Big Muddy Badlands | |
|---|---|
 Castle Butte | |
  Big Muddy Badlands Location of Big Muddy Badlands | |
| Coordinates: 49°13′03″N 105°13′09″W / 49.2176°N 105.2191°W | |
| Location | Southern Saskatchewan and northern Montana |
| Range | Missouri Coteau |
| Part of | Big Muddy Valley |
| Age | Last ice age |
| Formed by | Big Muddy Creek |
| Geology | Badlands |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 55km |
| • Width | 3.2km |
| • Depth | 160m |
The Big Muddy Badlands[1] are a series of badlands in southern Saskatchewan, Canada, and northern Montana, United States, in the Big Muddy Valley and along Big Muddy Creek.[2] Big Muddy Valley is a cleft of erosion and sandstone that is 55 kilometres (34 mi) long, 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) wide, and 160 metres (520 ft) deep.[3]
The Big Muddy Valley and Big Muddy Badlands were formed over 12,000 years ago near the end of the last ice age when a glacial lake outburst flood occurred from a pre-historic glacial lake located at present-day Old Wives Lake.[4] Big Muddy Lake is a large salt lake at the heart of the badlands. Two other notable lakes, Willow Bunch Lake and Lake of the Rivers, are farther upstream in the valley.
A prominent feature of the badlands is Castle Butte (49°13′03″N 105°13′09″W / 49.2175°N 105.2191°W), which is an outcrop of sandstone and compressed clay that protrudes above the flat prairie. It has a height of 60 metres (200 ft) and a circumference of 500 metres (1,600 ft). It is located 19 kilometres (12 mi) south of Bengough on Highway 34, about halfway between Big Muddy Lake and Willow Bunch Lake.[5]
Jean Louis Legare Regional Park is a campground and golf course near Willow Bunch at the northern end of the valley.[6]
Ranching and tourism are important industries in the sparsely populated area.[7] Tours of the badlands are arranged from the nearby town of Coronach.[8]
- ^ "Big Muddy Valley". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Big Muddy Creek". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ Yanko, Dave. "The Badlands". Virtual Saskatchewan. Virtual Saskatchewan. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ Harel, Claude-Jean. "Big Muddy Valley". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. University of Regina. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "Castle Butte". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ "Jean Louis Legare". Regional Parks of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Regional Parks. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Coronach Tourism Big Muddy & Outlaw Cave Tours". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Unique Places to visit in Saskatchewan". To Do Canada. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.