The Brooding Black Hills and Bewitching Badlands of Southwestern South Dakota
Who would have guessed that there are geographic areas to the Dakotas? That my previous post actually had us in Southwestern North Dakota, and this post has us going due South into Southwestern South Dakota. I really thought that there was one, mayyybe two destinations in both states combined (maybe that’s why these flyover state citizens get so enraged at us coastal elites). And for all of North Dakota — I was kind of right. There was very little to do; we even tried to see the North Dakota State Capital in Bismarck after Wisonsin’s was so grand and inspiring. Wrong. The building was a brutalist, heaving letdown of a building surrounded by acres of parking, which also seemed to be the theme of the town. Sure, Fargo and Teddy Roosevelt NP were neat, but nothing to make a sole trip out of.
So you can start to imagine my surprise as we headed down into South Dakota’s Black Hills. Some of you may know that for the Blue Ridge Mountains, those mountains are tinted blue even though the trees on it are all green. Same with the Black Hills, just replace the blue for black. But how pretty it was! There was topography, geography unlike anything I had seen thus far. After all, isn’t that what an American road trip is all about? And to top it off, it broke the stereotype of the Great Plains that I was oh-so-bored of. That is, great, massive, empty, plains. There were ads for the upcoming Sutrgis Motorcycle rally, winding roads, stunning sights, decently cool Mt. Rushmore, and even a National Park nestled among them. North Dakota could really gain to learn a thing or two from it’s southern sibling.
The Region is packed with things to do — we booked four nights, but could have easily spent a week plus in the region. We started by going to the ever-popular Mt. Rushmore. I very much went here because I felt like I should go there, and to say I had gone. The monument really does not do much for me. I see four immortalized white men, two of whom owned other people.
Anyways, we spent our time on a Mesa in Hot Springs, SD, sleeping in a tipi! I found I thoroughly enjoy glamping, and the spaciousness of these tipis should not be overlooked. Most lovely about the place was the dozens of wild turkeys that would trek across the property everyday. So orderly, so mysterious, so fascinating. We didn’t have much time to explore the city sadly (and it was too hot for hot springs), as we were going at a breakneck pace on the trip, and did not realize how much there would be to do in the area.
Wind Cave National Park
Our next stop was Wind Cave National Park, which is one of three (I think) cave systems that are National Parks. The geology of it was unique and out of an sci-fi novel, with web-like, jagged, and corrugated “boxwork” that collided at sharp angles and with intricate geometry. This was Lena’s favorite cave ever, but while I thoroughly enjoyed what it had to offer, I can’t say it was my favorite (that’s coming up in a later post). One silly note is “fat man’s agony”, which is no joke: it was maybe 18 inches wide at points, and would be near impossible for some to get through. Even I had a hard time navigating that section!
That afternoon, after some looking through google maps, we were actually decently close to the Nebraskan Panhandle, and neither of us had been to Nebraska. Since it was our best shot at the visiting the state, we decided to check out Oglala National Grassland (not much to report, it’s grass on land), and the super neat Toadstool Geologic Park. Not unlike badlands, it was a pale grey brown throughout, with signature eroded hills. There were a few first-come-first-serve backcountry camp sites, though with it being so hot and shadeless, I was surprised anybody camped there. It was a pleasant surprise and a worthwhile trip to a part of the country that I knew little about.
Badlands & Wall Drug
Our final day in South Dakota featured the ever-famous Badlands National Park and accompanying tourist trap Wall Drug. I was curious to visit both because of Nomadland, which had featured scenes of both locales. Badlands I think was the first “holy crap this is something else” national park — impressive name, otherworldly geographic features, and massively large. It was a different world, thoroughly imposing and humbling.
Eroded hills baked pale and taupe lines marking the various geologic eras of eons past went on for acres and acres. The drive was a dozen miles along, and each pull off had more and more jaw-dropping sights after the other. Sharp declines marked where waters would flood down to nascent valleys, creating distinct ravines. Rain appeared to be infrequent yet the violent shaper of the badlands. Even more eye-popping was how the badlands contrasted against the comparative banality of the infinite surrounding great plains.
The exit road from the badlands leads you straight to Wall Drug, the epitome of manufactured cultural tourist traps that I had seen. It’s a veneer of western/saloon style architecture designed to sell as many keychains and cheeseburgers as the American public will consume. It’s a testament to the power of advertising; the line to buy cheeseburgers was 50 people deep.
South Dakota was a definite highlight for me — so much variation, geography, and wonder concentrated in just a couple hours of each other. I also see it as a positive that could be done in a week off, taking in a myriad of unique and wonderful sights.
