South Dakota’s Badlands National Park is one of several national parks to visit while in the Black Hills. East of the Black Hills, Badlands National Park offers geological formations, wildlife viewing, history and dark-sky programming. Conveniently on Interstate 80, travelers can take the scenic drive and spot wildlife, then follow up with a short hike. Badlands offers a campground with equipped cabins, perfect for stargazing. Here are the top things to do in Badlands National Park.
9 Top Things to Do at Badlands National Park
Learn About the Badlands
Explore the Visitor Center
Take a Scenic Drive
Hike in the Badlands
See the Sun Rise or Sun Set
See Wildlife
Stare at the Night Sky
Visit the Fossil Preparation Lab
Spend the Night in a Cabin
Top Things to Do in South Dakota’s Black Hills
Why Visit the Badlands
A trip to South Dakota is brimming with National Park sites to discover. The landscape of the Badlands stands in stark contrast to the tree-covered rolling hills of the Black Hills.
This is one of those parks that you can visit in a few hours or a few days, depending on how much you want to do. During my visits to Badlands National Park, I’ve seen Big Horn Sheep and Pronghorn. There is ample hiking and, during the summer, Ranger Programs.
I have stayed in a Cedar Pass Lodge cabin and recommend it. At night, the stars shone bright. In the morning, I saw a rabbit outside my door, munching on grass.
Not too far is the town of Wall and the Wall Drug Store. It is a must-visit road trip stop. Another NPS site to visit is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and its bunker tour.
Why You Have to Stop at Wall Drug
Visitors Center in Badlands National Park
I always recommend stopping by the visitor center if it is open. If it is not, Park Rangers usually have maps near the main entrance door. This area usually offers restrooms and water bottle refill stations.
Ben Reifel Visitor Center
The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is at the North Unit of the park and gives out maps, Junior Ranger Booklets, NPS passport stamps and more. It also shows an interpretive movie and features a gift shop, restrooms, and the Fossil Preparation Lab.
Located at 25216 Ben Reifel Road in Interior. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from May 1 to October 4 . From September 2 to April 30, it is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
White River Visitor Center
A smaller seasonal facility is in the South Unit of Badlands National Park.
Located at 2734 BIA 2 in Porcupine. Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from the end of May until September.
Ranger Programs
During the summer season, Badlands offers a host of ranger programs for all ages. Choose from programming on geology, paleontology, fossils, night sky viewing and a couple of special programs for Junior Rangers. Check in at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center for days and times.
What to do at Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Take a Scenic Drive in Badlands
Find several scenic drives in the Badlands.
Badlands Loop Road (SD Highway 240)– Enter the park at the Northeast Entrance or the Pinnacles Entrance and take the scenic drive. Stop at the Pinnacles Overlook for animal spotting at dusk. Find picnic tables at Bigfoot Pass Overlook.
Sage Creek Rim Road (SD 590)–It is a dirt road through the Sage Creek Wilderness Area.
Best Hiking in Badlands
Several family-friendly hikes originate near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. Badlands National Park is an open-hike park; you can hike off the trail when possible.
Fossil Exhibit Trail–A .25-mile ( .4km) accessible trail
Window Trail–A .25-mile (.4 km) trail to a natural window
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail–A.50-mile trail near Ben Reifel Visitor Center
Door Trail–A .75-mile (1.2 km) trail with a boardwalk.
Saddle Pass Trailhead–A .6-mile trail with a 300-foot elevation gain.
Notch Trail–A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) moderate trail with climbing and drop-offs.
See the Sun Rise or Sun Set
With its open landscape and few trees blocking the view, Badlands National Park offers spectacular sunrises and sunsets. For the best sunrise spots, head to Big Badlands Overlook, Panorama Point, or the passes at Norbeck Pass or Dillion Pass.
Sunsets don’t require early morning wakeups. Visitors should head to Conata Basin Overlook, Panorama Point or Bigfoot Pass Picnic Area.
Biking in the Badlands
Explore the Badlands on two wheels. Bicycles are allowed on roads only, both paved and unpaved. Hiking trails, off-road and wilderness biking aren’t permitted.
Badlands Loop Road
Sage Creek Loop
Northeast Big Loop
Mount Rushmore Planning Guide
Animals in the Badlands Area
This area is rich in wildlife and you never know when you might spot some wildlife. Dawn and dusk are the most reliable times of the day. Pronghorn and prairie dogs are the easiest animals to spot.
Black-footed Ferrets–Thought to be extinct and now thrive in Badlands National Park
Bison
Big-Horn Sheep
Prairie Dogs
Pronghorn
Prairie Rattlesnake
Horses in Badlands National Park
Horses are permitted in the Badlands Wilderness Area. Horse owners should check in at the visitor center for the best areas for horseback riding or visit the Horseback Riding page for Badlands National Park.
A portion of Sage Creek Campground (primitive) is designated for horse use.
Planning Guide for Custer State Park
Night Sky Viewing in Badlands
Explore the night sky from the Cedar Pass Campground Amphitheater. During the summer, it offers a nightly night sky program from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Visitors can expect to see the Milky Way and star clusters. In total, some 7,500 stars are visible overhead. Programming includes telescope viewing.
Each year, it hosts the Badlands Astronomy Festival. The Badlands AstroFest will be July 5 to 7, 2024. NASA South Dakota Space Grant Consortium is a co-sponsor. Stop by the Ben Reifel Visitor Center for more information.
