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Midwesterners take a few things pretty seriously. One of those things is off-roading. The Midwest has some pretty varied opportunities to get out in the dirt. That means if you can dream it, you can probably find it in the Midwest. From sand dunes, and deep mud, to rock trails, there are many ways to get into it. While the Midwest has great terrain, there are only a few places to go and experience it all in a single day. One of the best places to get out and ride is Badlands Off Road Park.
Badlands Off Road Park is located in Attica, Indiana. Attica itself is not a huge place. The population hovers around 3,000 residents. What the town has going for it though is the Badlands. We saddled up for some fun in the park as they were hosting their first-ever Badlands Bash content creator event. Before we get into some of the hijinks that went on, here is a little bit of info about the event.
The Badlands Bash Event
The idea behind a content creator event is to bring influential people and companies to an event to develop content for their brands while highlighting the park. Park owner and operator Kyle Knosp had this to say, “this all started from the brainchild of our event team. I’m very proud of them for their creative ideas.” We also asked about how much bigger Kyle may want the event to get.
He admitted, “Well, that’s always a trick question because you want it to be humongous, but there is a difference in just size and overall impact. We are really striving for both at this event. We feel, with the direction of the industry and our times, this particular event can merge the real world, the digital space, and the influencers that drive it with a side dish of some good old-fashioned fun.”
Where Are The Badlands Situated?
Badlands Off Road sits on the west side of the state. The park is 82 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Its location is especially interesting because you would not expect to have a lot of terrain change in that part of the country. However, the park’s proximity to the Wabash River and its associated geologic impact over time has created quite a nice opportunity for off-road enthusiasts.
The park sits on over 1400 acres of prime off-roading land. All trails are multidirectional. However, certain sections of the park are designated for specific vehicle types. This prevents drivers from having to worry about smaller vehicles being in areas where it may be difficult to see them.
As we pulled in on our first day, the staff was friendly but firm about checking coolers, as no alcohol is permitted in the park. Violators of the rules will have their riding permit revoked. Safety is a top concern. Flags, helmets, and seat belts will all be verified before park entry. In addition to the trails, there are showers, flush toilets, and even a food shack on site. The park has a lot going for it, and the staff and facilities are first-rate.
The weekend’s fun was not limited to the off-road park. The Bash at the Badlands teamed up with Rockstar Garage and the city of Attica to host Dancing in The Streets in downtown Attica on Friday evening. The event offered an alternative to the off-road park adventures long enough to grab a bite to eat and listen to live music. Various vendors were also on-site for any needed parts, upgrades, or repairs. Family-friendly games being played in the downtown streets provided a fun respite from the go-fast atmosphere at the park.
Badlands Bash: Fun For All
While at the park, the opportunity to get as nasty as you wanted was in full effect. The Badlands Bash featured a variety of competitions for participants. One of the most unique events of the day was the serpentine time attack. The ability to manage control inputs was put to the test for this one. Top spots for the fastest quad, side by side, and youths aged 16 and under were available. It was a blast seeing everyone cheer, and push to be the fastest. A lot of fun was had by all.
Once the time attack was complete, those daring enough could sign up for drag races. The UTV Outlaws-sponsored dirt drags were exceptionally well managed. An actual staging tree let drivers know when it was time to stomp on it. After the basics were explained, beginners became pros in no time. Of course, good-natured jokes and a few laughs were had while providing instruction. A naturally aspirated and a turbo class were instituted to keep things on the up and up. There was no shortage of challengers. In fact, the drags may have been the most popular event of the day.
After the drags, there was a side-by-side long jump contest. Ten contestants pushed their rides to the max in an attempt to get the longest jump. While all the participants went full send, there were two left tied for second. In the end, a spirited battle of rock, paper, and scissors had to decide the winner.
Food And Live Entertainment
When all of the driving was done for the day, both spectators and drivers were ready for some grub. The on-site food vendors were dishing out the goodies while attendees prepared for the live music. After hitting the trails all day, the chance to experience a live concert and some good food was pretty amazing. Everclear was the main act and Lit opened the show with a bang.
Why It Matters
At its core, the Badlands Off Road Park is a family-friendly atmosphere. The park staff truly cares about providing a great experience for everyone. It’s also clear by the participation of the local Attica community that they support the park. The fact that so many people showed up to support local businesses downtown was pretty cool. Park owner and operator Kyle summed it up best. He shared, “This is an excellent opportunity to give back to the community while bringing everyone together for fun, games, and laughs. We want our community to thrive and the best way to do that is to combine our guests and our neighbors.” Not really sure how having a positive relationship with your local community can go wrong.
Winning At The Badlands
After hanging at the Badlands Bash for the weekend, we can say with no hesitation that this event is definitely one to visit. You don’t have to take our word for it though. During our time at the park, we ran into Alex Baciu. Sharp readers will remember him and his super tuff 2006 Wrangler. If you happened to miss it you can check it out here because it’s an awesome built rig.
We asked Alex to share some thoughts. He said, “We love the park and the whole Badlands Bash experience. There was so much to do, I just wish we had a little more time to go do everything. The event was well organized. There were plenty of opportunities to go out and mingle. We got to meet new people and see some of the bigger social media names out there. We absolutely loved it.”
Alex also added, “We thank the Badlands, all of the staff for the hospitality they provided to us, and the Rockstar Garage crew. We will defiantly be returning for hopefully, an extended weekend next time. Being in the quarry for the Rockstar experience, and hitting up some of the obstacles was really fun. We also enjoyed the concert at the end. It was a great way to finish off the weekend for us.”
Badlands Bash: The Next One
The entire event had a great vibe and all participants really seemed to enjoy themselves. In fact, we had so much fun that we instantly started asking about the next one. Kyle shared, “Well, we can’t let all of our cats out of the bag at once. We did learn a ton from this event and are already planning the 2nd Annual Badlands Bash. The one sneak peek I will give you is there will be more competition and games. That’s all I can say for now.” We’ll take that.
If you want to learn a little bit more about the Badlands Off Road Park then stay tuned for a complete overview of the facility coming soon. In the meantime check out all of their upcoming events. While this was the first year for the Badlands Bash we have no hesitation in saying that the next one will be even bigger and better.
