Badlands National Park & Sioux Falls

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Badlands National Park

Day 21 – July 15

We had our final breakfast at the Elm Mountain campsite near Wind Cave National Park, and then broke down camp around 8:30 A.M. in 92-degree heat. To this point, the four nights we stayed here was the longest stint at one campsite we’d ever done. We stayed one day longer than planned because it was such a great area, with so much to see and do.  We could have stayed longer and made this our base for our visit to Badlands National Park, but we had our sights set on a really cool campground in the park there, and we needed to start travelling eastward anyway, so we headed out. To plan our day getting to Badlands National Park about 2.5 hours away we went to the Wind Cave Visitor Center to use their WiFi. We drove through Hot Springs toward Badlands National Park.

So, once in the Badlands, we attempted to reach the Sage Creek Campground, a primitive, free campground in the middle of the NP that we had planned on staying at before we left on our trip. This was attractive to us because it is in the middle of nowhere, with wildlife all around and within the campground, and sunrises/sunsets and star gazing are said to be sensational.  Unfortunately, the 12-mile unpaved road leading to it was extremely bumpy gravel and dirt, so we decided to not risk doing damage to the car, and to not go there.  This was disappointing, but not as disappointing if we blew an axle. (Note: we did eventually make it to Sage Creek Campground a few years later…see here!)

So, we checked out a campground in the Park called Cedar Lodge, and a nearby KOA campground. Cedar Lodge had a recent cancellation so there was one opening. We checked it out and found it to be too close to many other sites, without shade, and uncomfortable (imagine a sweltering fishbowl). The KOA campground we looked at was infested with mating cicada bugs that were making continuous, ear-piercing screeching sounds that Alfred Hitchcock would have been scared of.  It was so loud we couldn’t believe anybody was staying there. So, we went off to drive the mesmerizing Badlands Loop Road and forgot about where we would be sleeping for now.

First, we got a late lunch at the fair to middling Cedar Pass Lodge restaurant near the Visitor’s Center (the lodge itself had no vacancy). This is the only restaurant inside the park so I guess it doesn’t have to be great.  Though the staff was very friendly.

While on the Badlands Loop Road we pulled off to most scenic overlooks and walked the very short Fossil Exhibit Trail. It was in the 90’s, so it was pretty hot, but the landscape scenery was gorgeous. It is a combination of Grand Canyon, Painted Rocks of Teddy Roosevelt NP, Arches formation, and high plains. We walked around the rock formations in various spots, including one where there were big horn sheep that looked like small elk prancing all around us. We also came upon a small family of them while in the car, as they stopped traffic, and one came right up to our car.

Starting the loop at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center (which we did not go into), we took it all the way out of the park until we got to Wall, SD.

We stopped to walk around the famous and expansive Wall Drug Store for about 30 minutes. We drank some free water (which is their historical claim to fame), and I got an awesome homemade donut. This was quite kitschy but fun, and a cultural icon that we just had to experience.

We then needed to figure out where we were staying the night as it was about 7:00 P.M. We were planning to finish the Badlands Loop and do some hikes the next day so we wanted to stay nearby. Checking out another campground nearby, we saw a road sign for “Triangle Ranch Bed & Breakfast“. Most decent motels and lodges were full and it was awfully hot so we called. They had a room for $118, so we took it and headed there. We drove a few miles on a service road parallel to Rt. 90, then went under the highway toward Philip, SD, which was headed away from Badlands NP. We ended on a dark, one-lane dirt road in the middle of nothing for 6 miles before seeing the archway entrance to the ranch.

The ranch house was another 2 miles down the road from there. Emilie called to be sure we were on the right road, they said, “Just keep driving”.  We finally arrived at a beautiful Sears century home (mail-order kit house) actually in the middle of nowhere. Like an oasis for settlers we were warmly greeted by the owner, Lyndy, and went into the home that had never been updated or remodeled so that it has retained its classic elegance. It sits on 300 acres. They had cows and horses. Lyndy’s husband Kenny was in the living room, as was their grandson Austin. Then, unbelievably, another couple arrived for the night, they were visiting from Chicago.

We chatted with the couple from Chicago out on the porch until they went to bed around 10:00. Then Em and I went out into the yard by the porch and gawked in awe at the cloudless starry sky. The night sky here was even better than at the Wind Cave campsite. Off to bed around 11:00.

 

 

 

Badlands National Park Hiking

Day 22 -July 16

Lyndy prepared a lavishly outstanding homemade breakfast at the B&B. From 8:00 A.M. until 9:00 A.M. we ate and had interesting conversation at the elegant table with our hosts and the couple from Chicago. Then we said our goodbyes and headed out back to Badlands NP.

