This road begins on the west side of SD Hwy 27, 4.5 miles south of SD Hwy 44 at the town of Scenic. A typical sight-seeing drive will take approximately two hours. We saw numerous bison and big horn sheep during our drive. The road is well-maintained but can become difficult to motor in heavy rains or snow. Most of the roadway is gravel but the first section off the Badlands Loop Road is asphalt. It intersects with SD 44 just east of the town of Scenic and with the Badlands Loop Road just north of the Pinnacles Overlook. Sage Creek Rim Road (Highway 590) The road connects South Dakota 44 and the Badlands Loop Road ( Highway 240).Depending on the number of stops, expect the loop to take between 2-3 hours. Catch beautiful landscapes, informational exhibits, and glimpses of wildlife on this incredible journey. The roadway is a two-lane, paved asphalt surface that takes you through the North Unit of the park. Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) – The entrance to this scenic drive is accessed from Interstate 90, eight-miles south of Wall, South Dakota. There are three main entrances into the park: There are no amenities but Wall, SD has several dump sites and potable water available for a nominal fee. These campsites provide opportunities to see some majestic sunrises, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and a host of other wildlife right outside your RV. Photo courtesy~Our Adventuring Life Photo courtesy~ENTV Situated on Highway 240 just south of Wall and one-half mile north of the Badlands National Park entrance, you will find numerous campsites sitting atop a maze of buttes with majestic views of the grasslands and canyons. Plan Your Visitĭid you know the number one boondocking location in the United States is located just north of the Badlands Loop Road? The Nomad View dispersed camping overlooking the Buffalo Gap National Grassland is a gem of a find. The park’s typical scenery of sharp spires, gullies, and ridges is a premier example of badlands topography. Badlands form when soft sedimentary rock is extensively eroded in a dry climate. The Lakota Native American tribe were the first to call this area “mako sica” or “bad land.” Mainly due to the extreme temperature changes, lack of water, and rugged terrain, but the term ‘badlands’ has a more geologic definition today. This beautiful park is home to mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today. The Badlands National Park is a layered composition of Pierre Shale, Yellow Mounds, Chadron Formation, Brule Formation, and Sharps Formation spread out over 244,000 acres. Prairie grass on the rolling hills Badlands National Park Tall prairie grass and miles of unobstructed farmstead views along both sides of the highway. Driving westbound along I-90 in central South Dakota reminded me of our time in Kansas traveling through the rolling terrain of the Flint Hills, with the exception of the Wall Drug Store ads posted every few miles.
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