Natural Bridge, Maquoketa Caves State Park, August 2024 After nearly spending nearly three weeks out West, it was, alas, time to get on my way across the country to complete my move from the San Francisco area to Washington, DC. From South Dakota, I drove down to stay with a friend in Iowa City, Iowa …
Continue reading Maquoketa Caves Loop (Maquoketa Caves State Park, IA)
Notch Trail, Badlands National Park, August 2024 A more challenging alternative to the adjacent Door and Window Trails, the Notch Trail in eastern Badlands National Park features a fun slot and ladder section and a sweeping southward view across the White River Valley to Interior, South Dakota. The ladder is sturdy but not for the …
Door Trail, Badlands National Park, August 2024 One of a trio of short trails starting from the same parking lot in eastern Badlands National Park, the Door Trail veers gently through a break in the Badlands Wall. After a wheelchair-accessible overlook, a more rugged path continues onward amidst the wild ravines, hoodoos, and outcrops, culminating …
Deer Haven, Badlands National Park, August 2024 Hikers in South Dakota’s Badlands National Park with a knack for wayfinding and adventure should prioritize the out-and-back jaunt to Deer Haven, a juniper-studded amphitheater in the park’s lesser-visited Sage Creek Wilderness. Here the wily badlands give way to an evergreen oasis that is ideal for backcountry camping …
Saddle Pass Trail, Badlands National Park, August 2024 By now I was nearly three weeks into my cross-country trip, but I was savoring my last couple days out West before the relatively lackluster drive across the Great Plains to the East Coast. After making my way east from the Black Hills to Badlands National Park …
Continue reading Saddle Pass Trail to Castle – Medicine Root Trail Loop (Badlands National Park, SD)
Pinnacles Overlook, Badlands National Park, August 2024 After briefly skirting the South Unit, I spent much of an afternoon checking out the various overlooks along the Sage Creek Rim Road and Badlands Loop Road in Badlands National Park’s North Unit. This is where the bulk of the most scintillating sedimentary formations are located. Heading from …
Red Shirt Table Overlook, South Unit, Badlands National Park, August 2024 The South Unit of South Dakota’s Badlands National Park is far less visited than its northern counterpart but boasts hundreds of thousands of acres of grassy valleys and eroded sedimentary landscapes. Much less developed, options for visiting the South Unit (a.k.a. Stronghold Unit) are …
Centennial Trail, Lookout Point Loop, Wind Cave National Park, August 2024 The main draw of Wind Cave National Park in western South Dakota, of course, lies underground. But when the caverns are closed (as they were in summer 2024), the primary attraction becomes the twisting canyons and vast prairies on the surface. This is not …
Continue reading Lookout Point Loop (Wind Cave National Park, SD)
Black Elk Peak, Black Elk Wilderness, Black Hills National Forest, August 2024 At 7,241 feet, Black Elk Peak is South Dakota’s highest point and the tallest peak in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain (formerly known as Harney Peak) was a sacred place for the native Lakota and tops a band …
Continue reading Black Elk Peak Loop (Black Elk Wilderness, SD)
Tower Trail, Devils Tower National Monument, August 2024 From the Bighorn Canyon area, I set out across the Bighorn Mountains and visited Little Bighorn Battlefield before leaving the Rockies behind. Traversing a whole lot of nothing between Buffalo, Wyoming and the Black Hills, I made it to Devils Tower National Monument in the late afternoon. …
Continue reading Tower Trail (Devils Tower National Monument, WY)
Live and Let Hike 