Backpacking Badlands | Sage Creek Wilderness Loop | Part 1 - Deer Haven

Описание: This video is Part 1 of a two-part series of my backpacking trip to Badlands National Park. Specifically, I am backpacking the Sage Creek Wilderness Loop. I will be spending 3 days and 2 nights on the trail.

Part 1 highlights my amazing experience in Deer Haven where I camped for the first night and then part of day 2 where I hiked through the Sage Creek Drainage and onto the prairie lands in search of the mighty buffalo.

Deer Haven was by far the highlight of my trip. First, it had trees, so I was able to sleep in my hammock the first night. Second, the views could not be beat. You are camping on this ridge looking down on the cool rock formations. Easily one of my best campsites.

Deer Haven is only 3 miles from the Conata trailhead which makes it an ideal location for an overnight backpacking trip. The hike to Deer Haven is flat and easy. It is only until you reach Deer Haven that you begin a fairly steep climb to get to the campsites with the amazing views. If you don't want to do the entire loop, then I still highly recommend camping at least one night at Deer Haven.

Day 2 involved hiking over the top of the ridge of Deer Haven and then dropping back down into the Sage Creek Drainage. You will follow this drainage for about 3 miles. Again, this is easy hiking, you will just need a map to know when to exit Sage Creek.

Once you leave the Sage Creek Drainage, this is where the adventure begins. This is where you are going to need some navigation skills to stay on the trail. I used the onX Backcountry app, which was fabulous. I really liked it for this trip because I was able to download an offline map and then it shows me where I am at on the trail. And not just a dot on the map but an arrow pointing in the direction I am facing. This was helpful in knowing if I was following the trail or not. Very helpful, highly recommend.

I had hiked about 6-7 miles on day 2 and still had not seen any wildlife. Little did I know that I would have some cool experiences at the end of this day and the start of day 3. But you will need to check out Part 2 to watch my wildlife encounters.

Thanks for watching.

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#hammockcamping
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#sagecreekwilderness
#deerhaven