Spring in the Badlands

Part of the reason we love the Badlands in South Dakota is the unexpected beauty we found there upon our first visit.  I had always pictured the region more like scablands, full of tight canyons and crevasses with minimal vegetation, nearly impossible to cross and perfect for outlaws to evade capture. 

Even Wikipedia describes "badlands" with that vision:  "They are characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation... and high drainage density.  They can resemble... a terrain of volcanic rock.  Canyons, ravines, gullies, buttes, mesas, hoodoos and other such geologic forms are common in badlands.  They are often difficult to navigate by foot."

To the contrary, we found South Dakota's Badlands region to be layered sandstone hills and valleys with the greenest vegetation that we have seen anywhere, at least in spring and early summer.  We even boondocked (dry camped) on a cliff's edge of a Badlands canyon one summer, an amazing experience, and are looking forward to our next visit.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/spring-in-the-badlandsdsc_art?IMID=491ae4e1-862c-4dfe-834a-027242a93686

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