Plenty of goodness in the Badlands

Marcia McMacken took a long look at the sweeping scene around her at Badlands National Park in South Dakota -- bright green meadows in front, craggy tan peaks and deep forbidding canyons behind.

"We love it," said McMacken, who lives near St. Petersburg, Fla. "We've been here three or four times."

Imagine that much enthusiasm for what's often considered a one- or two-hour diversion for travelers on their way to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills.

The Badlands are best known for a dusty, rocky landscape that's so filled with synonymous formations that you may be asking for trouble if you venture too far beyond the parking lot. Just eight main hiking trails lead from the Badlands Loop Road, which traverses the park's primary unit. Five of those are less than a mile long.

So why go? Ask Marcia McMacken: "It's like being on another planet."

Ancient sea once covered land

What a weird, wonderful world it is out there -- sharp ridges and tall towers created by rising mountains, erosion and an extinct inland sea.

That sea began disappearing 60 million years ago as the Rockies and the Black Hills began forming. One look at what was left behind is all it takes to envision what was here -- the wide subtle stripes of red and brown suggest water.

Bighorn sheep, pronghorn, buffalo, swift-footed ferrets and other animals now wander what seems like an inhospitable land. But they pale in comparison with some of the creatures of the past. Mososaurs -- like a Komodo dragon but maybe 25 feet long -- left their bones here 68 million to 75 million years ago. So did the titanothere, an ancient rhinoceros; the doglike hesperocyon, and archaeotherium, a large, piglike animal.

Challenge for early travelers

From Interstate 90, the Badlands are but a distant distraction from the long ribbon of east-west blacktop across South Dakota. Only when you turn south on Hwy. 240 toward the park can you begin to appreciate the threat they represented to early inhabitants.

The Lakota Sioux called the area "Mako Sica" or "bad land." Early French trappers said they were "les mauvaisesterres a traverser," or "bad lands to travel across."

Fortunately for today's travelers -- about a million people visit each year -- the biggest challenges presented by Badlands National Park are where to find lunch or the nearest bathroom.

It takes only a couple of hours to begin to appreciate the subtle beauties, to see beyond the harsh environment.

At the White Valley Overlook, I pulled my car into a parking space, walked out on a natural promontory and tried to count the colors of the canyon -- browns and tans, to be sure, but also reds, pinks and maybe even a hint of yellow.

A few miles down the road, people squinted in the midday sun at a small butte where a bighorn sheep was clinging to the rock. A few yards away, two more sheep had found a shady spot to rest.

These may have been bad lands once. Not anymore.

IF YOU GO

Badlands National Park comprises 244,000 acres near the Black Hills of South Dakota. Established in 1939 as a national monument, it attained national park status in 1978. Admission is $15 per vehicle and is good for seven days. An annual pass is $30. Nearby attractions include Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Crazy Horse memorial, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave national parks, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and Custer State Park.

WHERE TO STAY

The Cedar Pass Lodge dates to 1928, even before the Badlands Loop Road was built. It has 25 cabins: With private bath, $85; two bedrooms with connecting bath, $100; cottage, $110. The Badlands Inn, 1 1/2 miles from Cedar Pass, has 18 guest rooms for $90 a night. See www.cedarpasslodge.com or call 1-877-386-4383 for information about either lodge.

The Cedar Pass Campground, near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, has 96 sites for $10 a night. It has flush toilets, picnic tables and cold running water. The Sage Creek Primitive Campground, on the west side of the north unit, is free.

WHERE TO EAT

The only restaurant inside the park is at Cedar Pass Lodge, serving burgers, salads and buffalo stew. For other choices, head to Wall, about 30 miles away.