Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park is comprised of over 244,000 acres (381 square miles) with a peak elevation of 3247 feet and receives an average annual precipitation of 16 inches. It became a National Monument in 1939 and received National Park status in 1978.
The Badlands have supported humans for over 11,000 years -- first with mammoth hunters, then nomadic tribes hunting bison, then several Native American peoples (Arikara and Sioux/Lakota), then French fur trappers, soldiers, miners, cattlemen, and homesteaders.








Numerous prairie dog colonies live in the park and can be viewed from the road.