The most recent Ken Burns magnum opus for PBS, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, follows the leitmotif thread of the documentary film director’s other works, such as Baseball and Jazz. Slices of Americana in other words, brought vividly and dramatically to life, with acute historical perspective.

Burns is not only a director and producer but a keen cinematographer as well. The National Parks features incredible vistas of the Grand Canyon, Denali, Yosemite and Yellowstone, to name but several. But one geological wonder that stood out for us throughout the run of the documentary was the badlands. The badlands of Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Utah to be precise. Singular in appearance, almost alien in nature, badlands offer some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. So while The National Parks, courtesy of PBS, gave us a great peek, why not discover the badlands of North America for yourself, in person?

Toadstool Geologic Park, Nebraska

The Oglala National Grassland in the north west corner of Nebraska sits near the borders of Wyoming and South Dakota and contain some of the most brilliant examples of badlands rock formations anywhere on the planet. Just head to Toadstool Geologic Park, within the Oglala and a stone’s throw from the small town of Crawford.

Hell’s Half-Acre, Wyoming

Often described as a geological oddity, Hell’s Half-Acre in Wyoming draws scores of road trippers who pass through the nearby city of Casper. The ancient fault scarp is indeed quite a sight. The strange twisted mess of ravines, caves and rock formations has served as an otherworldly film backdrop and most notably, a buffalo kill zone by Native hunters.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

The name sums it up quite nicely. Badlands National Park preserves close to one quarter of a million acres of buttes, spires and rocky landscape, in addition to some very precious mixed grass prairie. Visitors to Badlands not only have the chance to gaze at the impressive scenery but also commune with buffalo, bighorn sheep, mule deer and coyotes.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

As one of the architects of the movement to establish National Parks across America, Theodore Roosevelt left quite a legacy. A notable hunter, naturalist and explorer, Roosevelt felt most at home on his ranch in the badlands of North Dakota. You can visit the ranch today, in what is now Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Drumheller, Alberta

Some of the best badlands in North America are actually in Canada. The Red Deer River town of Drumheller, Alberta is a prime example. About an hour’s drive northeast of Calgary, the area in and around Drumheller features awesome hoodoos and world class Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, which draws close to 400,000 visitors a year.

Big Muddy Badlands, Saskatchewan

The province of Saskatchewan has another badlands gem along Big Muddy Creek, a tributary of the Missouri River which runs into northern Montana. The unique landscape of Big Muddy Valley was once a hideout for Old West bandits on the lam from the law on the Outlaw Trail. Today, Big Muddy welcomes mostly tourist and ranchers.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

A whopping 1.9 million acres of southern Utah makes the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. More land than the entire state of Delaware, the National Monument area contains three main sections: the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante. A boon for paleontologists, the landscape encompasses some of the most unusual rock formations on the globe, brilliant fossil deposits and breathtaking scenery. While you’re here, take the time to visit nearby Bryce Canyon as well, a spectacular National Park gem, if ever there was one.

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