47 years of Badlands National Park Nov 10, 2025

47 years of Badlands National Park

On November 10, 47 years ago, a stark stretch of South Dakota prairie gained recognition as one of America"s natural treasures. Badlands National Park, carved by wind and water, was redesignated from national monument to national park status in 1978, securing stronger protection within the National Park System. Its cliffs and spires rise above fossil beds that reveal ancient rhinoceroses, camels, and subtropical seas. Yet the park is not only a window into the past; it also safeguards one of the largest remaining tracts of mixed-grass prairie in the US.

© Greg Vaughn/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Nov 10, 2018The Badlands celebrates a milestone
Nov 10, 2019Sunny day, sweepin the clouds away
Nov 10, 2020Baddest of the badlands
Nov 10, 2021Cumberland Island National Seashore
Nov 10, 2022Badlands National Park turns 44
Nov 10, 2023Badlands National Parks 45th anniversary
Nov 10, 2024Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 3, 2022World Bicycle Day
Aug 12, 2025World Elephant Day
Apr 10, 2025Siblings Day
Jan 23, 2022Wedded Rocks, Japan
Apr 4, 2023Roman bridge of Córdoba, Spain
Dec 10, 2022Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
Sep 11, 202120 years later
Feb 2, 2020Hut, hut, hike!
Oct 26, 2018A notorious gunfight that was incorrectly named
Apr 19, 2025First day of National Park Week
Jan 27, 2020Thomas Edison s bright idea
Feb 10, 2019Groovy!
Aug 20, 2023International Lighthouse Weekend
Apr 23, 2018National Park Week: Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii
Jun 21, 2021The tallest animal in the world on the longest day of the year
Jul 26, 2025International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
Jun 12, 2022Big Bend National Park turns 78
Feb 26, 2018A leafy seadragon in the waters off Wool Bay, Australia
Aug 16, 2025World Honey Bee Day
Oct 18, 2024Autumn in Central Park, New York
Oct 16, 2020It s harvest time on World Food Day
Oct 26, 2020Corfe gets creepy
Jun 30, 2025Asteroid Day
Jul 11, 2019Evidence of human habitation
Sep 25, 2021Autumn comes to the Porcupines
Jun 2, 2024National Gardening Week
Feb 10, 2020This park is Superkilen
Oct 16, 2019Paleontology meets art
Jan 11, 2022Porcupine
Nov 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand