Bighorn sheep, Badlands National Park, 2014.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) originally crossed into North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia. The population peaked in the millions and bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Ameri... More
Bighorn sheep, Badlands National Park, 2014.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) originally crossed into North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia. The population peaked in the millions and bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Ameri... More
Bighorn sheep, Badlands National Park, 2014.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) originally crossed into North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia. The population peaked in the millions and bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Ameri... More
Bighorn sheep, Badlands National Park, 2014.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) originally crossed into North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia. The population peaked in the millions and bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Ameri... More
Bighorn sheep lamb, Badlands National Park, 2015.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) originally crossed into North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia. The population peaked in the millions and bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Ameri... More
Moon rising over bighorn sheep herd, Badlands National Park, 2014.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) originally crossed into North America over the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia. The population peaked in the millions and bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Ameri... More
Bighorn sheep, Badlands National Park, 2014.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) originally crossed into North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia. The population peaked in the millions and bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Ameri... More
In the Badlands - Early photography, Public domain image
Title: In the Badlands.Artist: Edward Sheriff Curtis.Artist Bio: American, 1868 - 1952.Creation Date: 1904.Process: photogravure.Credit Line: Gift of Jo and Howard Weiner.Accession Number: 2007.001.045
Door Trail, Badlands national park
Many trails in the Badlands include wheelchair-accessible boardwalks.
Roberts Prairie Dog Town - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Burrowing Owls also live in prairie dog towns. They use abandoned prairie dog burrows for their nest and for shelter.
Icon National Parks of South Dakota, public domain photograph
South Dakota boasts an impressive list of iconic National Parks including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument and more. Whether your plans are for hiking, biki... More
Homestead Overlook, Badlands national park
Homesteading was made possible in part by the Dawes Act, which divided up and reallocated land originally belonging to Native Americans like the Lakota.
Big Badlands Overlook - National Parks Gallery
The layers of the Badlands represent past environments in geologic time. The environment represented by the Brule Formation, seen here, would have been a cool, dry grassland much like the Great Plains are today.
Panorama Point, Badlands national park
Rain flowing down the formations creates drainages, where rainwater collects and flows out into the White River south of the park.
Badlands Wilderness Overlook - National Parks Gallery
The 64,144 acres of the Badlands Wilderness Area serve as a home for mammals like bison, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and more.
Conata Basin Overlook - National Parks Gallery
At many overlooks, visitors take advantage of the park's Open Hike Policy, which allows visitors to hike off-trail.
Conata Picnic Ground - National Parks Gallery
Conata Picnic ground has shaded picnic tables where visitors can stop to eat while taking in the views of Conata Basin.
Badlands Gunnery Range - National Parks Gallery
Hundreds of fossils were destroyed when US Air Force bombers decided to aim at giant brontothere skulls, big enough to see from the air, instead of the painted cars and barrels that were meant for bombing practice.
Pinnacles Overlook, Badlands national park
Pinnacles Overlook is the most popular spot in the park for sunsets, where expansive views lend themselves to beauty.
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
With wide-open views, Cliff Shelf Nature Trail is an excellent spot for birdwatching.
Castle Trail, Badlands national park
The West side of Castle Trail meanders through Badlands formations. Public domain photograph of a desert, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Medicine Root Trail - National Parks Gallery
Badlands National Park contains the largest mixed-grass prairie in the National Park Service.
Bigfoot Pass, Badlands national park
Lakota riders make an annual trip through the Badlands to memorialize the journey of Chief Spotted Elk and his band of Lakota on their way to the Wounded Knee Massacre.
National parks: Oreodont - public domain image
"Miniochoerus gracilis" is a small plant eating mammal known as an oreodont. This animal lived during the Late Eocene and Early Oligocene. Fossils of "Miniochoerus" have been found at Badlands National Park, So... More
Castle Trail, Badlands national park
The East trailhead of Castle Trail includes prairie and Badlands formations.
The Big Pig Dig - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
The Pig Dig involved the work of NPS professionals, volunteers, and students. Together, they excavated fossils from this past watering hole.
Sage Creek Basin Overlook - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
The Fox Hills Formation, one of the lesser-known formations of the park, is easy to view at this overlook. The Fox Hills Formations represents a nearshore environment, when an ancient sea was retreating from So... More
Homestead Overlook, Badlands national park
Homestead Overlook is named for the Homesteading Acts, which provided land to settlers willing to occupy and farm on that land.
