Badlands

Deemed inhospitable and useless, early settlers dismissed the curiosities of Badlands National Park for more profitable grounds elsewhere, but today this region in central South Dakota is a prairie treasure. Broken into three units, the park’s bizarre rock formations, multitude of wildlife, and rich fossil beds lure people from the world over. Here visitors scale an eroded playground of sedimentary rock layers and wander peaceful grasslands among free-roaming bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs for a taste of prehistoric America.