National Parks

Badlands National Park: South Dakota's Ancient Eroded Wilderness

Drive through a landscape of ancient fossil beds, jagged spires, and vast prairie roamed by bison and pronghorn in South Dakota's dramatic Badlands.

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Location:

Badlands National Park, SD

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When to Visit:

May through September for the best weather; June and September for comfortable temperatures and smaller crowds; summer evenings for spectacular sunsets over the formations

Badlands National Park, SD Travel Recommendations

Cedar Pass Campground – Badlands

Cedar Pass Campground – Badlands

The main campground inside Badlands National Park with sites surrounded by stunning buttes and pinnacles and some of the darkest stargazing skies in the US.
Reserve a Site
Cedar Pass Lodge – Badlands

Cedar Pass Lodge – Badlands

The only lodging inside Badlands National Park, offering cozy cabin-style accommodations with dramatic views of the park's otherworldly formations.
Reserve
Badlands National Park Fossil Dig Experience

Badlands National Park Fossil Dig Experience

Ranger-led fossil preparation lab experiences at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center where visitors can watch and learn about real fossil excavations from the Badlands.
Plan Your Visit
Badlands Wilderness Guides

Badlands Wilderness Guides

Small-group guided tours through the Badlands offering expert naturalist commentary on the park's unique geology, paleontology, and wildlife.
Book a Tour
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Badlands National Park, SD Travel Tips

  • Drive the Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) at sunrise or sunset — the low-angle light turns the formations extraordinary shades of orange and pink and the heat is far more manageable than midday in summer.
  • Stop at the Big Badlands Overlook near the Northeast Entrance for the single most panoramic and dramatic first view of the park — it sets the scene perfectly.
  • The Ben Reifel Visitor Center has an excellent fossil display and rangers can tell you where recent fossil exposures have been spotted — always worth a stop before hitting the trails.
  • Stay in the town of Wall (home of Wall Drug) or Interior for the most convenient lodging access; the park has one campground (Cedar Pass) that accepts reservations on recreation.gov.
  • Combine Badlands with a visit to nearby Wind Cave National Park or Mount Rushmore for a complete Black Hills road trip itinerary.

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