Today, we went to the Badlands National Park.  In my opinion, a very underrated area of the country.  It is beautiful in its starkness.  We drove over some of the dirt roads also so that we could visit the prairie dog town and the herd of buffalo that has been reintroduced into the park.  Both are worth the drive out to see.  We then took the main route through the park, stopping at a couple of the overlooks and generally taking in the views.  We stopped at the Cedar Lodge and contemplated eating there, but it was stuffy so we decided to cook at a picnic table outside so the kids could run around a bit.  We did not stop at the visitor center because there were four tour buses there and we did not feel like fighting crowds, but instead continued driving.

If you are in or near the area, the Badlands are worth a visit.  The starkness of the terrain combined with the prairie surroundings combine for a land feature you will not soon forget.