Badlands National Park

Badlands protects 244,000 acres of the most spectacular eroded landscape in the Great Plains — a maze of pinnacles, spires, and banded buttes carved out of soft sedimentary rock by 500,000 years of wind and water. The park sits between two I-90 exits in southwestern South Dakota: the 32-mile SD-240 Badlands Loop Road begins at Exit 131 (Cactus Flat / Northeast Entrance), runs through the heart of the park, and exits at Exit 110 (Wall / Pinnacles Entrance) where Wall Drug — the most famous tourist attraction in the region — sits at the highway exit. The park also has a less-developed South Unit on the Pine Ridge Reservation managed cooperatively with the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and one of the highest concentrations of fossil mammals in North America (Oligocene mammals from the White River Badlands).

• One of the highest concentrations of fossil mammals in North America (Oligocene-age, 30-37 million years old)
• The 32-mile Badlands Loop Road (SD-240) connects two I-90 exits, allowing pass-through visits without backtracking
• About 1.2 million visitors per year
• Includes the South Unit (Stronghold and Palmer Creek) cooperatively managed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe
• Designated an International Dark Sky Park (Gold Tier, 2024)

• Pinnacles Overlook at sunset
• Big Badlands Overlook (NE corner)
• Door Trail and Window Trail (short, dramatic)
• Notch Trail with the ladder section
• Sage Creek Rim Road (gravel; bison and prairie dogs)

Best months: May through October — full road access, comfortable temperatures, all visitor centers open.

Closures: No seasonal closures of the main paved Loop Road. Sage Creek Rim Road and South Unit roads close after heavy rain. Visitor centers run reduced winter hours.

Notes: Summer thunderstorms produce hail and lightning; check the daily forecast. Winter wind chills below -30°F are routine; the Loop Road is plowed but conditions can be severe.