Badlands National Park Photographs

Badlands National Park is the archetypal example of badlands in the United States. Nothing dilutes the purity of these ragged erosional formations rising out of the shortgrass prairie. We were suitably impressed with the badlands we had explored in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Makoshika State Park. But, the starkness of Badlands National Park was awe-inspiring.

Photographs from Badlands National Park

Here is a portfolio of images we took during our most recent visit to Badlands National Park:

In Badlands National Park, the vegetation in the drainages turns brilliantly golden in the fall.

This panorama frames a portion of one of the most famous landmarks in Badlands Natiobnal Park: the Wall. The Wall is a heavily eroded sedementary landscape that exemplified the term badlands. It is roughly sixty miles long and a mile or two wide. In the foregroud is a swath of tallgrass prairie.

Uneroded remnants of short-grass prairie catch the afternoon sun in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Remnants of the shortgrass prairie reflect the late afternoon, golden light in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Late afternoon light catches the very tops of the hoodoos in Badlands Nationa Park, South Dakota.

This view of the erosional features is enhanced by the starkness of the black and white treatment. Without color, you can concentrate on the texture and patterns created by the relentless work of water and wind.

Only one tree in this line of trees has changed color to catch the last rays of sunset, near the Wall in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

This view of part of the Wall looks a bit like Chesley Bonestell's vision of the mountains on the moon.

This tricorn toadstool formation is next to the main park highway, around halfway between the Pinnacles Entrance and the Northeast Entrance.

A view of the Yellow Mounds Formation from Yellow Mounds Overlook in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. This yellow formation is the topmost layer of the Pierre Shale (the base formation of the badlands strata). the yellow color is do to chemicals from ancient decaying plants coloring the paleosol.

These erosional fins are delicately colored in hues of pink and yellow by the late afternoon light in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Dust catches the rays of the setting sun in this westward view across the eroded landscape of Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Visiting Badlands National Park

The park has multiple units: the North Unit, the Stronghold Unit, and the Palmer Creek Unit. We visited the North Unit, entering the park at the Pinnacles Entrance near Wall, SD. Once in the park, we traveled the Badlands Loop Road through the North Unit and exited at the Northeast Entrance.

Highway 590 is a gravel road that takes you along the north rim of the Badlands Wilderness Area. It joins State Rout 44 near Scenic, SD. This road may be impassible when wet.

In addition, there is the Sheep Mountain Table Road. This road is accessible from SD Highway 27 and provides visitors with beautiful views. Many people drive in, park when the road becomes rough, and walk the rest of the way.

Other attractions in Badlands NP

Along I90, between the Pinnacles and Northeast entrances is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. For those of us that remember how to “duck and cover,” this site reminds you of life during the Cold War. For those too young to remember, there is a decommissioned Delta-09 missile silo to peer into. In addition, there are hourly presentations about the history of this site, along with other nearby solid sites. And, if it is not too hot, there are schedule ranger tours to some of these outlying sites.

And, of course, there is Wall Drug in Wall, SD. If you are driving from any direction, signs enticing you to spend some time and money at Wall Drug start at least 100 miles away.

Learn more about Badlands National Park

The best place to start making plans to visit the park is at the National Park site: https://www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm. Another good way to preview your visit is to do an image search for “Badlands National Park.” Also, do a search on YouTube. People frequently post videos of their visit. True, you may need to fast-forward in some place.

More badlands photographs

We have photographed other locations with similar types of rock formations. These locations include:

To purchase our photos

All of our scenic photographs are available as fine art prints. Use the contact form to the right to get more information. Or, go to our Fine Art Print page to learn about various pricing options.