At Badlands NP we considered doing the 10-mile Castle Trail, but due to the heat we opted for the Window, Door, and Notch hiking trails, which all started from the same parking lot. Window and Door were only 1 mile in total between the two (.8 was the Door trail) but it had reached 100+ degrees so it felt like much more than just 1 mile of hiking. Both offered terrific panoramas of the badlands’ canyons and gullies, and some fun cliff-top hiking and exploring. The trails along the rugged terrain and broken landscape were at times hard to follow, but the Door trail was marked by yellow knee-high numbered posts to keep us from getting lost. There were about a dozen or so other hikers out and about here.

It was brutally hot. We then did the 1.5-mile round trip Notch Trail. It was so hot we almost didn’t do it but we are very glad we did. This hike included climbing a long cliff side ladder and meandering a canyon trail until coming out at the last trail marker to several small climbs to different notches in the cliff that provided spectacular panoramic views of the White River Valley. This was the best hike we did at Badlands, but the climb down the steep ladder on the way back was tough, and made worse by the fact that the ladder was very hot now, and it blistered our hands. Though we’d still do it again!

 

 

 

We finished up Badlands National Park here and headed to the Visitors Center to wash up.

On to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site just outside the park. We spent about 45 minutes looking at exhibits related to the nuclear missile defense program and the Cold War. It was very interesting and a worthy stop.

Then we headed out toward Pierre to see the State Capitol building. We took the smaller Rt. 14 instead of the Turnpike (Rt. 90) to view the more scenic farmland and prairie. Got to Pierre at 4:55. The Capitol building closes at 5:00 P.M. so we just barely made it inside, though we never did see an employee anywhere. For 10 minutes we strolled around the very ornate building with lots of stained glass and a grand marble staircase. Great timing.

Corn Palace

We got excruciatingly slow drive-thru McDonalds in Pierre and headed out towards the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD about 2.5 hours away.  We toured the world’s only palace made out of corn stalks and corn for about 30 minutes, bought souvenirs, and headed out to stay the night in Sioux Falls, SD about an hour away. The Corn Palace was worth the detour both for the oddity itself as well as for discovering another small town off the beaten path.  We really had no prior plan to go to Sioux Falls but it logistically made sense as we began to make our way to Michigan.

We spent the night at the Country Inn near Falls Park downtown Sioux Falls.  We checked in and went out for a beer at a local brew pub, sat outside and enjoyed a nice balmy breeze and a beer served by a surly bartender before bed.

Sioux Falls

Day 23 – July 17

We learned on this day that there really are Falls in Sioux Falls. Falls Park was within walking distance of the hotel so we walked about 15 minutes and discovered the very beautiful three-tiered Falls at the Big Sioux River. We hopped along the red Sioux quartzite rock along the Falls, and went up the 50′ viewing tower at the visitor’s center in Falls Park and got some great overlooks of the Falls and city behind it. The Falls turned out to be a surprising gem of a find for us, just gorgeous.

We then walked through the mains streets of downtown. We walked the “SculptureWalk” which is a sidewalk trail containing about 50 unique sculptures done by local artists. These sculptures rotate on a regular basis and people vote for their favorite. I voted for the Fisher King sculpture. Emilie didn’t vote.

We then stopped for a nice local lunch at Phillips Avenue Diner. We sat outside and were served a decent, homey lunch by yet another surly server (like the bartender the night before). Downtown was actually pretty funky and lively. After lunch we got in the car and headed across town to visit the very large and impressive Cathedral of St. Joseph. After touring the church, and using the restroom, we got in the car, and five hours later decided to spend our final night before getting to South Haven in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Our final night was spent at the Days Inn & Suites. We got a late bite and a drink at the Casa Las Glorias Mexican restaurant right next to the motel. We sat outside near some very drunk, loud, annoying, but borderline entertaining women, who were in town for a funeral. The guy who was with them actually joined us for a while at our table…. we think to get away from them.

World Famous Rainbow Cone!

Day 24 – July 18

We had breakfast at the motel. Then off to South Haven.

We made one stop in Illinois. The Offbeat Attractions app noted an Ice Cream place in Frankfort, Illinois for its large cow statue. We took the slight detour to Creamery and each of us enjoyed one of their world-famous Rainbow Cones. It really, truly was delicious.

We pulled into South Haven around dinner time. We enjoyed a week of perfect beach weather before heading home.