black Hills area. I'm also getting one for DC, since that looks like our other big contender.

[d_m_n_n]

Definitely do the nighttime ranger program!!! We went there when I was a (very hard to impress) teenager and that is one thing that still sticks out in my mind!! The sky was like a dark, dark velvet and the stars were so bright they looked like diamonds!!!

[danicafan]

We are actually going here this summer on our way to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone in July, we actually extended our stay as there is so much to see/do in that area that we never seem to find the time to do since we generally hit this on our way home. This year we are starting off here. We are actually going to stay one night in Wall, SD and 3 nights Rapid City, SD and will go through The Badlands on our way since we are traveling from KC. We are planning to do Badlands, Wall, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, Black Hills Wild Mustang Sanctuary (I am soo excited about this been wanting to do it for about 5 years now), Mt. Rushmore, and some scenic driving in the area.
There are a lot of fun things to do in the Rapid City area so you might want to get a SD Travel Guide.
Have Fun!

[Genie1953]

We are actually going here this summer on our way to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone in July, we actually extended our stay as there is so much to see/do in that area that we never seem to find the time to do since we generally hit this on our way home. This year we are starting off here. We are actually going to stay one night in Wall, SD and 3 nights Rapid City, SD and will go through The Badlands on our way since we are traveling from KC. We are planning to do Badlands, Wall, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, Black Hills Wild Mustang Sanctuary (I am soo excited about this been wanting to do it for about 5 years now), Mt. Rushmore, and some scenic driving in the area.
There are a lot of fun things to do in the Rapid City area so you might want to get a SD Travel Guide.
Have Fun!

Be sure and post a trip report. That will be our next big trip....probably next year. We had it all planned out for last summer with reservations made and everything. We had some illness and had to cancel but I can see that it is a good thing we DID have to cancel because we would have missed out on alot I think.

[Altair]

If you travel through Sioux Falls, SD be sure to seek out Falls Park. The falls are the namesake of the town and the park is a hidden gem. You can searh for Falls Park to see some photos.