Following our stops at two of Nebraska’s national monuments, Chelsea and I made our way to the Oglala National Grassland for our final stop in the state – Toadstool Geologic Park. Basically, Nebraska’s version of the badlands.
The formations at Toadstool date back more than 30 million years, to a time when now-extinct animals roamed the land. Volcanic debris transported to the area by a large river formed the layered rocks which have since been weathered for millions of years, eroding into the mushroom-shaped formations seen today.
There is a campground and day use area here, as well as a trailhead offering multiple hiking options. For purposes of time and beating the incoming thunderstorm, we elected to take the 1 mile (1.6 km) interpretive loop trail through the formations. Be sure to pick up a brochure at the trailhead; there are numbered posts along the way that correspond to blurbs about each location.
In addition to the unique geology, the hike itself was a lot of fun as we walked through narrow passages, along edges, and climbed over lots of rocks.
It didn’t take us long to hike the loop and read the signs in the parking lot. We also took a quick look at the old sod house adjacent to the parking lot before dashing back to the car to beat the approaching storm.
We were almost successful. It was just starting to sprinkle as we began the drive. Toadstool is located a few miles off the highway down well-maintained dirt roads. We were about to learn the hard way, though, that these aren’t your ordinary dirt roads. They’re made of bentonite, a form of clay that expands when it gets wet and becomes extremely squishy and sticky. As we made our way along the road, rain beginning to fall more rapidly, we found ourselves progressively losing traction. This worsened until we were moving about 5 mph and still fishtailing. It was as though we were driving on ice.
But there wasn’t anything we could do. It was too narrow to pull over and there was nowhere to turn off. Our best bet was to keep chugging along slowly enough to avoid sliding into the ditch but with enough momentum to avoid getting stuck.
But the bentonite eventually got the best of us and we got bogged down right there in the middle of the road. When we got out to assess our situation, we found the tires completely coated with a few inches of the stuff – no wonder we had no traction – not to mention blobs of it plastered all over my car. And now also coating the bottom of our shoes. It was a sticky mess of a situation.
(I wish we had thought to take photos but we were both too busy stressing out.)
Fortunately, we had enough service for me to call roadside assistance. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find anyone to come get us. Unsurprising, I suppose, for middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. When we finally found a tow company that was open, the guy proceeded to condescendingly explain to me that we shouldn’t have driven that road in the rain – as if we hadn’t already figured that out – and then ultimately informed us we would probably be there all night, as he didn’t have a truck that could make it to us without also getting stuck.
Well, we weren’t about to spend the night in the middle of the road. By this point the sun had reappeared and the road felt marginally drier, so we decided to give it a whirl. After all, what did we have to lose? It was slow going and still very slippery but against all odds we did it! We made it to the pavement! I’m really grateful Chelsea was the one driving when this happened; I’m 99% certain that if it had been me, we would have ended up in the ditch. We might still be there.
Lesson learned. Don’t drive dirt roads in Nebraska if there’s even the smallest possibility of rain. The locals seem to know this but, having never encountered a road made of bentonite before, we had absolutely no idea. Some ‘impassable when wet’ signage is something they might want to consider.
And the weather wasn’t quite done with us yet. We were now running about an hour later than planned, so rather than reaching our hotel in South Dakota by nightfall we found ourselves driving in the dark through the most massive and intense thunderstorm I’ve ever seen in my life (and I’ve spent most of my life living in places where thunderstorms are very common). The only way I can describe it is that we were driving inside a giant strobe light that was pelting us with sheets of rain and hail while trying to blow us off the road. It was constant lightning for at least half an hour, flashes as bright as daylight followed by brief moments of complete darkness. It was extremely difficult to drive in. We eventually were able to find a safe place to pull over to wait it out.
Not entirely the evening we’d had planned. But we didn’t have to spend the night in the middle of a dirt road in Nebraska, so I guess it could have been worse.
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: Toadstool Geologic Park is located in the Oglala National Grassland, about 25 minutes northwest of the town of Crawford, Nebraska
- Fees and passes: From May-Nov there is a $3/car fee for day use (half price with America the Beautiful or other Interagency Pass)
- Hiking: we took the 1 mile (1.6 km) interpretive loop trail through the badlands terrain, but there are a couple longer hiking options available as well
- Where to stay: there is a campground here with restrooms and tables but no water; the closest town with lodging is Crawford, Nebraska
- Other: in case it wasn’t clear from above, never ever ever attempt to drive here if there’s any chance of rain… no matter what kind of car you have. And if you’re here and it does start to rain, plan to stay put until the roads dry out.
Handstands Around the World 
Wow would love to be able to go here some day!!
