Badlands Wall

Many towns in the area are named after geologic features in the Badlands.

NPS Photo / Serena Rosales

Quick Facts

Location:

Wall, SD

Significance:

The Badlands formations are eroding close to 1 inch per year. As rainfall slides down the formations, it picks up small bits of sediment which making any stream water undrinkable.

Amenities

1 listed

Scenic View/Photo Spot

The Badlands Wall is the primary feature of the Badlands National Park North Unit (formerly Badlands National Monument). As the White River carved into the landscape, it created a valley with badlands formations on either side with an erosional “wall” on the north side of the valley spanning east (near Kadoka, SD) to west (Wall, SD). The Badlands wall, consisting of the rock formations the park is famous for, separates the lower prairie to the south and upper prairie to the north.