Hi there!
Badlands National Park is known for its iconic rock formations.
It is one of 2 official national parks in South Dakota, and it is the best national park in South Dakota!
Badlands National Park is in a location with easy access off of I-90, so it can make for an easy national park to visit if you are driving from the east to places like Mount Rushmore or the Wyoming national parks.
If you’re making it a South Dakota road trip to the Black Hills, it’s also a thing to make it into a “Black Hills and Badlands” type of South Dakota road trip itinerary!
With one day in Badlands National Park, you can easily see the highlights.
You can drive through Badlands National Park, and you’ll also have time for some short hikes with VIEWS of the Badlands!
I’ve been to Badlands National Park 2 times. The first time I went camping at both of the Badlands National Park campgrounds. The second time I stayed in a hotel in the Badlands National Park gateway town of Wall SD.
These are the things you need to know about Badlands National Park!
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1. Badlands Loop Road
After you have officially entered Badlands National Park, you will soon start to drive with views of the Badlands!
All you have to do is just follow the main road. You will be driving the Badlands Loop Road.
There are a few entry spots for Badlands National Park. Which one you enter from really is just about where you are coming from.
If you are driving from the east along I-90 W, then you’ll likely entry through the northeast entry station in Interior SD. (map)
If you are driving from the west, then you’ll likely enter through the Pinnacles entry station in Wall SD. (map) You can drive through Wall SD with a stop at Wall Drug before going to Badlands National Park.
If you are driving along SD-44 to get to Badlands National Park, then there is also the Interior entry station which will start you off in the Cedar Pass area near the Badlands National Park visitor center. (map)
If you are short on time, you may be quite happy to do this drive through Badlands National Park from Interior SD to Wall SD with a few short stops for overlooks. This is basically driving from the Badlands National Park northeast entry station to the Pinnacles entry station, when you are driving from east to west. (map) (Opposite if you are doing west to east!)
Driving this portion of Badlands Loop Road without any stops will be around a 1 hour drive.
👆 Drive through Badlands National Park to Big Badlands Overlook.
👆 Drive through Badlands National Park to the Saddle Pass trailhead. The Saddle Pass Trail is a STEEP hike. But no real hiking necessary to enjoy the views from Saddle Pass trailhead that’s located right off of Badlands Loop Road! I saw bighorn sheep along Badlands Loop Road near here!
You will see many great views of the Badlands as you are driving.
But if you are looking to get out of the car, some quick stops you may want to stop off at:
- Big Badlands Overlook
- Door Trail
- Saddle Pass trailhead
- White River Valley Overlook
- Panorama Point
- Yellow Mounds Overlook
- Pinnacles Overlook
There are also a number of small parking areas that you’ll find along the side of the road as you’re driving through Badlands National Park that you can stop off at for a little walk around!
You may find some unofficial trails that you can walk along for a few minutes… or more!
Generally speaking in Badlands National Park, sometimes the dirt can be dry loose gravel which means it can be slippery so take care! If it’s flat it’s generally fine but it’s when you start on trails that go up or down that you may notice it.
You may also want to go just a little further west past the Pinnacles Overlook to the Roberts Prairie Dog Town too, if you want a chance to hear the prairie dogs chirping… and see them too!
The road does continue further west in Badlands National Park, and there are less and less of the classic views of the Badlands that you imagine. You will start to see more of the wide open South Dakota landscape.
This is also towards the more remote Sage Creek Wilderness area.
It’s also an area where you might have a better chance to see buffalo.
🌞
2. Door Trail and/or Notch Trail
Also conveniently located along Badlands Loop Road are some access to official hiking trails in Badlands National Park!
The Door Trail, Window Trail, and Notch Trail all start from the same big parking lot that can be found directly along Badlands Loop Road.
These are among the most popular hiking trails in Badlands National Park.
👆 There are some unofficial trails that you can walk along near the Door trailhead parking lot. This is also where I saw bighorn sheep resting during the day!
👆 Continuing on the Door Trail.
👆 Climbing the Badlands ladder hike is one of the iconic things to do in Badlands National Park. You will get to this from the Notch trailhead that is right off of Badlands Loop Road.
👆 Continuing on the Notch Trail.
Castle Trail is the one “big” day hike in Badlands National Park.
While this is around a 10-mile round trip hike, it’s possible that you can think it’s worth it by hiking just 30 minutes on the trail.
There are multiple trailheads that you can start the Castle Trail. You can hike for 10-15 minutes, and then turn around!
See more about this Badlands National Park activity:
- Best hikes in Badlands National Park
- Door Trail
- Badlands ladder hike
- Where to start the Castle Trail
- I was scared hiking up the Saddle Pass Trail!
3. See wildlife
Now, this isn’t a specific place in Badlands National Park.
But it’s something to be looking out for as you’re driving through Badlands National Park!
When you are driving the main area of Badlands National Park (the section between Interior SD and Wall SD mentioned above – map), the wildlife that you have the greatest chance of seeing might be bighorn sheep!
So, be on the lookout for wildlife as you are driving through Badlands National Park!
There are also prairie dogs and buffalo in Badlands National Park. For that, you will want to drive further west out towards Sage Creek.
For prairie dogs, you will want to stop off at the Roberts Prairie Dog Town. This is located right along the main road.
For buffalo, that is a little bit of luck! Buffalo are wildlife and they do what they want!
But you do have a greater chance to see buffalo in Badlands National Park by driving along Sage Creek Rim Road. (map)
See more about where to (maybe!) see bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park.
