Badlands National Park protects one of the most dramatic and otherworldly landscapes in the Great Plains — sharply eroded buttes, spires, and canyons in bands of red, gold, and tan, rising abruptly out of the surrounding prairie grassland. It's easy to combine with a Black Hills and Mount Rushmore trip, and worth the detour on its own.
Top Things to Do in Badlands National Park
The Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) is the park's main scenic drive, passing numerous overlooks in just a 30-mile stretch — Pinnacles Overlook and Yellow Mounds Overlook are two of the best without any hiking required. The Door Trail and Notch Trail, both short and accessible from the same trailhead, drop you right into the eroded formations for an up-close look.
Badlands is also one of the best fossil-hunting regions in the country, with the visitor center's fossil preparation lab open to watch paleontologists at work on real specimens found in the park. The park's dark skies make for excellent stargazing, and bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs are all commonly spotted along the loop road.
What to Pack for the Badlands
The terrain here is loose, crumbly, and exposed with almost no shade, and summer heat can be intense. The VacationGrabs Big Outdoor Leather Backpack is a solid choice for a day of overlook stops and short hikes, and the VacationGrabs Vintage Leather Backpack is great for a South Dakota road trip that combines the Badlands with the Black Hills.
Book Badlands Tours and Experiences
Scenic loop road tours, Black Hills and Badlands combo day trips, and stargazing tours are among the best ways to experience the park. Browse Badlands tours and experiences below to plan your trip.
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