Badlands with Gammie!

We met my mom on the east side of Rapid City in Wall, SD to visit the badlands. We’ve driven through on our way in and out, but today we played tourist and went into the park. First stop was the Badlands Trading Post to ride Trigger the mechanical horse. We stopped here on our way to Des Moines in August and the boys have been begging to go back. There are tons of cute prairie dogs here as well as down the road. You can buy peanuts to feed them, but none of the prairie dogs wanted to eat the peanuts and instead preferred the paper bag. We might end up with a prairie dog as a pet one day they’re so stinking cute! 



Next stop was the entrance to the Badlands. This is a National Park, so they sell park passes. For seniors (sorry and thank you Gammie) there’s a great discount and you can get a year pass for just $20! Gammie hopped out of the car to snap a picture with the Badlands sign. There’s quite a few places to stop and get out throughout the park and lots of trails to walk. The weather in Rapid City has been so mild and perfect all season, but out here without shade, it was significantly hotter. I was shocked at how hot and sunny the Badlands are. This would be a good place to visit in the fall or spring if you want to walk the trails. 
 












We stopped at the Visitor Center for M to do the Junior Ranger program and earn his patch. This was our first park to do this and we might have to hustle back to each one here to get his other patches before we head out. 
 











Location: Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA

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