Touring the Black Hills: An Other-Worldly Experience!

Jan here, with another look at this beautiful world we live in!

A couple weeks ago, we wanted to explore an area my husband had heard about. It's called Toadstool Geologic Park, and is just about an hour south of us in northwestern Nebraska.

When we looked it up on the map, I realized that this area is the setting of a book in an upcoming western series I'm planning!

Can you say, "research trip?!?"

So we packed our picnic (with plenty of water in the cooler!) and headed out.

We took the wrong road, which allowed us to see some gorgeous buttes we would have missed, but we finally found our turn...and started our 15 mile journey on the dirt/gravel/mud road. We have rarely been more thankful for our four-wheel-drive on the truck!

When we finally got to our destination, the park didn't disappoint us. It was fascinating! This area is an extension of the South Dakota Badlands, but with unique geologic formations.

Do you see why it's called Toadstool Park?

The top layer of these formations is made of sandstone, while the lower layers are made of clay-stone. Clay-stone is not as hard as sandstone, and erodes faster. So the sandstone is left standing on top of a clay-stone pillar. Pretty cool, isn't it?

We followed the self-guided walking tour and every turn held new sights.

There are no guardrails - you need to be careful! If you look
carefully, you can see the poles marking the trail in the
distance.

Another point of interest was the reproduction of the sod house.

That roof is going to be beautiful when those cactus bloom!

This reproduction was built in 1984 on the site of the original sod house built in 1930. The reproduction has lasted for thirty-four years!

Outside of the park, ranching still flourishes.

We're at the edge of the Oglala National Grasslands, and I wish you could hear the silence. It's broken only by bird song, but what could be better than that?

To find out more about Toadstool Geologic Park, and perhaps plan your own visit, follow this link.

I hope you enjoyed today's tour! Have you ever been to a place like this park?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.