My third Badlands in 30 days. First, I didn’t know there was more than one Badlands. To me, the only Badlands I had ever heard of was South Dakota’s National Park. I’d been there a couple of times. They were interesting colors, and stark rocks with striated hues showing the different geological formations that had made them happen. I spent 11 days in the Badlands this year, and they were everything I remembered them being.

Wikipedia says that “Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded.  They are characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation, lack of typical soils, and are high drainage areas.”  The Lakota called these lands “mako sica,” which translated into badlands. The French traders called them “bad land to travel.” Their unforgiving climate, lack of access to water, and appropriate food for man or beast made them a challenge to cross in the days when 15 miles was a day’s journey. 

Before I went to Alberta’s Badlands, a place called Dinosaur Provincial Park outside of Drumheller, Alberta, I didn’t know there were Badlands in Canada. But geographically, it makes sense that the Badlands of South Dakota are south of the Badlands of North Dakota, which are south of the Badlands of Alberta. So clearly, there was a geologic formation in this area of the continent that formed these “Badlands.” The Badlands of North Dakota have more vegetation, fewer sharp-pointed rocks, and no hoodoos like in Drumheller. All three have abundant wildlife and wildflowers. Typically, where you see a lot of rock, you don’t expect to see flowers. But lo and behold, there were flowers galore.

Prairie dogs, ground squirrels, other burrowing animals exist throughout the entire region. And the area outside of the preserved areas is primarily ranch country. South Dakota is known for its buffalo. Theodore Roosevelt is known for its wild horses. And Dinosaur Provincial Park is known for its dinosaur fossils.

The coloring and striations of rock were similar in all three areas. Interestingly, the U.S. put interstates alongside both of theirs, closer in North Dakota than in South, but still very adjacent. In Alberta, it was a ways off of any major transportation artery.

Map of the three

	South Dakota	North Dakota	Alberta
Size (sq Miles)	244,000	70,466	18,110
Elevation (Feet)	2,700	2,244	2,336
Annual Rainfall (inches)	16	15	12.5
Average High Temp (F°)	90	86	80
Average Low Temp (F°)	7	4	4

All three areas, of course, embraced Western cowboy culture. Drumheller is very close to Calgary, Alberta, and the home of the Stampede, and rodeos were clearly a major part of lifestyle in both North Dakota and South Dakota.

You may ask — if they’re so similar, do I need to see them all? I would say there’s something special about saying you’ve seen three of the Badlands set-asides.  Given the definition of a badlands, several of our national parks around the West could be considered as badlands, but these three were all once lands of the Lakota and not associated with any other more important geological or wildlife feature. Understanding the differences is just as important as seeing their similarities.