Do you love nature and staring at star-filled skies? If you do, you’re going to want to stay overnight in Badlands National Park in July. It’s when the Badlands Astronomy Festival takes place each year. Hi-powered telescopes provide outstanding views of the galaxy. Even more exciting is the Night Sky Program held Friday through Monday nights throughout the summer. It’s a place where you can enjoy yourself at all hours of the day thanks to its unique programs.

Once Native American hunting grounds, the national treasure has a long and exciting history. For over 11,000 years, the Paleo-Indians, Arikara people, and Lakota made their home on the land because of its bounty of wildlife. Today, the Three Affiliated Tribes' descendants live in North Dakota.
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The massive 242,756 acres known as Badlands National Park is nothing less than spectacular. It offers varied landscaping with sharp buttes and pinnacles among its untouched mix of prairie grasses. Home to many wildlife species, it is best known for the formerly endangered black-footed ferret that rangers reintroduced to the wild.
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The Boardwalk Trail is short, easy, and perfect for people of all ages. It's stroller-friendly, too, if you want to bring your infant or toddler with you. More challenging trails exist throughout the National Park for more experienced hikers.
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If you plan to hike trails in the winter, beware. Pay close attention to the signs that you encounter, and look out for rattlesnakes! You may find plenty slithering around the trails.
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The sky is spectacular day or night. It's an excellent subject to photograph while visiting the area. If you want to capture all of the memories you've made while visiting Badlands National Park, make sure to bring extra batteries for your digital camera or have your camera phone ready to shoot what's directly in front of you.
David Kingham/Flickr
Theodore Roosevelt National Park released 50 bison in 1963. The herd has grown to over 1,000 animals in just a few decades. You can see them throughout the area, roaming freely with their young.
Matthew Paulson/Flickr

To learn more about the park, visit its website or Facebook page. Have you ever visited Badlands National Park? If so, tell us all about your trip in the comments section below.

The 10 Gorgeous Hikes Everyone In South Dakota Must Complete is worth checking out. It doesn’t matter if you want to take a solo trek or an adventure with friends, you’ve got lots of options. Choose the trails that offer the most excitement for you. You’ll find a new favorite place to visit in the state soon!

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Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA