Filming for Season 5 of Epic Trails is underway, and recently host Eric Hanson and crew wrapped up a shoot in beautiful South Dakota. This shoot took Eric through Badlands National Park and the Black Hills, along with special guest and fellow backpacker, Dan Becker.
Below is an excerpt from Eric’s blog post about his experience:
“South Dakota might just be one of the most surprising states in the country. Bring up South Dakota and you might think of rolling grasslands and farmland as far as the eye can see, but that does the state little justice. It’s probably not regarded as one of the top adventure destinations. But it should be!
I traveled to South Dakota to film an episode of Epic Trails with a tiny bit of skepticism in my heart. But that just shows how little I know about this gem.
First, I traveled into Badlands National Park, which is popular and frequently trafficked with its ease of access from the freeway, and of course, made better with a stop in the quirky little town of Wall. After eating Buffalo Burgers and getting scared by the animatronic T-Rex, I wandered into the Badlands to hike the Notch Trail. The Badlands is a unique national park, not known as much for hiking as it is a drive through time and odd geology. But there is hiking! There are certified, actual trails with a maze of strange features that hikers are welcome to clamber atop as they please.
But the Badlands wasn’t my main reason for visiting; I came to explore The Black Hills, an incredible pocket of granite spires and pine trees, rich with surprising beauty. There is so much to explore and do here, and I was attempting to do as much as possible.” – Eric Hanson
Click here to read the full article!
About Epic Trails: Epic Trails is an exciting and inspiring adventure travel media series that follows host, Eric Hanson, as he explores the people, places, and adventures surrounding the world’s top hiking destinations. Each 30-minute TV episode airs on Outside TV, 27 regional networks, and internationally through National Geographic Channel—Asia and Extreme Sports Channel across Europe. Episodes of Epic Trails aired over 2,200 times in 2020. Learn more about the series at www.heliconia.ca. Networks interested in carrying Epic Trails are encouraged to reach out to Heliconia’s Vice-President, Brendan Mark, at brendan@helipress.com.
