10 Best Things to Do at Badlands National Park

Updated June 2026

Badlands National Park might be one of the coolest, strangest, most underrated places in the entire country. The name says it all, for hundreds of years the Oglala Lakota called this harsh, otherworldly landscape mako sica, “bad land,” and the French fur trappers who came through agreed, dubbing it les mauvaises terres à traverser, “bad lands to traverse.” Standing out there, you get it instantly: no water, no shade, nothing but jagged spires for miles.

And yet? It’s absolutely gorgeous, and one of the most rewarding stops on any western road trip. Here are the 10 best things to do at Badlands National Park. Pick a few or do them all.

📌 Want this as a step-by-step plan instead?

Here’s my One Day in Badlands National Park itinerary.

Bringing the pups? Start with Is Badlands National Park Dog-Friendly?

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Before You Go: Badlands Quick Basics

• Where: the southwest corner of South Dakota, near the Black Hills.
• Three entrances: Northeast (I-90 Exit 131), Pinnacles (I-90 Exit 110, near Wall), and Interior (SD-377).
• Fees (2026): $30/vehicle, $25/motorcycle, $15/individual, good for 7 days. Badlands annual pass is $55; America the Beautiful is $80.
• Heads up: the park is now cashless, so bring a card.
• Good news for international travelers – Badlands is not on the new $100 nonresident surcharge list.)
• When to go: mid-April–May and September–early October are the sweet spots, with milder temps and thinner crowds. Summer is gorgeous but brutally hot with almost no shade.
• Two tips: get an early start, and screenshot your sunrise/sunset times before you arrive; cell signal in the park is spotty to nonexistent.

10 Best Things To Do At Badlands National Park

1. Catch A Sunrise

If you know me at all, you know this would be first. Sunrise at Badlands is worth every bit of the early alarm; the spires catch the first light and practically glow from the inside out. The best east-facing overlooks:

• Big Badlands Overlook (right by the Northeast Entrance – wildly convenient)
• Panorama Point
• Cliff Shelf Nature Trail (sunrise and a quick stroll in one)

2. Drive the Badlands Loop Road

The Badlands Loop Road (SD-240) is the spine of the park, roughly 31 miles long, connecting the Northeast and Pinnacles Entrances and lined with overlook after overlook. You could blow through in 45 minutes, but don’t; stop at every pullout you can (they’re all paved and accessible). Can’t-miss overlooks:

• Big Badlands Overlook
• Panorama Point
• Conata Basin
• Yellow Mounds (so good it gets its own entry, below)

3. Gawk at the Yellow Mounds

The Yellow Mounds Overlook was one of my favorite surprises in the whole park. After miles of gray-and-tan spires, the earth abruptly turns butter-yellow, dusty rose, and red; it’s an ancient fossilized soil (a “paleosol”), and it looks like someone spilled a sunset on the ground. One of the most colorful spots in the Badlands, and an easy pull-off.

4. Hike the Badlands

There’s a trail here for every energy level, and most of the good ones cluster near one big parking lot (with restrooms) just east of the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. Go early; there’s no shade, and it bakes by midday.

Castle Trail – 10.3 mi, the park’s longest, for when you want real mileage and solitude.

Window Trail – 0.3 mi, easy. A natural “window” frames the spires. Minutes long, big payoff.

Door Trail – 0.8 mi, easy boardwalk through a “door” in the Badlands Wall into a moonscape. (Boardwalk has had occasional maintenance closures — check on arrival.)

Cliff Shelf Nature Trail – 0.5 mi, easy, and a lovely spot for a sunrise.

Notch Trail – 1.3 mi, moderate, and the famous one: you climb a log ladder and edge along a cliff to a notch with huge White River Valley views. Not for anyone afraid of heights or ladders. (Was closed for review in late 2024; it’s been hiking again in 2026, but confirm it’s open before you count on it.)

Badlands National Park has a hiking trail for everyone! Castle, Door, Cliff Shelf, and Notch (the famous one with the ladder) are some of the most popular. IF you do choose to hike any of these, make sure to head there early.

5. Go Fossil Hunting (Look, Don’t Take!)

Here’s a thing most visitors don’t realize: Badlands is one of the richest fossil beds on the planet, packed with the remains of ancient creatures from 33 million years ago, early horses, rhino relatives, and saber-toothed cats. You can walk the Fossil Exhibit Trail, a flat, quarter-mile-long accessible boardwalk with replica fossils and signs, and in summer, you can watch real paleontologists at work in the Fossil Preparation Lab inside the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. Just remember: look, photograph, and leave every rock and bone where it lies; it’s federally protected.

