It's easy to see why American Indians and the early settlers called the area of southwestern South Dakota the Badlands.

They are dry, unbearably hot in the summer, rugged, isolated and – in the days before modern transportation – extremely difficult to navigate.

Camping in the Badlands is an amazing experience

While the Badlands may be an inhospitable place to live,  these days the Badlands make for a very good visit by RV.

Jennifer and I try to spend time here each year. You could say we've gotten hooked on the Badlands.

The Badlands National Park protects 242,756 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States.

There is a rugged beauty about the place like none other we have seen anywhere in North America.