arrive that day. We caught glimpses of the Badlands on our drive, but were awe-struck when we actually reached the park.

Our first stop coming into the Badlands was the Ranch Store Gift Shop. We paid a few quarters for some peanuts and were able to feed prairie dogs in a small area next to the store! We were the first ones to arrive and getting there early was crucial because once a crowd had gathered most of the prairie dogs hid in their dens.

We entered the park through the Northeast Entrance and stopped at the Big Badlands Overlook, which was an amazing first view. The Badlands was our first big destination and we were so relieved to finally be out of the car for a significant amount of time.  We rented a campground in Cedar Pass Campground, so we started by setting up our tent for the first time and eating at our site's picnic table.

Then we took Badlands Loop Road. We pulled off at multiple scenic pull off points and hiked up on the Saddle Pass trail (CAN'T MISS). The hiking trail is full of small pebbles that are easy to slip on so be sure to have good shoes and tread carefully! We decided to go off the hiking trail and climbed one of the tall geological formations and got an amazing view. This was pretty dangerous, so if you're looking for an adrenaline rush I highly recommend! After our hike we drove further on Badlands Loop Road. We stopped at many of the amazing overlooks and walked out as far as we could on the thin rock.

We ate dinner at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, which was very good! The Buffalo Burger is highly recommended! The gift shop also has tons of beautiful Native American made jewelry, pottery, and other miscellaneous treasures.