Planning a visit to Badlands National Park in South Dakota, may seem like a summer activity but you’d be surprised what you find there in the winter. When the red and gray mud is highlighted with white, the park becomes an entirely different experience photographically.
Not to mention, if you are able to go in mid to late November and possibly into early December, you may still find the Bighorn rams battling it out for breeding rights. Even if you don’t get to see this amazing display you will no doubt find plenty of sheep to photograph, along with some amazing landscapes.
There are a couple of favorite spots in the park, and they would include Ancient Hunters Overlook, Panorama Point, White River Overlook, and the Cedar Pass area. In truth though, some of the best views, and photographs can be had by simply getting out of the car and walking around.
Since the entire area is basically made of dried mud…yes mud, it’s ever changing to some extent and some of the best angles involve the many drainage lines and furrows cut into the clay. Be aware it’s not a great idea to go hiking around some of these formations if it’s wet from rain or snow melt. You’ll come back with a lot of it on your boots! If it’s dry or frozen, there is much to explore here.
Sunrises and sunsets here can often be beautiful affairs. Thankfully with winter’s shorter days, you’ll have a bit more time to sleep in in the morning, and be done by about 5pm in the afternoon. If you want to shoot a bit of astro stuff, that’s easy to do too. Often in the summer or early fall, the air will be hazy with smoke from distant western fires, but in winter, that hasn’t been the case on my recent visits.
Of the wildlife you can expect to see, the Bighorns probably stand out the most. There are bison as well, along with prairie dogs, and very healthy and robust coyotes. Mule deer appear to be common, and if you’re lucky you might spot a wide variety of raptors. I watched several Golden eagles have a grand time with some southerly winds blowing into a nearby ridge.
The weather in Western South Dakota can be pretty variable. Several years in a row I visited during some pretty warm periods…with temperatures hitting in the 50’s many times. By the same token if a cold weather front comes in, you could see snow squalls and buffeting gale force winds. A few 70 mph gusts were experienced during one stop there.
Getting around the park is quite easy with one primary road covering most of it. The real scenic areas are all along this road and you can enter of I90 on the east side and get right into some interesting formations just a few miles down the road. The other main entry is about 7 miles south of Wall, which is a common place for folks to stay. Some of the hotels aren’t open since this is a a slower time of year for tourists but a few remain open year round and are accommodating.
For more information on Badlands National Park, visit the National Park Service Website here. Also included there are maps of hiking trails, roads, and various landmarks and overlooks, most of which provide breathtaking views.