Badlands National Park is almost 1,000 square kilometers in size and located in the south-west of South Dakota. Formed by erosion, there are now countless barren mountains here among the seas of grass. Special animals and plants can be found here, including bison. The American bison is one of the largest land animals in America. In addition to the large bison, numerous fossils can also be found here.
Table of contents
- General information about Badlands national park
- History of Badland
- Flora of the park
- Fauna of the park
- Other attractions in Badlands
- Possible activities in the park
General information about Badlands national park
Badlands National Park was formed by erosion. This erosion has made it bare here and there are countless small hills and mountains that are completely bare. These are commonly called ‘pinnacles’, after the shape of the rocks. In addition to all these rocks, the landscape consists mainly of grasslands. These grasslands are excellent places for the American bison. A quarter of the national park is an area where everything grows and blooms as it should. Here man does not intervene at all and does not interfere with anything. Various fossils of prehistoric animals are found in most of the park, but this does not apply in the protected area where no intervention is allowed. It is not allowed to dig in this place.
History of Badland
Indians lived and lived here for eleven thousand years. They hunted here and found other food here. Yet the various tribes often did not stay here during the winter. The winter was cold and harsh. They only stayed here if they had enough food. One of the reasons why this place was so favorable to stay was because of its rich hunting grounds. The Indians were chasing bison here on horseback. They caught a bison and they were able to make new clothes, they had food again and they could make new tools from the bones.
A major change within the Indians began around 1890. At that moment a man named wovoka came. This man brought the ghost dance. Knowing this dance is well known today. The dance is dancing and jumping around in a circle. With this they tried to convey a trance. Wovoka ensured that this dance became very important in this area, because it gave the Indians new hope. The dance had to be done every sixth week and had to last five days. This spiritual dance gave the Indians hope, the hope that they could get out of the corner they had been driven into by the Europeans. The hope that they could live on and get good land again. One of the last battles between Indians and soldiers took place here, the same year as the rise of Wovoka.
The history of flora and fauna goes back much further. This probably goes back more than 75 million years. At that moment, there was only ocean in this place. The fossils found here contain some animals that lived in oceans. Of all the extinct species found in North America, a whopping 91.6% lived here. Camels have been found, but also animals that looked like antelopes and even rhinos.
Flora of the park
The flora in this park consists mainly of plants that can survive on the prairie. This means that they must be able to survive with little water. In addition to the prairie, there are also grasslands and steep rocks. Different types of plants also grow in these places. The number of plant species that grow here is 400. This number is relatively high, as it can be extremely dry here.
Flowers grow in various places in the park, including the sunflower. There are also more than 60 species of grasses in the park. Almost all of these are found on the grasslands. What is special is that here and there a tree manages to survive and grow into an adult tree. The trees can find enough water in these places and can survive the winter very well.
Fauna of the park
No fewer than 39 different species of mammals live in the park . A number of prominent, large grazers such as bison and bighorn sheep also live in this area. Only 600 bison live in this area, as they live in a small area of the national park. The best chance of seeing these animals is by taking the Sage Creek rim road. However, one must be very lucky to see them. The bison have little to fear from predators, as wolves and bears are no longer allowed in this area. This is different for other grazers. This park is home to pumas, lynxes, foxes and ferrets. These animals can easily kill a sheep if the sheep is weak or not paying attention. However, people themselves have little to fear from these animals.
Nine to thirteen different species of reptiles can be found in this park. The most striking is probably the rattlesnake. This is quite common in the park and remains there throughout its life. Amphibians also occur in this park, probably six species, but there could also be slightly more, because enough research has not yet been done to determine this. The most favorable time to watch amphibians in this park is between late April and early August. Today, 206 species of
birds are known to occur in this park. Of all these species, 67 remain in the park and also build nests there. The most common bird there is probably the cliff swallow. This swallow grows to an average size of 13 centimeters. They are quite easily found in the pinnacles, because that is where they build their nests.
Birds of prey in the park that can be found all year round are eagles and falcons.
Other attractions in Badlands
The pinnacles, rocks, are important sights in this park. Actually everything revolves around these rocks when you go to this park. Several walks lead to the rocks, but in the next chapter you will learn more about the walks.
Another attraction is the sheep mountain table road. This road passes many different badlands and offers some very special views, which make the journey a fascinating journey. It is important to know that this area is a sacred place for the Lakota Indians and that it is therefore forbidden to eat or practice religious practices here.
Possible activities in the park
Walking is especially important in this park. The most important or most used walks are all on the badlands loop road. There are eight prominent walks along this route. The shortest walks, two, are 400 meters long and take 20 minutes to walk. The saddle pass trail is a walk about 5 kilometers from the visitor center. This walk is only 750 meters long, but someone who doesn’t walk much can easily spend an hour on this walk. The longest and most peaceful walk in the entire park is the castle trail. This walk goes for 16 kilometers through an area of plains. Where one starts in an area of badlands, this quickly turns into a plain. The route has to be walked back and forth. It is not a circular route, so one will see everything twice, but from the other side. It is best to walk
this route in early summer , as the flora blooms and grows then. Cycling in this park is also an option. This is allowed on all paved and unpaved trails, provided they are not hiking trails or in the so-called backcountry. The same applies in principle to horse riding, but riding on roads is also not allowed.