So you’re on a road trip in southwestern South Dakota, in a rush to see Mt. Rushmore while the kids drive you insane about visiting Crazy Horse. But you’ll want to squeeze in another majestic attraction, too. The famous carvings at Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse are perhaps better known, but Badlands National Park is an essential side trip when exploring the Black Hills region. This essay is about a quick drive through the Badlands, with no stops for pictures or potty breaks. It’s breathtaking, cinematic scenery, where the stars are ancient geological formations, still undergoing “character development.” Two geologic processes created the landscape: deposition and erosion. Over millions of years sand, silt and clay were deposited in layers, forming sedimentary rocks. Then, 500,000 years ago, erosion began transforming the flat floodplain. Because erosion continues today at about one inch per year, the Badlands will be gone in another 500,000 years. So you’ve still got plenty of time to fit it into the itinerary and the kids will thank you for it! (And they’ll love the ice cream at Wall Drug, too.)

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Best Time to Visit

The drive through Badlands is open year-round, unless winter driving conditions close the road. The park is magnificent any time of year although summer is the busiest season and can get very hot.

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Major Towns

Rapid City is the main metropolis in the Black Hills region, with all of the amenities and a well-served airport. This drive starts 76 miles east of Rapid City and ends in Wall, famous for the drug store, a major tourist destination in its own right. Wall back to Rapid City is 55 miles.