The Badlands look wrong in the best way. Out of the flat grassland of western South Dakota, the ground suddenly collapses into a maze of striped gullies, spires and ridges in yellow, pink and grey, as though somebody had tilted a wedding cake and left it out in the rain. Pinnacles Overlook sits near the northeast entrance of Badlands National Park, and it gives you the first good look over the edge of the wall, along with the long, flat prairie beyond.
The shapes are young in geological terms. The rock is soft clay, silt and volcanic ash laid down over tens of millions of years, and erosion eats it at something like an inch a year, so the landscape is changing in front of you. Fossils turn up in the layers, from ancient horses and rhinoceros-like beasts to sabre-toothed cats, and paleontologists have been working here since the nineteenth century. The Lakota called it mako sica, land bad, because it was hard to cross, and French trappers called it les mauvaises terres a traverser, and both described it fairly.
The Badlands Loop Road, State Highway 240, is the way to see it. It runs for about thirty miles through the park, with a series of overlooks along the rim, and the riding is gentle: long sweeps and small climbs, with a surface that is usually good, and a speed limit that keeps you attentive. Bison and prairie dogs may wander close to the road, and bighorn sheep appear on the rocks. The wind is a constant, and summer storms can bring hail and sudden gusts. Dawn and dusk are the best hours, when the low light turns the ridges to gold and rose. Midsummer is hot and exposed, with little shade.
Fuel is the thing to plan. Wall, on Interstate 90 a few miles north, is a sizeable stop with fuel, motels and the famous Wall Drug, where free ice water drew early travellers from 1931 and the brand has been drawing them ever since. Inside the park, there is little beyond a lodge at Cedar Pass, so fill up in Wall or Interior. Bring water, sunscreen and a windproof layer. The park entry fee is payable at the gate. Walk a little away from the car park, where the quiet is absolute, and listen to the wind in the grass.