6. Explore the Ben Reifel Visitor Center

Pop in to cool off, hit a real restroom, and pick up a little context that makes the whole landscape mean more. There are exhibits, the fossil lab, an air-conditioned theater, and a gift shop for your obligatory sticker and ornament haul. Open daily, with extended hours in summer.

7. Spot the Wildlife

The sheer number of bighorn sheep here will surprise you (it surprised me). You’ll also find bison, pronghorn, entire towns of prairie dogs, and if you’re lucky, coyotes (I spotted two). Animals are most active at dawn and dusk and tend to cluster on the park’s west side, near where the Loop Road meets Sage Creek Rim Road.

Wildlife viewing gear I’d bring (affiliate links, no cost to you):

• Binoculars
• Spotting scope
• Telephoto lens

Keep your distance: 25 yards from bison (they’re faster than they look), give bighorn sheep lots of space, and never approach prairie dogs; many carry the actual plague. (Still a wild sentence. Still true.)

Wildlife Viewing Tip:

• The wildlife at Badlands tends to hang out near the west side of the park, near the intersection of Badlands Loop Road and Sage Creek Rim Road
• Animals are most active at dawn and dusk, but I saw bighorn sheep the entire day at Badlands
• Make sure to remain at safe distances from all wildlife in the park

Wildlife Safety Distances: 

• Bison – 25 feet 
• Bighorn Sheep – Bighorn sheep are sensitive to human disturbance. Please help in protecting the sheep by viewing from a distance.
• Prairie Dogs – Please do not attempt to touch or pet them. These animals can bite, and many of them still carry the plague. For your health and the prairie dog’s health, please respect prairie dog towns.
• Coyotes are relatively skittish and will run if they see anything, but stay at least 30 yards away. 

8. Sage Creek Rim Road 

This is hands-down the best wildlife viewing in the park. I saw bighorn sheep, bison, coyotes, and prairie dogs all on this one gravel road. It heads west off the Loop Road and gets you out into the wide-open backcountry feel. A few tips: it’s dirt and gravel, so it’s rough after rain, and parts are washboard-graded; mind the speed limit unless you want to rattle your fillings loose. Bonus: this road is also dog-friendly (rare for the park!), so the pups can come along for this stretch.

9. Meet the Prairie Dogs at Roberts Prairie Dog Town

Right off Sage Creek Rim Road, Roberts Prairie Dog Town is a sprawling prairie dog metropolis where the little guys pop up and chirp like tiny car alarms as you roll by. Endlessly entertaining, weirdly photogenic, just admire from the car or a respectful distance, because (say it with me) they can carry plague. No petting the plague puppies.

10. Watch a Sunset, Then Stay for the Stars

Badlands does sunset just as hard as sunrise, so point yourself west as the day winds down. The most-hyped spot is Panorama Point, with Pinnacles, Conata, and Hay Butte close behind.

Then, don’t leave. Badlands is a certified dark-sky paradise with almost no light pollution, and the Milky Way puts on a genuine show. The park runs ranger- and volunteer-led Night Sky programs nightly in summer, plus an annual Astronomy Festival. Lie back on the hood and let the day end the way it started: with the sky absolutely showing off.

Things to Do at Badlands National Park – FAQs

What is there to do at Badlands National Park? Catch a sunrise, drive the Loop Road and Sage Creek Rim Road, hike short trails like Notch and Door, see the Yellow Mounds, spot bighorn sheep and bison, learn the fossil history, and stargaze under some of the darkest skies in the country.

What is Badlands National Park known for? It’s otherworldly striped rock formations, rich fossil beds, abundant wildlife (bighorn sheep, bison, prairie dogs), and spectacular sunrises, sunsets, and dark skies.

How long do you need at Badlands? A half-day hits the highlights; a full day (sunrise to stars) lets you do everything without rushing. Here’s my one-day itinerary if you want it mapped out.

What’s the best hike in Badlands? The Notch Trail (1.3 miles, with a log ladder and a cliff-edge finish) is the most rewarding. For something easy, the Door and Window Trails share a parking lot and take minutes each.

What’s the best thing to do at Badlands with a dog? Drive the Loop Road and Sage Creek Rim Road, both are open to leashed dogs (trails aren’t). Full details in my dog-friendly Badlands guide.

Is Badlands National Park worth visiting? Absolutely, it’s one of the most underrated parks in the country and an easy, jaw-dropping detour right off I-90.

Whether you’ve got one day or three weeks, Badlands has a way of stealing the show. It’s the kind of place that looks like another planet and somehow still feels ancient and familiar, a landscape harsh enough to earn its name and beautiful enough to completely win you over anyway. Hit a few of these or knock out all ten; either way, you’ll leave a little awed.

So tell me, have you been to Badlands? Which of these was your favorite, or what did I miss? Drop it in the comments. And if you stayed for the stars, I especially want to hear about it. 🐾

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