Badlands National Park | South Dakota Hiking
Austin and I went to Badlands National Park in September because every year I try to go to a national park for my birthday (which is in October, but I think we’ve run out of national parks that have nice weather in October).
As usual I did a lot of research for this trip, though I find that with YouTube taking up more time, the less research I actually have time for! I used to do weeks and weeks of research, months ahead of time. And now I have learned to be as efficient as possible with my time to organise an itinerary, with accommodations, grocery stores, possible restaurants, and trails.
First thing’s first, I reached out to friends and family to find out what they would recommend in the area. Custer State Park was recommended by our friend, Brent, and after having visited it, I can say that I am super grateful for that suggestion. We spent the two previous days at Custer State Park in the Black Hills National Forest.
Next was to check the national park’s website, and AllTrails. The trails that I selected were among the top ten in South Dakota, but these ratings are based on those who have gone hiking in that area listed. It was a good place to start, and look for ourselves to see if they were good trails! I had originally planned two days in the park, but Austin thought this park was more of a day trip, very similar to Arches or Bryce Canyon in Utah. Spending only one day there, we would only need to pay the parking permit one time, too. We started the day off on the Castle Trail.
Castle Trail (10 miles / 16km, round trip)
The full trail is a there and back, and turned out to be very different from our few previous days in the Black Hills National Forest. It was very dry with very flat plains throughout. We could see cars and people way off in the distance even though we were probably miles from where they are.
Some places looked like another planet with the buttes and spires, but after a while it started to look all the same. We were not the only ones to think so either. There were two other hikers who advised us that the rest of the Castle Trail is very much the same. So we turned around and headed back to the car.
Pro tip for parking when doing the Castle Trail: between the Medicine Loop and the Castle Trail, there is a dirt road, called the Old Northeast Road. We recommend driving and parking at this location so there is as little trail repeat as possible. We would also recommend just doing this loop, and not the entire Castle Trail because so much of it is all the same, and under the hot heat of the sun.
Other things of note for the Castle Trail: the trail has absolutely no shade, so bring a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water. These skinny, red sticks marked the trail fairly consistently.
I do not know when it happened, but we got bitten alive by bugs. I am guessing it was on the Castle Trail because we were on it the longest. But bring bug spray. For the love.
While there are picnic areas within the national park, they are not near the trailheads which were all grouped together closer to the Visitor Center. So if you want to do back to back trails, but are hungry for a snack, might I recommend eating in your car? It was not as bad, though we did not have a table to spread our sandwich materials.
Notch Trail (1.5 miles / 2.4 km, round trip)
If you want the biggest bang for your time, it is indeed the Notch Trail. After walking a bit, there is a very long ladder to get you up to the level for the rest of the trail. If you are extremely scared of heights, I would not recommend it though. However, Austin is scared of heights, a bit, and was able to get through it just fine to enjoy the vista in the Notch, at the end of the trail.
Window Trail (0.25 miles / 0.40 km, round trip)
If you are looking for an accessible trail, this is probably the most accessible trail. It has a paved path through to the vista at the end of the trail. However, it was probably the shortest “trail” that I have been on. If you are in the area, and you are doing either the Notch or Door Trail anyway, then might as well add this one to the list.
Door Trail (0.75 miles / 1.2 km, round trip)
We might have done this trail “incorrectly”. There were these numbered posts throughout the trail, and it might have been that those numbers corresponded to something on a guide that we were supposed to have picked up at the Visitor Center. We still are not really sure about this, but it is a fairly easy trail, and I would recommend it nearer to sunset.
On our way out, we made the trip out towards Sage Creek Basin Overlook and Robert’s Prairie Dog Town because there didn’t seem to be a lot of wildlife. We had only really seen some chipmunks, vultures, and a bunny. So even on the drive to Robert’s Prairie Dog Town we were shocked (and fortunate) to come across a buffalo. We also did end up seeing lots of prairie dogs, but they all ran away as soon as I got even a tiny bit close to them. Also, apparently, there are porcupines, mice, black-footed ferrets, bullsnakes, racers, prairie rattlers, antelope, eagles, and coyotes.
It was a long, rewarding, nature-filled day. One might say we conquered the Badlands. Actually, Austin might say that. He did say that...
The following is how we rank the national parks that we have been to so far:
Zion (Utah)
Rocky Mountains (Colorado)
Big Bend (Texas)
Bryce Canyon (Utah)
Arches (Utah)
Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico)
Badlands (South Dakota)
Hot Springs (Arkansas)
“It looks a bit like the inside of a cave that has been turned inside out and warmed by the sun.” ― Stefanie Payne
What is your favourite thing about Badlands National Park?
