11 Of the Very Best Things to Do at Badlands National Park

Here’s to Rugged Beauty and Badass Views

Badlands National Park.

Spread across 244,000 acres in South Dakota, this place has dramatically eroded buttes, pinnacles, and fossil-rich rock layers that formed over 75 million years ago.

Here are 11 of the top things you should do in this amazing national park that used to be an ancient inland sea.

Badlands Loop Road (Hwy 240)

Drive this 39-mile scenic route to see the famous Badlands Wall, a 100-mile ridge shaped over half a million years.

Stop at Big Badlands Overlook for sunrise views of striped rock towers, or check out Yellow Mounds Overlook’s rusty-colored ancient soil layers. Keep your eyes peeled for bighorn sheep at Pinnacles Overlook.

Or watch as the cliffs turn gold at sunset (best time to whip out your cams).

Drive slow (some spots drop to 20 mph) to safely spot wildlife, and don’t miss the bumpy Sage Creek Rim Road detour for bison sightings.

Fossil Exhibit Trail

Walk this easy 0.25-mile boardwalk to see life-sized replicas of rhino-like creatures and sheep-sized animals that roamed here 30 million years ago.

You’re literally standing on North America’s oldest soil layer. Those yellow mounds beneath your feet are 65 million years old.

The visitor center will offer a peek into the Fossil Lab where scientists clean real fossils. Most join the free ranger talks to learn about shark teeth (but no dinosaur bones here).

And leave Fido at home since pets aren’t allowed to protect these fragile fossils.

Notch Trail

On this trail, you’ll climb a 20-foot wooden ladder to start this 1.5-mile hike through cliffside paths.

At the end, you get a killer view of the White River Valley where ancient hunters once tracked saber-tooth cats.

Note: Skip this trail after rainfall as the clay turns slippery.

The trail is also great for kids 6+ (hold their hands near drop-offs), and you’ll get bragging rights for conquering the “notch” gap in the Badlands Wall.

Door & Window Trails

At Door Trail, follow numbered posts through a maze of rocky spikes, many of which have been there for over 28 million years.

The shorter Window Trail leads to a natural rock frame perfect for shots of the Badlands Wall’s layered cliffs. Watch your step for rattlesnakes, and read the shaded signs to learn how wind and rain carved this crazy landscape.

You can also combine both trails with the Fossil Exhibit Trail for a 1.5-mile loop (super fun and educational).

Wildlife Spotting

You’ll see bison herds near Sage Creek. It’s a common sighting here. These guys were brought back from just 12 animals in 1963.

Look up at Pinnacles Overlook for mountain goats (actually bighorn sheep) scaling cliffs like pros. The prairie dogs at Roberts Prairie Dog Town have different alarm calls for hawks vs. coyotes.

Bring binoculars for some birdwatching. You’ll spot golden eagles soaring above White River Valley, and always keep 100 feet between you and wildlife.

Stargazing & Astronomy Festival

With almost no light pollution, you can see the Milky Way here 90+ nights a year at Badlands National Park.

Join July’s Astronomy Festival for telescope views of Saturn’s rings or night hikes under full moons. Rangers tell cool stories about Lakota constellations and how coyotes hunt at night.

Local tip: Head to Panorama Point after dark for stunning photos of stars above the jagged cliffs.

Ben Reifel Visitor Center

To watch real fossil experts clean ancient bones in the lab (through glass windows), this is the place to start your tour.

You’ll learn how the Lakota people used local plants for food and medicine, and catch a free movie explaining how rain carved these crazy rock formations.

Grab a park map as cell service is spotty and ask rangers about easy geology walks.

Castle Trail

Hike the park’s longest trail that spreads 10 miles past rock towers that resemble medieval castles though they’re known as buttes.

You’ll even get to walk the same paths ancient hunters once used, about 12,000 years ago to track giant beasts.

Bring tons of water since summer temps hit 100°F, and keep an eye out for pronghorn antelope sprinting across the prairie.

Halfway through, connect to the Fossil Exhibit Trail to see actual dig sites where scientists uncover mammoth relatives.

Sage Creek Rim Road

Take this dusty 22-mile gravel road if you want to see some bison sightings and prairie dog antics, though there’s a lot to see besides the wild.

Hay Butte Overlook makes for a good pit stop, especially for bird enthusiasts who want to capture golden eagles riding some warm air currents.

Some prefer a picnic under the cottonwoods at Conata Picnic Area.

Warning: Skip this if it’s raining because the road turns into sticky mud soup. But on dry days, you might spot fossils sticking out of 34-million-year-old dirt banks.

Wall Drug Store

This quirky pit stop 10 minutes from the park became famous during the Dust Bowl by offering free ice water which you can still enjoy today.

Sip 5¢ coffee under a giant Brontosaurus statue, shop for cowboy hats, and laugh at jackalope (rabbit-antler) photo ops.

Don’t miss the Travelers’ Chapel for quiet time after all the kooky fun. Their homemade donuts and bison burgers are the perfect fuel before hitting the Badlands.

Badlands Wall

This 100-mile rocky “layer cake” separates the flat prairie from the park’s jagged heart.

At Panorama Point, you can see 28-million-year-old volcanic ash layers in the cliffs. Look for shark teeth in the gray Pierre Shale layer. It’s proof this was once an ancient sea.

Fun fact: The wall erodes an inch every year, which is why scientists keep finding new fossils, maybe you will too.