Taking a Hike Through the Door: Badlands National Park SD

We arrived at Badland National Park early so we could hike as many short trails as possible before temperature reach near or above 100 degrees. The Door was the first of 3 short hikes we took at this parking area 2 miles east of the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, the others being The Window (a very short "walk" on a boardwalk to an overlook) and The Notch (which I hiked alone as the heat was getting to Nancy). The main issue I had with The Door trail was the monochromatic scenery. With only one eye it made everything seem even more 2 dimensional. The landscape was very uneven and, as the sun rose higher in the sky, the rock reflected the heat.

A handicap accessible boardwalk takes you to “the door”, a natural break in the Badlands wall. From there the trail descends into Badlands desert - a rugged terrain of ancient fossil beds. It is a fairly difficult hike marked with short yellow markers. It is recommended that you carry at least 1 liter of water per person for this 1 mile round trip hike. Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, and good hiking boots are highly recommended as there are rattlesnakes in the area. It is easy to lose your bearings and become disoriented so follow the markers and stay on the trail.

Equipment:
iPhone 10
A 15 year old Olympus VG-140
Bcway Phone All-in-One Travel Tripod with Remote
Trekking Pole and Backpack are Ozark Trail from Walmart
Hiking hat is a Tilley

Music:
Longer Distance by TrackTribe
Back to Portland by TrackTribe

We travel in a 2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE front-wheel drive with over 92,000 miles. We are still praying for a small Scamp or an Aliner to tow behind it.

Recorded on location June 24, 2021 at Badlands National Park SD.