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Whew. Your story was a nail-biter, Diana. The drama started with those gorgeous, moody storm clouds. The toadstool and rock formations were beautiful. It was a tricky call, but hurrying through this wonderland to beat the storm seemed like a good idea, and I agree, a sign about the bentonite dangers would’ve helped a lot, and I’m sure you would have heeded them. Travel is like this. We don’t always know the score and we assess and move on. But sometimes we have those terrifying events, weather or otherwise, and the best we can do is persevere and figure out a way to get through, and you and Chelsea did that. yay.
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Very true… travel definitely pushes us out of our comfort zones and into new experiences. Definitely we learned a lesson with this one when it comes to bentonite and the scope of Nebraska thunderstorms!
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I was nodding during your description of the thunderstorm, thinking, “Yep, sounds like Nebraska.” On the other hand, my jaw dropped when I saw those Badlands-esque pictures. I had no idea Nebraska had anything like that!
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I didn’t either. I’d never been to Nebraska before this year. The landscape has really surprised me!
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It’s such an amazing landscape, and I absolutely love the moody skies over head in your pictures. We have nothing like this in the UK, so thank you for showing me so many amazing places 🙂
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The skies were my favorite part too! Glad I can give you a tour of some of USA’s lesser known places.
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WOW! That is other-worldly countryside. Just waiting for the little green Martians to pop out of a gully! 🙂
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You’re the third person to say that this landscape looks like the moon/another planet. I hadn’t actually seen it that way before but now that people have mentioned it I do see the resemblance.
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Gosh, what dramatic skies! I was honestly fearing for you hiking under such an ominous presence! Regardless, the photos you captured of those mountains really show off the detailed carvings– paired with the dark clouds, they almost look like paintings! I’d been unaware that there were Badlands in Nebraska (as I suppose South Dakota’s are more famous), but it’s been on my US bucket list for quite some time!
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We were definitely keeping a close eye on the storm. We started out in sunshine and ended up beneath the edge of the clouds with lightning and thunder in the distance. It was really amazing to watch such a massive storm move in and photograph those skies!
Hopefully you can make a trip through Nebraska sometime soon… I was pleasantly surprised by the western part of the state and how much there is to see.
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I’m glad you didn’t have to spend the night stuck in the middle of the road. The stark landscape at Toadstool is made more dramatic by the incredible sky.
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Yes, despite the whole debacle we did end up with some amazing photos!
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Truly! The scenery is stunning.
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This is no ordinary trip, much more comfortable to tell than to live.
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Yes, it was quite a lot of anxiety we could have done without.
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Wow, what a hike, Diana! The formations and those thundering clouds at Toadstool Geologic Park look quite fascinating and pretty much moonlike. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be there during the sunrise and sunset hours when the landscape shifts and changes with each passing hour. I am glad to hear that you didn’t end up in a ditch – when it’s raining heavily or you’re driving on worn tread, it’s can be very risky. Thanks for sharing your adventures around Nebraska and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva xx
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There were people there to photograph the storm so I imagine it’s a popular area for local photographers during sunrise and sunset as well. I’m sure it would be beautiful!
We’re very thankful we survived the drive. I think the brand new tires on my car may have been our saving grace. And also Chelsea’s ability to drive in that situation. It was an adventure for sure.
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I have so much PTSD from that drive…but I’m still obsessed with the storm photos over the toadstools!
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Same. Dirt roads and moose are now the main things that give me the most anxiety.
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OM.. what a hike!! Great captures!!
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Thank you!
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When we went to Big Bend we stayed at a place on a road like that. Of course we were forewarned not to travel it if it rained. The people who’s cabin we stayed in even prepositioned 4 wheel drives at each end of the road so you could get in or out during an emergency.
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Smart! I really wished they would have posted some signs, we never would’ve attempted to visit had we known.
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Yikes, that road sounds treacherous! Glad you made it back to the main road safely. Looks like a super cool landscape, though 🙂
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We are too 🙂 It was a cool place but a driving experience we are not looking to repeat.
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Lovely pictures, especially with those dark ominous looking clouds. Glad to hear that you managed to drive out of there and weren’t forced to spend the night in your car. That road sounds super sketchy. I imagine it must have been quite the storm judging how dark the clouds were in your pictures! Linda
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Thank you! Angry skies always make for some dramatic photos. In fact, there were a few people there with cameras and tripods photographing the storm.
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What an interesting place – never seen landscape like this! Beautiful photo’s 😊. Oh, and that slippery drive – that’s an (unexpected) adventure on its own … but glad you’ve made it out and in one piece!
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Yes, it was a very unique place! We’re very glad to have survived the drive as well. Definitely something we’re not looking to repeat.
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What an exceptional place ! In som of your picture I have the impression from walking from earth right into a moon landscape. Thanks for sharing and my compliments for the pictures.
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It’s funny, I hadn’t seen it that way but multiple others have said that in their comments as well. It’s definitely a bizarre landscape.
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Sounds very scary, and not something you would want to do again!
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Definitely not! Lesson very much learned.
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