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Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is reached by the Badlands Loop (SR 240). The scenic loop meets I-90 at exit 110 at Wall and exit 131 at Cactus Flat. On SR 44 from Rapid City, continue to Interior and take SR 377 to Cedar Pass.
Beneath the Badlands lies one of the world's finest Oligocene fossil beds of mammals that flourished 27 to 34 million years ago. Between the White and Cheyenne rivers in southwestern South Dakota, the area also contains spectacular examples of weathering and erosion. Irregular ravines, fantastic ridges, low hills and cliffs display variegated color alternating with grayish-white sediment. The present bison population is about 800. Other wildlife inhabiting the park include coyotes, bighorn sheep, deer, golden eagles, pronghorns and prairie dogs. Roberts Prairie Dog Town can be seen along the Sage Creek Rim Road, 5 miles west of the Pinnacles.
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