Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

What's Good About the Badlands? Grasses wave in the breeze. Bison feed in the distance. A prairie dog squeaks and disappears into a hole. Then the grasslands end, and the earth opens up. Bare, rocky ridges and peaks point toward the sky. The land is dry and brown, but sometimes the Sun shines just right. Then the rocks and fields of grass display amazing colors. Badlands National Park (BNP) is a strange and amazing place.

The Park Badlands National Park is located in what is South Dakota today. Different Native American groups have lived in the area for a very long time. They believe this land is special.

Badlands became a national park in 1978. Today, about one million people visit each year. The park is made up of three areas, but most people visit the North Unit. The other two areas are inside Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Pine Ridge is home to the Oglala Lakota people. Part of BNP is near and around Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Together, they protect a huge space that keeps wild plants, animals, and land safe.

Rocks and Grass Geologists are scientists who study rocks, soil, and land to learn about the history of Earth. BNP makes their job easier. The bare layers of rock show how the land formed. Each layer took millions of years to make. At different times, ash, sand, and mud settled on top of each other. Each layer turned to rock. Later, water and wind wore down the rock layers.

Fossils in each layer show that the land has gone through big changes. Fossils are remains of plants and animals that have turned to rock. Fossils in the park show that the area was once like a jungle, long before humans lived there. At other times, it was covered in forests and a wide sea.