Reptiles at Risk

Wagon Ride into the Badlands

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 16, 2006 at 9:10 PM

After our program at the Grasslands East Block party, we camped there with some of the staff so that we could go on a wagon ride out into the Killdeer Badlands which make up the bulk of the East Block area. The morning was sunny and cool; a great day for to explore the badlands! With two horse-drawn wagons and a few people accompanying us on horseback, we set off to explore this large tract of land that has only recently been added to the park.

It is a gorgeous area, but if you visit it, definitely bring lots of drinking water! It was very interesting to accompany the park staff, and some of the local residents, and discuss the future of the area- possible locations of trails, viewpoints, recreational uses, etc. In a small way, we feel like we were able to be part of the planning process for this fascinating national park, which is pretty cool!

Some pictures of the badlands are up in the gallery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/scisnake/217300567/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/scisnake/217300565/) basic scenic shots since the wildlife we saw was all quite a distance away. We did see a small herd of pronghorn, several mule deer, and various raptors. After the ride, we left for Wood Mountain, and our program at the Mergel Ranch.