Sage Creek Road and SD-44 - Buffalo Gap National Grassland

Upon reaching the Badlands National Park boundary after nearly twelve miles on gravel Sage Creek Rim Road and Sage Creek Road, we continued west and south past tilled fields on Sage Creek Road, Pennington County 590. for an additional twelve miles to South Dakota route 44. We then turned east and headed 32 miles back to the park at Interior. The twelve miles of Sage Creek Road west of Badlands National Park is also a gravel road, but signed and graded for a 50 mile per hour speed limit. About 7 3/4 miles outside the park or 19.7 miles from Badlands Loop Road (SD-240), the route enters Buffalo Gap National Grassland. The route we took then stays within the national grassland until we crossed the narrow "neck" of the national park that connects the North Unit with the Stronghold Unit. After crossing the neck, we remained in the grassland to the Interior entrance station at the park.

We saw more of the badlands from Sage Creek Road, but we were surprised to see a prairie dog town beside SD-44 and even more surprised to see a herd of bison being moved from one fenced parcel to another. These bison are raised by a national grasslands lessee. We drove through the grassland in August 2017.

Badlands along Sage Creek Road

More of the badlands along Sage Creek Road

Prairie Dog town along SD-44

Bison herd south of SD-44

Another view of the herd

A closer view

Entry to the grassland is free.

The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands webpage is https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nebraska/recarea/?recid=30329.