National parks: Amphitheater - public domain image
The Amphitheater is a place to gather for Evening Programs, Night Sky Viewings, and telescope spotting!
Conata Picnic Ground - National Parks Gallery
Conata Picnic Ground also hosts a trailhead for Deer Haven, one of the social trails in the park.
Yellow Mounds Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Yellow Mounds Overlook is a great place to check out the Yellow Mounds, a bright yellow paleosol. A paleosol is an ancient fossilized soil.
Big Foot Pass Overlook - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Big Foot Pass Overlook includes picnic tables where you can take in the views while enjoying some food and shade.
Fossil Exhibit Trail - National Parks Gallery
Fossil Exhibit Trail is a short trail with information about the fossils found in the Badlands. Visitors are invited to touch the bronze fossil casts on the trail and imagine what the critters would have looked... More
Deer Haven Trail - National Parks Gallery
Deer Haven is a popular social trail at Badlands National Park which leaves from the Conata Picnic Ground.
Notch Trail, Badlands national park
Notch Trail includes a ladder. Once at the top of the ladder, visitors can enjoy views such as this one.
Ancient Hunters Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Archeological finds at Ancient Hunters Overlook have given a look into the human history of Badlands National Park.
Sage Creek Basin Overlook - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
Sage Creek Basin Overlook displays the prairie of the Wilderness Area, where many animal and plant species thrive.
Notch Trail, Badlands national park
Visitors may be able to spot Cliff Swallows on Notch Trail, which make their homes on Badlands formations.
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail, a short 0.5-mile loop, is the closest trail to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.
Prairie Wind Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Prairie Wind Overlook offers benches to stop and take in the mixed-grass prairie surrounding Badlands National Park.
White River Valley Overlook - Public Domain image, National Parks Gall...
White River Valley Overlook's name also refers to the White River Group, the geologic layers pictured in this photo.
Sheep Mountain Table - National Parks Gallery
Visitors who don't have a high clearance vehicle are able to access these views by hiking the second half of the road.
Bigfoot Pass Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Chief Spotted Elk (also known as Bigfoot) used the Badlands to his advantage while evading the US Army. He chose this route through the Badlands because it was not frequented by anyone other than the Lakota.
Red Shirt Table Overlook - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Red Shirt Table Overlook in the South Unit offers extensive views of the Badlands layers.
Sheep Mountain Table - National Parks Gallery
The road leading up to Sheep Mountain Table is a dirt gravel road best suited for four-wheel drive high clearance vehicles.
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail includes a set of stairs leading up to an overlook.
Burns Basin Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Burns Basin Overlook is the best of both worlds -- formations on the South side, a prairie dog town on the North side!
Ancient Hunters Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Archeological finds like worked rocks and burnt charcoal at Ancient Hunters Overlook reveal the behaviors of past Badlands inhabitants.
Door Trail, Badlands national park
While the second half of Door Trail continues off-boardwalk, staying on the boardwalk leads to a set of benches from which visitors can enjoy the view.
Yellow Mounds Fault - National Parks Gallery
Geologic faults -- places where the earth's rocks have cracked and jostled out of place -- are a common sight in the Badlands.
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument - Ancient Deer
"Hypertragulus hesperius" is a small deer like, plant eating mammal. This animal lived during the Oligocene Fossils of "Hypertragulus" have been found at Badlands National Park, South Dakota, and John Day Fossi... More
Panorama Point, Badlands national park
Most overlooks in the park include wheelchair-accessible boardwalks.
Saber Site, Badlands national park
The fossil uncovered at the saber site is Hoplophoneus Primaevus, an ancient predator that would have looked like a saber-tooth cat.
Medicine Root Trail - National Parks Gallery
Medicine Root Trail travels through the mixed-grass prairie, where visitors may come across mullein like these.
Big Badlands Overlook - National Parks Gallery
The many layers of badlands formations are easily seen at Big Badlands Overlook
Big Badlands Overlook - National Parks Gallery
The red layers of badlands formations come from the presence of iron in the rock.
Medicine Root Trail - National Parks Gallery
Medicine Root Trail is the name behind these rocks, called Medicine Root Gravels. These rocks were carried out of the Black Hills and deposited in the Badlands area by ancient rivers.
Yellow Mounds Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Yellow Mounds is also a great place to see the Conata Basin, where most of the park's endangered Black-footed Ferrets live.
Big Badlands Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Overlooks throughout the park are marked with signs.
Big Badlands Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Big Badlands Overlook is the first stop for many park visitors, who can see the distinct layers of the Badlands spreading out into the horizon.
