Hi there!
If you are looking for wildlife in during your South Dakota road trip, then bighorn sheep are one of the types of wildlife animals you may see in Badlands National Park!
It is possible to see bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park of South Dakota!
Of course, bighorn sheep are wild and they do what they want and they go where they want. So there’s never any guarantee that you’ll see them.
But just to give you an idea, I’ll tell you below where I personally saw bighorn sheep in South Dakota, and what time it was.
And I can tell you that I saw bighorn sheep several times without seeking them out.
I wasn’t on the search for them, but I naturally came across them as I was doing other things in Badlands National Park.
Well, most frequently I came across them while driving through the park, including on the way to the best hikes in Badlands National Park!
Watch the bighorn sheep video on youtube!
I didn’t even know seeing bighorn sheep was a thing in Badlands National Park.
And I probably wouldn’t even have been able to tell you what bighorn sheep were before a visit to the Badlands. 😅
But, I do believe that I now can identify them, as I believe the pictures below are of bighorn sheep! 😅
All this to say… there is a nice chance that you might see bighorn sheep when you are in Badlands National Park too without even trying.
And of course, the longer you stay and the more you drive around, the more chances you have to see bighorn sheep in the South Dakota badlands!
I was in Badlands National Park for 3 days in August 2021.
Where can you see bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park?
The short answer is that it’s possible to see bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park as you are driving the main road that runs through the popular area of the park! That would be Badlands Loop Road!
So if you’re visiting Badlands National Park, this is a road that you will be driving anyway, so you will just want to be on the lookout for the bighorn sheep!
And… there is a benefit to visiting Badlands National Park during tourist season!
Because then you will have extra eyes on the road who are also looking out for wildlife in the Badlands, including those bighorn sheep!
If you see a slight traffic jam up head as you’re driving in Badlands National Park… or if you see bunch of cars parked on the side of the road where there is no official overlook or parking spaces… chances are that some sort of wildlife have been spotted!
This wildlife might be directly along the road, or it might be further out in the distance.
When you see cars that have come to a stop in the middle of the road, it’s time to start looking for what it is that everyone might be looking at!
There were several times as I was driving that I spotted wildlife this way.
I saw cars, and I started looking around at what everyone was stopping for!
Also, for more places to be on the lookout for bighorn sheep, according to the National Park Service:
Bighorn Sheep are often seen on the rocky precipices of Pinnacles Overlook and in Cedar Pass areas like Castle Trail and Big Badlands Overlook.
Don’t get too close to the bighorn sheep!
Bighorn sheep may seem gentle as you are observing them casually from afar, but it’s best to keep your distance so you don’t risk having them see you as a threat.
If they see you as a threat, that’s when thing can become dangerous.
Use the zoom feature on your phone!
Or take a regular picture and then afterwards you can use the photo editing feature provided by your phone.
Or you can use an app like snapseed to edit photos.
For video, you can use an app like inshot to edit videos.
You can crop your pictures/videos to make the bighorn sheep look bigger.
If they are too far away you won’t be able to get a good picture or video of the bighorn sheep with a regular phone. (I only have a regular phone.)
Many people also bring binoculars on their trip to the Badlands to be able to see wildlife, including bighorn sheep, in Badlands National Park.
Read more about bighorn sheep in the Badlands from the National Park Service.
More below about where you might see bighorn sheep in the South Dakota badlands!
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So now…
Where you might see bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park along Badlands Loop Road
All of these spots can be found directly along Badlands Loop Road.
And more specifically when looking at a map, these are spots that can be found between the Pinnacles entrance (Wall SD) and the northeast entrance (Interior SD) of Badlands National Park. (google maps – this is not perfect, but basically you just stay on Badlands Loop Road which is SD-240.)
If you’re driving directly to the Badlands Loop Road from Rapid City SD, you will likely enter through Wall SD and the Pinnacles entrance. (Alternatively, you also have the option of driving in through the more remote Sage Creek area, and then onwards to the Badlands Loop Road.)
The Badlands Loop Road spots where bighorn sheep were seen by me are listed in order from north/west to south/east, so from Wall to Interior along SD-240 Badlands Loop Road.
1. Along Badlands Loop Road near Homestead Overlook
I was driving along Badlands Loop Road in the area of Conata Basin Overlook and Homestead Overlook around 5:20pm when I saw bighorn sheep along the side of the road.
2. Along Badlands Loop Road near Panorama Point
I was driving along Badlands Loop Road in the area of Prairie Wind Overlook and Panorama Point around 6:50pm when I saw bighorn sheep along the side of the road.
3. Along Badlands Loop Road between White River Valley overlook and Fossil Exhibit trailhead
I was driving along Badlands Loop Road in the area of White River Valley overlook and Fossil Exhibit trailhead around 2:30pm when I saw bighorn sheep along the side of the road, crossing the road, and in the field!
4. Along Badlands Loop Road near Saddle Pass trailhead
I was driving along Badlands Loop Road in the area of the start of the Saddle Pass Trail around 3:30pm when I saw bighorn sheep in the field.
Share the Badlands National Park video!
5. On the rocks between Door trailhead and Window trailhead
I was near the start of the Door Trail around 11:30am when I saw bighorn sheep on the rock formations. First it was laying down, then around 10 minutes later when I looked again its head was popped up!
👆 Off to the left, bighorn sheep sleeping on the great rock formations of the Badlands. Off to the right, people walking around the great rock formations of the Badlands. You can see this area from the parking lot of Door Trail and Window Trail.
Watch the Badlands National Park video!
And that’s a bit about where to see bighorn sheep in South Dakota!
For more wildlife in South Dakota:
- Sage Creek campground in Badlands National Park gives you the chance at camping with prairie dogs (the campground is an actual prairie down town!) and camping with buffalo (especially in the early morning)
- Game Lodge campground in Custer State Park gives you the chance to see buffalo from the front porch of your Game Lodge camping cabin… or from your tent campsite or RV campsite!
- You can see buffalo in other parts of Custer State Park too!
In North Dakota, you can see buffalo in Theodore Roosevelt National Park!
In Wyoming, you can see buffalo in Yellowstone National Park!
HAPPY (HOPEFULLY!) SEEING BIGHORN SHEEP IN SOUTH DAKOTA!
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