Park Number: 24/63

First Visited: July 16, 2011

We awoke to a collapsed tent, everything toppled over us. This was four in the morning. The hours leading up to this fiasco hadn’t been pleasant either: unexpected Midwest humidity, swarms of unrelenting mosquitos, a looming rainstorm on the horizon.

Instead of trying to salvage our temporary home and reclaim sleep, we just shoved the tent back in the suburban, drove to the top of the badland formations, and watched the theatrics we'd been invited to see.

To our right the sun began to rise, casting gold across an already golden plain; to our left, lightning bolts danced along the landscape, illuminating what was left of the lingering darkness.

It was the best awful night I’ve ever had.

Badlands is co-managed by the National Park Service and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.