After our Epic Route 66 vacation in 2023, we decided to go to the Badlands in 2024. We stayed in the park at Cedar Pass Lodge, which were individual cabins, and so so cute!
We started our trek by flying into Minnesota and driving to Sioux Falls. Along the way we stopped in Blue Earth MN to see the Jolly Green Giant and Spout!
Yes – really!
We stayed in Sioux Falls the first night. On our way to the Badlands the next day we stopped in Mitchell SD – home of the world’s only Corn Palace! and they are serious about their Corn Palace. The day we stopped they were in the middle of their Corn Palace Festival. Somehow this feels like it should be the start of a Stephen King book (another installment of Children of the Corn perhaps?) or a Supernatural episode.
It really is something that needs to be seen.
Some of my favorite memories of the Badlands were the animals! The prairie dogs and mule deer (not pictured here) were my favorites. Prairie dogs make such cute noises. They have at least 11 distinct sounds for different reasons. Mule deer are nocturnal, so no pictures of them, but they do a great imitation of the Blue Man Group’s surprised look (IYKYK)
We also explored a few ghost towns, or close to ghost towns anyway.
We also paid a visit to Deadwood, Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park, along with a few other National Parks
My favorite part, though was the ability to get some great Milky Way shots. It was dark dark dark!
10/10 would definitely do it again.