3 Short Hikes In Badlands National Park Great For Kids

February 8, 2023 Amanda Luhn

You can arrive at this otherworldly landscape just 15 minutes after you left the car in Badlands National Park. This is Door Trail, one of 3 trails sharing the same parking area near the Northeast Entrance to the park.

Looking for something short and sweet to do in Badlands National Park? These 3 hikes- Door, Window, and Notch Trails- share one parking lot just 10 minutes from Interstate 90. All 3 trails are scenic and fairly easy trails that give a great taste of what makes the Badlands so special. Our kids really liked exploring them, especially climbing the fun ladder on Notch Trail.

Saddle Pass - Medicine Root - Castle Trail Loop Hike in Badlands National Park

February 6, 2023 Amanda Luhn

Overlook of Saddle Pass Trail — View down from a rock outcropping overlooking Saddle Pass Trail. One member of our group ran up but the rest of us elected to stay on the trail and wave up at him. You can see the trail ascending up the rock formations on the right of the picture.

Saddle Pass to Medicine Root Trail to Castle Trail is a nice day hike of about 4.8 miles that combines rock scrambling, strolling through the prairie, plus fantastic views out over the classic rock formations of the Badlands all in this one hike. Our family really enjoyed this hike - interesting and varied enough for the kids (but not too long) while the adults got to take lots of pretty photosand feel like they stretched their legs.

Our Review Of Cedar Pass Lodge And Campground In Badlands National Park

February 2, 2023 Amanda Luhn

Not too hard to get a pretty picture of Cedar Pass Lodge with this backdrop. You can see the small group of rental cabins in the foreground and the main building in the distance on the left of this picture. The campground is about a 1/4 mile away to the left. This picture is taken just after the sunset so the rocks are reflecting the beautiful reds and pinks and all you had to do to see it was just walk outside your door.

I loved Badlands National Park and part of the reason why I liked it so much is because we stayed one night at Cedar Pass Lodge. Being able to enjoy the breathtaking sunset and sunrise, not to mention the awesome starry nights, made this trip special in a way I don’t think visiting the park just for the day would have. If you can swing it, definitely try to make an overnight in the cozy cabins at Cedar Pass a priority. You won’t regret it.

Visiting The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site In South Dakota With Kids

December 13, 2022 Amanda Luhn

Looking into the missile silo at Delta-09 at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site — Looking into the missile silo at Delta-09 at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Park. This is one of 2 places in America where you can look into a ICBM missile silo—this one is holding an unarmed Minuteman Missile capable of flying 15,000 mph. You can see the Badlands rising up in the background, making a pretty amazing backdrop to this bit of history.

On your way to Badlands National Park and looking for something nearby to do besides visiting Wall Drug? Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is a great stop on I90, whether you only have 30 minutes to just see the missile silo or you have a couple of hours to see everything plus take a ranger guided tour of the underground Launch Control Center. The kids were pretty fascinated to see a nuclear missile up close and we all learned a lot about this part of Cold War history.

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