And those are some mostly quick things to do in Badlands National Park when you want to be in and out while still feeling like you’ve really seen the Badlands!
Camping in Badlands National Park
If you are making it a camping trip in South Dakota, then you can go camping in Badlands National Park!
It’s possible to go camping with views of the Badlands!
This would be the Cedar Pass campground, and it’s the “modern” campground of Badlands National Park. This is for tent camping and RV camping.
It has the campground amenities that can making more convenient.
This is also the most convenient in terms of location, as it provides easy access to Badlands Loop Road.
It’s the campground that’s closest to the best views of the Badlands.
And also in Badlands National Park, it’s possible to go camping at a prairie dog town!
You might even see a buffalo walking right through this prairie dog campground!
This would be the Sage Creek campground, and it’s the “rustic” campground of Badlands National Park. This is for tent camping and small RV camping.
There is no electricity. There are no showers. There are basic no-flush toilets.
There is NO water. Bring your own, and bring a LOT!
The Badlands can get HOT during the day! (Overnight temperatures get down low enough for a comfortable sleep, and you may even want layers.)
As of 2021, the Sage Creek campground is a first-come first-serve campground, and it is also a FREE campground in Badlands National Park! See current fees.
See more about this Badlands activity:
- Camping in Badlands National Park
- Cedar Pass modern campground (classic views of the Badlands)
- Sage Creek rustic campground (buffalo and prairie dogs)
Night sky program in Badlands National Park
If you do go camping in Badlands National Park, no matter which campground you’re staying at, you’ll want to look UP at night!
If you’re not staying overnight in Badlands National Park, but you’re staying nearby, you might also look up!
If it’s a clear sky, you will be able to see TONS of stars and maybe even the Milky Way!
You’re basically in the middle of nowhere, which makes for some good star gazing of the night sky!
As the National Park Service notes:
Badlands National Park is a relatively remote park with very little light pollution.
There is also a Badlands National Park night sky program. This is located at the Cedar Pass campground amphitheater.
You can go to this even if you’re not staying at the campground. It’s free for all.
You will want to check for updated timings for this a night sky park ranger program during your time at Badlands National Park!
Once it’s dark, the park ranger will talk about the night sky.
You may have the chance to look through a telescope to look at a planet or 2. When I was there, the telescope was set up to see Jupiter and 2 of its moons.
It was also recommended to bring binoculars to the night sky program if you have them. You may also consider bringing a red flashlight instead of your normal flashlight too.
Cost to visit Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park requires a national park entry fee.
In 2021, the cost of a Badlands National Park 7-day pass was $30 per car. There is no one-day pass. See current fees.
Generally speaking, If you will be visiting 3 national parks within a year, then it will be worth it to get the annual national park pass.
But some national parks don’t have entry fees. For example, South Dakota’s other national park, Wind Cave National Park, has free entry. (You have to pay for the cave tours, though!)
But if Badlands National Park is a part of a greater South Dakota road trip and Wyoming national parks road trip, and you will also be visiting Devils Tower National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park, then the annual pass will be worth it! (And further west in Idaho is Craters of the Moon National Monument!)
As long as the Badlands National Park entry booth is staffed, you can buy the park pass when you arrive.
Where are the Badlands in Nomadland?
The Badlands that you see in the movie Nomadland is Badlands National Park in South Dakota!
This means that Badlands National Park is as seen on TV!
There is a scene in Nomadland in which the main character Fern is walking through the Badlands. That filming location was Door Trail, past the boardwalk! (I am pretty sure anyway! In one scene, it looks like you can see the boardwalk in the background.)
Fern went camping in the Badlands as a camp host, and that filming location was Cedar Pass Campground in Badlands National Park!
For more Nomadland locations in South Dakota, Fern was also seen driving through the Needles Eye Tunnel (I am pretty sure) and working at Wall Drug!
There is also a scene in which Fern is standing with the Needles of the Black Hills as the vast landscape. You can find similar scenes at stops along the Needles Highway.
And finally, there was another scene of her watching a buffalo. Because of the other scenes surrounding it, my guess is that was Custer State Park.
If you’re headed to Badlands National Park, you can watch Nomadland on Hulu before you go!
And that’s a little bit about driving through Badlands National Park!
There are also “badlands” in remote areas of neighboring states of North Dakota and Nebraska, but the badlands in South Dakota are the most famous.
Where are you going next?
- Things to do in the Black Hills
- Things to do in Custer State Park
- Best places to visit in South Dakota
- Badlands National Park to Yellowstone drive
Are you driving from the east?
Are you driving from the north?
HAPPY DRIVING TO BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK!
Where to stay in the Black Hills
- Keystone: Roosevelt Inn Mount Rushmore
- Keystone is a small gateway town for Mount Rushmore
- Spearfish: Best Western Black Hills Lodge
- Spearfish is a small town in the Black Hills
Here are some ideas for a classic South Dakota road trip going from east to west!
After you go to Badlands National Park, you can head west to Wall Drug and then onwards to Mount Rushmore!
You've made it to the Black Hills, where you'll find Custer State Park.
While you're in the area, you can also go to Wind Cave National Park and/or Jewel Cave National Monument and/or the Mammoth Site!
Drive the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway on your way west out of the Black Hills and South Dakota as you continue your epic road trip to Devils Tower National Monument and Wyoming!
Then, onwards to the best places to visit in Wyoming with your grand finale of Wyoming being one day in Yellowstone National Park!
Read more for your South Dakota road trip: Best places to visit in South Dakota
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