| Location: |
Badlands Nat. Park |
| Latitude: |
43.38N |
| Longitude: |
102.56W |
Badlands National Park, is located in the southwestern part of South Dakota, USA. It consists of nearly 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires along with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the United States.
About 64,000 acres of land is officially designated as wilderness area, and is the site of the re-introduction of the black-footed ferret, which is the most endangered land mammal in the entire North American region. Badlands National Park is home to the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, about 23 to 35 million years old. The study of the formation of the Badlands helps one to understand the evolution of mammal species like, the horse, sheep, rhinoceros and pig. The region consists of a number of extinct species ranging from the ones that lived in the subtropical forests that flourished after the retreat of the inland seas, to the ones that inhabited the savannahs and grasslands. Leptomeryx, Oreodonts, Archaeotherium, etc. are some of the fossils that have already been studied.
The majority of the visitors throng this region from the months of June to September. Badlands National Park can be easily accessed by car. Interstate 90 (I-90) is located directly north of the park and provides access to the Badlands Loop Road. Plane or bus service is available till Rapid City, South Dakota, located approximately 80 miles west of the park. By plane one can reach the Rapid City Regional Airport and rent a car from here.
Last Updated Date: September 4th, 2017
