• Wall Drug: Photo stop at the world famous Wall Drug, gateway to Badlands National Park.

• Badlands Scenic Loop Road: We drive through the primoridal and stark but beautiful scenery of this unique park.

• Ben Reifel Visitors Center: Visit interactive displays, enjoy an interpretive slide show.

WALL DRUG - GATEWAY TO THE BADLANDS: In 1931, during the Great Depression, Ted Hustead , owner of Wall Drug, started to provided free ice water to road travelers coming across the hot, dry Great Plains that stretched from the eastern Black Hill to Minnesota.

As the travel trade built up the small drug store became known as a hospitable and friendly place to pull over and relax after the hot drive. Today, Wall Drug is known worldwide because of its astonishing marketing campaign.

Take a photo with the giant Jacalope, cowboy characters, or I-90 Dinosaur.

LUNCH IS ON US: Yes you can still get free ice water at Wall Drug, but lunch is included in this tour, including beverages. We also provide cold drinks throughout the tour through the Park. We dine at the historic Cafe at Wall Drug. Maybe you will also find some unique souvenirs of your trip.

BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK ADVENTURE: To the Lakota, this harsh and desolate landscape was known as "mako sica," meaning “land bad." Early French trappers similarly described the area as “bad lands to travel across." Today, geologists consider all the places in the world with similar topography and formation badlands.

Containing the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 37-28 million years old, the evolutionary stories of mammals such as the horse and rhinoceros arise from the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires. Bison, bighorn sheep, endangered black-footed ferrets, and swift fox roam one of the largest, protected mixed-grass prairies in the United States.

The unique badlands formations interlaced with one of the largest mixed-grass prairie ecosystems provides considerable opportunities for discovery and exploration. From our comfortable air-conditoned vans watch for wildlife in the park..

Badlands National Park established a partnership in 1976 with the Oglala Sioux Tribe, sharing lands, specifically the South Unit, and spliting entrance fees; 50% of the fees collected in the park are transferred to the tribe for resource management and recreation projects. Entrance fees are included in this tour.

The Pig Dig was discovered in June 1993 when two visitors from Iowa discovered a large backbone protruding from the ground near the Conata Picnic Area. Originally thought to be a 4-day excavation, field work has continued for over a decade, yielding

more than 10,000 fossilized bones for study.

During the Age of Dinosaurs, a warm, shallow sea covered the Great Plains, including what is now Badlands. Since dinosaurs were land creatures, no fossils of these animals have been found in the park. Giant marine lizards called mosasaurs swam in the ancient sea, along with sea turtles and fish.

The Badlands' environment changes constantly. Erosion carves the rocks into bizarre formations that look like landscapes from another planet. A heavy rain can uncover fossils that have been hidden for millions of years.

Four species of wildlife have been reintroduced into the Badlands since its establishment as a National Monument in 1939. The black-footed ferret, bighorn sheep, bison, and swift fox, once exterminated from the area's mixed grass prairie, are again thriving in their native habitat.

Cedar Pass Badlands Loop Road:. Bring your camera and excitement for this wonderful scenic journey on well maintained paved roads. There are numerous overlooks and pullovers to get a great shot of this magnificent park. Highway 240, better known as the Loop Road, winds its way through the most scenic and majestic portions of the park.

Ben Reifel Visitor Center: Located at park headquarters, the Ben Reifel Visitor Center reopened in 2006 with new exhibits, a 95-seat, air-conditioned theater, a new film, Land of Stone and Light, and improved classroom and restroom facilities. We are certain you will enjoy the film.

The Badlands Natural History Association operates a bookstore in the visitor center. Postcards, books, videos, posters, and other educational materials about the park and its resources are available for purchase.