The Big Trip 9.7.20 - 9.23.20, Part 4 of 9: Badlands National Park - Departure Day
The day after our great drive around the Badlands Loop Road we had to leave and head to our next destination. When I planned this trip I knew that the time to get to Custer State Park was only a couple of hours so we didn’t have to leave at the crack of dawn. Knowing this I suggested that everyone sleep in and have a leisurely morning so I could go on a sunrise hike. I promised to be back around 9:30AM which would still leave us tons of time to travel to Custer State Park. I had seen a hike in an old Backpacker magazine that I saved about a hike in Badlands that was a 7.2 mile lollipop loop trail. It is a flat trail so I thought it sounded perfect for my sunrise hike.
I already knew what time the sun would rise which was right at 7AM so I hopped in the Corolla and drove up to the Door/Window parking lot and was there by 6:15AM. There was only a couple of cars in the parking lot. It was already light enough to see so I started hiking on the Castle Trail which starts on the opposite side of the road from the Door and Window Trails. This meant that all the formations I was hiking towards would light up with the first rays of the sun. I saw no one on this hike until very near the end as I was heading back to the trailhead. It felt so wonderful to be hiking in a national park and to have the entire place to myself. At that hour I saw lots of deer waking up and rising out of the grasses.
Pre-dawn glow on the Castle Trail
My timing was perfect. The first part of the hike went in and out of several dry washes past numerous isolated formations rising out of the prairie. Then it headed right into the heart of the formations through a little portal. Just as I arrived at this small opening that led from grasslands to rock, the sun broke and turned the rock a brilliant red color. At the very first it looked like the rock was actually glowing it was such a soft light.
Magical light of dawn
First light
Looking east back towards the trailhead
After the sun rose it just as quickly disappeared up into a low bank of clouds. I didn’t think much of it but hoped the clouds would burn off for better lighting. Then it started lightly misting. Then it gently rained for about a half an hour. I wrapped my camera to keep it dry and just enjoyed hiking in the rain. Throughout the rain the sun would try to come and go. The rain really made the colors of the grasses and rocks pop, especially once the rain stopped and the sun came back out.
Grassy Badlands
Dramatic light.
I was treated to a full rainbow stretching across the trail over the prairie grasslands of Badlands National Park
After a little over a mile or two I came to a junction where I took the Medicine Root Trail. It tended to veer a little further into the grasslands so I had more distant views of the Badland formations. The grasses were all kinds of colors ranging from greens to browns and reds. The sun and post rain light was really something special. I really felt like I was getting some of the essence of this park by walking in it completely alone. It was on this hike that I really fell in love with Badlands. I could spend LOTS of time here and hope to get back there sooner than later.
Fall grasses and rainbow
The Medicine Root Trail made a counter-clockwise arch and eventually led me back to the Castle Trail much further up than where I started. Before going back on the Castle Trail I continued across for a very short way to another break in the Wall called Saddle Pass. This pass can be accessed from the Badlands Loop Road by a steep half mile trail but I liked coming to it from above and looking down to the loop road.
View through Saddle Pass
Backtracking to the junction with the Castle Trail, I now followed it back towards where I left it to take the Medicine Root Trail. This section hugged the Wall closely until it finally headed back towards the trailhead.
Badlands formation
One of the many washes
Love this light!
Almost back
I was a satisfied man by the time I got back to the car. This hike had it all. Solitude, wildlife, ever changing light and world class scenery. What an amazing place! I turned the wrong way out of the parking lot so I was headed back up towards the entrance to the park. I turned around at Big Badlands Overlook where I just happened to stumble upon another family of bighorn. The rams with the Badlands as a backdrop made for a really nice shot.
bighorn sheep at Big Badlands Overlook
No he’s not mad at me. I just got him while he was singing some old Irish folk tunes
So as promised, I was back in camp with plenty of time to leave and get to Custer State Park. I was on cloud nine and this park really captured my imagination. Want more? Part 5 up next.