Visit the Fossil Preparation Lab
Located in the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, Paleontologists preserve fossils from the area. You can observe their work as they clean and categorize fossils. They are even available for questions.
It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from mid-June to mid-September. This is free to enjoy.
Badlands National Park with Kids and Pets
The Junior Ranger Program is the go-to program for families to learn more about a National Park Service site. It’s free and takes about two hours to complete. My kids love the badges the Rangers present them with after they complete their booklet.
Badlands National Park hosts special Junior Ranger Programming daily during the summer. Topics vary by day, though my kids participated in the Fun in the Sun program to earn the Badlands Junior Ranger badge.
Badlands National Park offers several other Junior Ranger programs. The Night Sky program gets kids exploring the night sky. For dinosaur-loving kids, check out the Junior Paleontologist badge. The Historic Preservation Junior Ranger badge is also offered.
Pets in Badlands
Badlands National Park welcomes pets as long as they practice the principles of the BARK program. Visitors traveling with their pets are welcome in campgrounds, picnic areas, and other areas open to motor vehicles. However, for the safety of their pets and wildlife, they are not allowed on the hiking trails in Badlands National Park.
B–Bag waste and dispose of it in the trash
A–Always leash your dog for their safety and others
R–Respect wildlife
K–Know where you can go
Guide to Junior Ranger Badges
Where to Picnic in the Badlands
Find picnic tables in the following areas.
Ben Reifel Visitor Center
Big Foot Pass Overlook
Conata Picnic Area
White River Visitor Center
What to Do in Half a Day
If you just have a few hours, concentrate on the north unit of the park. Stop off at the visitor center and take a quick hike.
Then, load up and take the scenic drive. Look out for animals. During my visit, I spotted bighorn sheep, wild turkeys, a coyote, prairie dogs and a cottontail rabbit.
Badlands History
Established as a national monument in 1939, Badlands National Park became a national park in 1978. It encompasses 244,000 acres and includes the largest expanse of protected prairie ecosystems in the National Park Service.
Badlands National Park borders the Buffalo Gap National Grassland, so it offers habitats for several animal species, like buffalo, fox, bighorn sheep and the black-footed ferret. It also offers some of the richest mammal fossil beds, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The People of the Badlands area
As part of the traditional lands of several groups, the National Park Service works with several Nations to preserve and honor the land.
Associated Nations and Tribes of the Badlands Area
Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes
Blackfeet Tribes
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Crow Tribe
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Northern Arapaho Tribe
Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Oglala Sioux Tribe
Omaha Tribe
Ponca Tribe
Redbud Sioux Tribe
Santee Sioux Tribe
Sisseton-Wapeton Oyate
Southern Cheyenne and Eastern Arapaho Tribes
Spirit Lake Dakota Tribe
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Three Affiliated Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
The Winnebago Band of Nebraska
Yankton Sioux Tribe
Where to Stay in Badlands National Park
To fully experience Badlands National Park, I stayed in a Cedar Pass Lodge cabin near the main visitor center. The lodge has a restaurant and gift shop, and the campground is nearby.
The Cedar Pass Lodge cabins resemble the original 1928 cabins. Open seasonally from mid-April until mid-October, Cedar Pass Lodge features 26 free-standing and duplex cabin units.
The quiet rock formations sparkled as the sun broke, and a symphony of birds celebrated the arrival of another day. From my cabin’s back porch, I watched cottontail rabbits nibble on prairie grass as I enjoyed my morning ritual of coffee in my favorite flannel shirt.
Located at 20681 South Dakota Highway 240, Interior, South Dakota. Reservations are required, and it is open from April 18, 2025, to October 21, 2025.
Cabin Review for Cedar Pass Lodge
Camping in Badlands National Park
Cedar Pass Campground
Reservations are recommended during the summer. Open year-round with limited service and availability in winter.
96 sites. Electricity only. No water, no sewer
Pay showers and flush toilets with potable water and bathhouses
No ground fires year-round.
Close to the Visitor Center and Restaurant
Sage Creek Campground
A primitive campground on the west side of Badlands National Park.
Reservations Accepted
22 sites without hookups. RV limit of 18 feet.
Vault toilets. No potable water
Equestrian sites
Where to Eat in Badlands National Park
The Cedar Pass Restaurant, located in front of the Cedar Pass Lodge cabins, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from April 15 until October 15 from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Local favorites, like fry bread, Indian tacos and buffalo burgers, are on the menu.
Getting to the Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park, located 75 miles east of Rapid City, South Dakota, offers the nearest regional airport. The Northeast Entrance is located 8 miles south of Interstate 90.
Badlands National Park features two units, the North Unit and the Stronghold Unit. It’s partially located in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and borders the Buffalo Gap National Grassland.
Badlands National Park is open 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. Admission is $30 per vehicle for a 7-day pass, or you can use an America the Beautiful annual pass ($80).
Guide to National Park Passes
Know Before You Go
Watch out for South Dakota’s poisonous snake, the Prairie Rattlesnake.
Give large animals, like buffalo and bighorn sheep, 25 yards for your safety.
Bring water bottles; visitor centers feature bottle fillers.
Limited cell service in the park.
Ground fires are prohibited in Badlands National Park. Camp stoves are permitted in campgrounds and picnic sites.
