MAY 02-05, 2016
Our first campground stay in SD was in the Badlands National Park. I don't think I have seen my kids so excited about a park like this. Not only them, we were all in complete awe. It was gorgeous and pictures could not prepare me for such beauty. The kids were ready to explore and climb!
Our first campground stay in SD was in the Badlands National Park. I don't think I have seen my kids so excited about a park like this. Not only them, we were all in complete awe. It was gorgeous and pictures could not prepare me for such beauty. The kids were ready to explore and climb!
So we checked out
the Door Trail first. And we climbed a little. I kept thinking that
it was so strange that they let you climb on them since they are
really quite soft. I read every sign around and saw no such
limitation. Well AFTER our SECOND visit there, I found a sign in the
parking lot with a single line buried in it asking that visitors
refrain from climbing the formations. The kids excitement began to
fade but they were still unusually excited to explore and we hiked all
but one trail in the park!
The park also got
“the best park ever!” designation after driving along the
Sage Rim Road. We saw a
great number of animals including bison, big horn sheep, prairie
dogs, various birds, deer and pronghorn antelope. I don't think we
have seen such a variety of animals in one place outside of a zoo.
Ready for more pictures??? I tried to pick a few highlights but
soooo hard to do! And as you can see, I have made them extra large because the detail is so important in these.
The kids getting
their Jr. Ranger Badge
the Notch
Trail
Check out that awesome ladder!
(view from the top)
the Medicine
Root Trail; probably my least favorite. It was flat and wide open.
the Castle
Trail (See the castle formations on top?)
And just some shots
from the park roads. Around each corner, the view had something new
and beautiful.
Our campsite had a nice view as well.
The kids enjoyed playing in the field and Greg and Jacob tried out our new frisbee golf discs using the picnic tables as targets. :)
The kids enjoyed playing in the field and Greg and Jacob tried out our new frisbee golf discs using the picnic tables as targets. :)
And of course while
we were in the area we had to visit Wall Drug. It's a lot of little
shops, and we have no more room for any stuff so we got our free
ice water that they are so famous for. Haha
Actually we had
dinner there in the cafe. The food was NOT great. Then we
checked out The Backyard and played a few games.
Another interesting
place to visit is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. It's
right across the highway from the Badlands National Park entrance and probably
overlooked due to the beautiful Badland formations, but it is
definitely worth a visit.
It's a small museum but then we signed up for the tour of the Delta-01 Launch Facility which was lead by one of the Missiliers (who is now a park ranger)! The kids weren't into it much but Greg and I both really enjoyed it. It was great hearing about his first-hand experiences, the security of the missiles, the use of deterrence and the scary moments.
Jordan even captured her first tumbleweed in the parking lot! Haha
We had a great time and the weather was perfect! Next stop is Custer State Park.
It's a small museum but then we signed up for the tour of the Delta-01 Launch Facility which was lead by one of the Missiliers (who is now a park ranger)! The kids weren't into it much but Greg and I both really enjoyed it. It was great hearing about his first-hand experiences, the security of the missiles, the use of deterrence and the scary moments.
Jordan even captured her first tumbleweed in the parking lot! Haha
We had a great time and the weather was perfect! Next stop is Custer State Park.
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