Badlands National Park: Loop Road

Yesterday evening after work, Noelle, Sierra and I packed up the car and headed north. After a stop at Runza in Alliance, we headed into South Dakota, driving through a few rain showers and spotting a few rainbows along the way. The sun set as we approached the south unit of Badlands National Park and we arrived at the Sage Creek Campground around 9:30 to set up camp.

This morning, I got out of the tent just as the sun was breaking the horizon. I wanted to take some photos in the nice morning light. 

The Sage Creek Campground at first light.

I was able to take a few nice photos of the sunlit hills 

and some wildlife:

grazing bison

burrowing owl

After a little while I returned to the campground for breakfast and enjoyed observing some of the resident prairie dogs while I ate.

Soon, Noelle, Sierra and I were ready to head out to the Scenic Loop Road to enjoy the wildlife and scenery. First, we had to drive the Sage Creek Rim Road. Our first stop was the Sage Creek Basin Overlook.

This overlook offered views of distant badland formations.

From there, we headed further east to the Badlands Wilderness Overlook. Here we were a little closer to the erosional formations that the park is known for. 

Noelle looked for birds with her binoculars. However, other wildlife was close enough that no binos were needed. 

After observing a few bull bison, we moved east again. Our next stop was the Hay Butte Overlook. This was the first overlook where we could really get immersed in the badlands. 

From here we joined the paved Badlands Loop Road. Our first stop on the Loop Road was the impressive Pinnacles Overlook.

From Pinnacles Overlook we headed east on the Loop Road. After a quick stop at the Ancient Hunters Overlook we entered a colorful section of badlands formations known as the Yellow Mounds.

After a quick stop at the Homestead Overlook, it was on to the impressive Burns Basin Overlook. 

Next up was Panorama Point. Besides the nice overlook, there was a singing meadowlark perched on the railing here.

We moved on to the Fossil Exhibit Trail where we went for the short walk on the boardwalk there to stretch our legs. 

We even ended up joining a ranger-guided walk before heading a short distance away to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. In the visitor center we enjoyed the exhibits 

and went into the paleontology lab where we got to see the hyracodon skull fossil that we had found at Scotts Bluff National Monument still in its plaster jacket. 

After lunch at a picnic table outside the visitor center, we left the park for a short time to check out the visitor center at Minuteman Missile NHS. Then we returned to Badlands to complete our tour of the Loop Road. Our first stop upon reentering the park was the Big Badlands Overlook.

Besides the view from the overlook, we enjoyed watching the cliff swallows build nests along the sides of the steep cliff faces.

From here we headed to the trailhead parking lot for the Door, Window and Notch Trails.