Badlands Off Road Park — Attraction in Indiana

Great place.

We took our Toyota Land Cruiser (bone stock) and 2 toddlers (one likes cars with daddy) on a rainy Sunday. We didn't really know what to expect going into it. I have some comments for each part of our visit.

Check-in The Check-in process could have been better. They made my 2 little ones get out in the rain to come get wrist bands. The kids were ready to stretch their legs anyway so not a big deal for us. Every one was super nice. They do take cards for payment. Some suggestions for the park may be to let people sign up online and give their ID's upon arrival. We got our window mounted flag and got out the door.

The Trails Awesome. The majority of the trails are a gravel/sand/mud mix. I can't speak for the ATV trails. There are large hills you can climb. There are large puddles you can wade through. There are large areas that are strictly mud. There are wooded trails and there are open trails. The level of difficulty really depends on your vehicle capability and skill set. If I am being honest, we had to back up a few times; but no cause for alarm on getting out of a tough spot. There was a little bit of everything. We liked the way the trails were setup.

The Crowd 4-Wheeling crowd. If you know what that means then skip this part. We have traveled all over the US in a multitude of different adventures. We found exactly the people we thought we'd find in rural IN. Everyone was very nice and respectful. There was a feeling of camaraderie on the trails. That helped when you got into some of the dicey stuff. You like to think people would give you a hand if you need it. There were plenty of teenagers on dirt bikes and I would guess a few folks breaking some park rules. The staff informed us that if we got into a spot we couldn't get out of; we'd be looking at a $200 fee for recovery and that it would take forever. Your best bet is to get a fellow rider to pull you out.

Cost $44 - 2 adults, 2 Toddlers, 1 Flag. Spent more at lunch (on-site) and at the wash bin, but didn't track those expenses.

Overall I laughed the whole time. That was a cool day. The kids thought it was great for a couple of hours. Easily one of the best ways to spend $44. I will return in the future. I hope this review helps someone...

The riding at this park was ok for a couple of days; mostly sand and a little bit of mud. It’s ok for a weekend riding spot but longer than that and you will run out of challenges. My problem with the park is the off-road vacation rentals. We hosted a bachelor party in early May and stayed in cabins 5 and 6. The cabins were nice but had obviously just been built as there were no fire pits, grass or even doors on the bedrooms. One of the cabins didn’t even have steps up to the deck. I honestly feel like the cabins just weren’t quite ready for occupancy honestly. The cabins are also located directly behind the main office so your constantly feel as if you are being monitored as opposed to riding and having a good time. You essentially sign your life away when renting these cabins and I feel like they are a bit overly sensitive to the rules to the point it takes the fun out of it. My recommendation would be to stay at a campground down the road and avoid the camping experience at the off-road park. We had a good time but feel like the park and it’s staff are a bit stuffy and oppressive. After leaving the park we were also charged a fee for someone allegedly smoking in the cabin to which $180 was added to our bill. I just felt taken back by this and the fine was assessed several days after we left and no receipt or proper explanation of those charges was ever given. It’s your word against there’s I suppose. I guess I had high hopes for this weekend and the riding experience and feel a bit let down. This was my first and most likely my last visit to the badlands off-road park. The place has potential and maybe after the new wears off on the cabins the will relax and realize it’s a off-road park and then maybe it will be a good place to stay. Until then my assumption is they will continue to charge excessive fees to help pay for their cabins. If you are 60 years old and like to sit on the porch and talk to the staff this is the place for you; if your out to have a good time I’d...

We had our first true off roading experience at the Badlands this past July 4th weekend and fell in love. It was an absolute blast. We came with 2 Jeeps and also rented one of their Polaris Razors. The 800 acre park has a good mix of everything. A healthy mix of sand, dirt, mud, and rock. Lots of wide open areas and plenty of trails.

We stayed from Friday evening until Monday afternoon and we rented one of their cabins called the Cottage. The pictures on the site looked alright, but we were more impressed once got there. It was really nice inside and very inviting and comfortable. One of the best parts was the privacy. The campsites have quiet time after 11 p.m. At the Cottage you can be loud and you won't be bothering anybody. It's located in the main parking lot far away from all the campsites. The cost for the weekend was $800. For 6 people it ended up being $134 a person, which was very reasonable.

The first day we rode was Saturday morning. My fiance' and I rented the razor while the others rode the Jeeps. It was a little pricey for $350 a day. They also require a hefty security deposit. It was well worth it though. It was fast enough and able to go just about everywhere. We had a ton of fun with it.

On Sunday our whole party threw in to rent it another day and we took turns driving the razor and the Jeeps. On Monday it was just the Jeeps. We them into the rock quarry where atv's were not allowed. This was probably the most scenic area of the Badlands. It was very rugged terrain, yet very beautiful. We also found an area that has a ton of mud bogs, which was a lot of fun as well.

Overall we had a great time at the Badlands. We will definitely be returning. Dave and his staff were very friendly, kind, and accomadating to us. They made our visit spectacular and we really enjoyed our...