Page Updated: March 06, 2024
Badlands National Park
He’s Lee - I'm V. He's quiet, funny, and intelligent. I’m impatient, determined and super awkward. He’s the yang to my yin and my best friend in life. If I’m taking the leap, there’s no one else I’d rather have by my side.
Badlands National Park is a spectacular landscape of mixed-grass prairie lands and sharply eroded pinnacles and spires that are home to one of the richest fossil beds in the world. At the heart of the park stands the Wall - an intricately eroded cliff stretching more than 60 miles that divides the upper prairie from the lower. More than a million tourists visit the Wall annually - including campers, hikers, backpackers and fossil hunters!
Badlands was designated as a National Park in 1978.
Heavy volcanic ash from prehistoric eruptions to the west created blankets of ash smothering the Badlands. Layers of ash up to 30 feet thick can be found in sediment layers throughout the park.
Despite its dry prairie lands, Badlands National Park is home to several amphibians. Seasonal streams and wetlands create the perfect bereding grounds frogs; including the Great Plains Toad and Boreal Chorus Frog.
Badlands National Park consists of three units. The North Unit - home of the Wall, the Stronghold Unit - aka the South Unit , and the Pine Creek Unit.
Scenic Drive
From the Pinnacles Entrance of Badlands National Park to the Northeast Entrance, South Dakota Highway 240 passes the extraordinary rock formations and native grasslands that make the park famous. The drive contains a number of scenic overlooks and great photo ops.
Visitors can turn the scenic drive into a loop by circling around Interstate 90.
Hiking
Designated hiking in Badlands ranges from short boardwalk trails to lengthy 10 mile treks. But Badlands also has an Open Hike Policy that allows visitors to hike off-trail. Common sense should be used in all hiking situations with the knowledge that cell service is not reliable in the backcountry. Carry enough water, use sun protection, and wear shoes that will protect your feet.
Additionally, Badlands are rattlesnake territory. Hike with caution.
Camping
Badlands National Park has two established campgrounds.
Sage Creek Campground contains 22 first come-first serve free sites an may be inaccessible after spring rains or winter storms.
The 96 campsites of Cedar Pass Campground are managed by the Cedar Pass Lodge.
Both Badlands campgrounds are open year-round.
Because Badlands is an open hike park, backcountry camping is allowed off-trail as long as campers adhere to the common backcountry rules of pitching 1/2 mile from roads or trails and staying out of sight.
For current info, new, and updates on all things Badlands - including fees, permits, and closures - visit Badlands National Park at nps.gov
2021 OCT
To say the Badlands are otherworldly is a cliché but accurate description. Located in the American Great Plains, Badlands National Park protects more than 244K acres of buttes, spires and one of the largest undisturbed prairies remaining in the United States. Our 2021 visit