Bigfoot Pass Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Bigfoot Pass Overlook is easily accessed from the Badlands Loop Road and marks Chief Spotted Elk's (also known as Bigfoot) journey leading a group of Lakota through the Badlands. This journey would end with the... More
Toadstool Rock, Badlands national park
Toadstool rocks, or hoodoos, are formed when soft rock underneath a hard rock erodes away, holding up the hard rock with a column of softer sediments.
The Big Pig Dig - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
The Big Pig Dig was a paleontology dig that happened in the Conata Basin area and yielded over close to 20,000 fossils.
Pinnacles Overlook, Badlands national park
Pinnacles Overlook, the highest elevation in the North Unit of Badlands National Park, is one of the most common places to spot bighorn sheep.
Cedar Pass Lodge - National Parks Gallery
The Cedar Pass Lodge is where you can eat meals, check out a souvenir shop, and book reservations for cabins or camping.
Roberts Prairie Dog Town - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Prairie dogs live in neighborhoods together known as coteries. A typical coterie includes one adult male, many adult females, and their offspring.
National parks: Brontothere - public domain image
"Megacerops coloradensis" is a large rhino like mammal known as a brontothere. This animal lived during the Eocene. Fossils of "Megacerops" have been found at Badlands National Park, South Dakota, and Florissan... More
Roberts Prairie Dog Town - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Prairie Dogs live in colonies known as "towns" where they dig burrows to live, eat, and sleep in.
Hay Butte Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Hay Butte, one of the isolated buttes of Badlands National Park, is most easily viewed from Hay Butte Overlook.
Big Badlands Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Many overlooks in the park include benches and seating areas where visitors can take in the view at leisure.
Saddle Pass Trail - National Parks Gallery
Seeking adventure? Saddle Pass Trail climbs directly up badlands formations with stunning views at the top.
Northeast Entrance Sign - National Parks Gallery
The park sign is the first thing many visitors see in the park.
Ben Reifel Visitor Center - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
The Ben Reifel Visitor Center hosts the Badlands Natural History Association bookstore, museum exhibits, an information desk, and the Fossil Preparation Lab.
Burns Basin Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Burns Basin offers great views of deeply incised canyons, made deeper with every rainfall.
Saddle Pass Trail - National Parks Gallery
Although Saddle Pass Trail is one of the shortest trails in Badlands National Park, it is also the steepest.
Badlands Wilderness Overlook - National Parks Gallery
Views from Badlands Wilderness Overlook span the Wilderness Area of the park, which contains 64,144 acres of land set aside for wildlife.
White River Visitor Center - Public Domain image, National Parks Galle...
The South Unit's White River Visitor Center is a great place to go if you're looking to learn more about Lakota heritage.
Hay Butte Overlook - National Parks Gallery
The Badlands "wall" separates the upper prairie from the lower prairie. The upper prairie is pictured here on the left.
Notch Trail, Badlands national park
Sturdy boots are recommended for any Badlands trail which traverses the soft, crumbly rock of the park's geologic formations.
Panorama Point, Badlands national park
The "Castle," a majestic collection of Badlands buttes, is visible in the distance from Panorama Point.
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail intersects a grove of juniper trees, one of the few places in the Badlands with this much shade!
Notch Trail, Badlands national park
The second half of Notch Trail involves hiking up onto the edge of a canyon.
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
Hell's Half Acre. Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Public domain photograph, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
United States Resettlement Administration workcamp. Badlands National ...
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
Road under construction by United States Resettlement Administration. ...
Public domain photograph of Canyon, mountains, national park, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Public domain photograph of Canyon, mountains, national park, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Public domain photograph of National Park, nature, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Public domain photograph of Canyon, mountains, national park, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Public domain photograph, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
View of land purchased by United States Resettlement Administration fo...
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
United States Resettlement Administration workcamp. Badlands National ...
Public domain photograph of South Dakota, United States, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
View of land purchased by United States Resettlement Administration fo...
Public domain photograph of South Dakota, United States, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Road under construction by United States Resettlement Administration. ...
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
United States Resettlement Administration workcamp in Badlands Nationa...
Picryl description: Public domain image of a quarry, mine, excavation, or mining site, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
Hell's Half Acre. Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
Badlands National Park extension, South Dakota
Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More
Badlands Flowers: Red, Pink, Blue
Badlands Resource Education slides formerly used for educational programs. Slides consists of red, pink, and blue flowers.