Interior is one of the oldest Badlands towns dating back to the 1800s. It is adjacent to one of the entrances to the National Park and is one of the best places to find an RV park with full hook ups.
Interior, South Dakota
From Mitchell, South Dakota to Interior it was about a 3.5 hour drive. Along the way, a rest stop had this huge sculpture called “Dignity”.
Only about 94 people live in Interior. In the late 1800s the Milwaukee Railroad ran tracks through the area. The town of Interior moved its location from adjacent to the White River to be closer to the tracks. By 1912, an electric grid and fresh water system were established. The Milwaukee had extensive tracks across the country and peaked in the 1920s, but eventually many of the lines were sold to other railroads or abandoned. Now, it’s about the stunning views of the Badlands in the background and pronghorn grazing on the prairie.
Badlands/White River KOA Interior, SD
We had 50 amp electric, full service and WIFI fast enough to stream. There was hardly anyone there because they just opened a couple of days before we arrived. They have a large fenced dog park that Jake loves to frequent. We finally got some sunshine and no wind!
Tulips were just starting to bloom. A small creek was next to the property. There was a beaver dam and the campground was going to have the beaver trapped and relocated, but we weren’t able to get a photo of it. We only saw a muskrat.
Badlands National Park
The Badlands were our first welcome as we were traveling back west. Pronghorn, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, bison and wide-open grass prairie. We were last here in 2018.
In 1929, Badlands became a National Monument, and in 1978 a National Park.
The soft sedimentary rock is composed of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone, limestone and others that appear stacked like a layer cake.
The White River contributed to its erosion, but wind and rain are contributing at a rate of an inch per year. It’s estimated that in 500,000 years, the Badlands will have eroded away.
There were a number of bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park. The rams, males hung out a few miles away from the ewes, females.
A pregnant ewe off by herself.
The bighorn sheep were frequently along the road near the rock formations where grass and a quick escape were plentiful.
It was easy to just park the car and watch them graze. Overall, the sheep were very accustomed to tourists, but too frequently, we saw people with phones try to walk up to them for closeup photos.
Jake’s favorite, prairie dogs. We were looking for burrowing owls, which we’ve seen in the past, but it was early spring and they may not have migrated back yet.
We saw a lot of deer at dusk.
Meadowlarks were prevalent. We enjoyed listening to their pleasant songs.
There were always pronghorn in the background.
Bison were at the north entrance near Wall, South Dakota.
Much less common and difficult to photograph was this sharp-tailed grouse.
Wall, South Dakota
Interior is south of the Badlands and Wall is north of the Badlands off Highway 90. It’s famous for Wall Drug, which was established in 1931 during the Depression. It is difficult to drive across South Dakota and not stop at Wall Drug because there are amusing billboards all the way there.
They have something for everyone. However, they are known for their 5 cent coffee and doughnuts which were delicious.
