Located in South Dakota, Badlands National Park protects some of the most beautiful badlands in the country.
While Badlands NP is named and protects the badlands they are not the only badlands in the area or country. Badlands represent dry rocky steep terrain that have been eroded overtime, they tend to lack water, be poor soil for grazing, growing crops, or even just living. Thus the badlands moniker as an area to avoid.
There are badlands in other states including national parks such as those in North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt National Park), Arizona (Petrified Forest National Park), among others. These lands do tend to have other amazing features such as great rock formations, fossils, and unique history.
Badlands National Park has some incredible places to explore, overlooks, and hikes within the park. We help you plan your time there with some of the best hikes and places to explore in Badlands National Park.
Note: Be sure to bring plenty of water, it’s very dry out there.
Best Hikes in Badlands National Park
Below are some of the best hikes and most popular trails within Badlands NP. We try to explore many different difficulties as well as some great long and short trails.
Door Trail
Distance: 1 miles | Type: Out & Back | Difficulty: Easy | Average Time: 30 minutes | Trailhead Location
One of the easier trails in the park, the trail takes you through the canyon area (where several other trails start too) and covers some beautiful areas of the canyon.
The beginning of the trail is on a boardwalk which is great for those who need an accessible trail. However, after about 100 meters the boardwalk ends and the trail gets rougher and brings visitors to the broken landscape of the badlands.
The trail is great for all ages and hiker abilities. We found the trail to overall be pretty easy (especially in comparison to other trails). It’s a very quick trail for those who want to see it, but it doesn’t show anything you won’t really see with some of the other longer nearby trails. Great if you are short of time or don’t want a long or more difficult hike.
Note: The parking lot provides access to the trailhead for Door Trail, Window Trail, Notch Trail, and Castle Trails.
Window Trail
Distance: 0.3 miles | Type: Out & Back | Difficulty: Easy | Average Time: 5- 10 minutes | Trailhead Location
Short and Sweet or so they say. The Window Trail is a very short boardwalk trail in Badlands National Park. The trail starts from the trailhead of the Notch Trail and is a nice quick addition to this great longer trail.
The trail is very short but gives a nice view over the canyon and landscape of the badlands.
The window trail is great for all ages and ability levels and is wheelchair accessible. It’s especially great for young kids as it’s easy and has a stunning view.
Note: The parking lot provides access to the trailhead for Door Trail, Window Trail, Notch Trail, and Castle Trails.
Cliff Shelf Nature Trail
Distance: 0.5 miles | Type: Loop | Difficulty: Easy | Average Time: 15 minutes | Trailhead Location
The Cliff Shelf Nature Trail is one of the most popular trails within the North Unit of Badlands National Park. The trail takes visitors through some of the beautiful and unique landscape of the park and through some of the mixed-grass prairie that is found throughout areas of the park. This section of the park is also well known for wildlife viewing with opportunities to view bison, prairie dogs, mule deer, bighorn sheep, among others.
The trail is overall easy, with a mix of boardwalks, cement walkways, and lots of stairs. It’s a pretty easy hike if you don’t mind climbing the stairs however. You do get some great views of the landscape and the Badlands Wall as well.
The hike is very popular as it is located close to the Interior entrance of the Park. You can alternatively walk from the Ben Reifel Visitor center which is about ¾ of a mile away if you can’t find parking at the trailhead.
Note: If you want more mix-grass areas to explore, check out the larger sage creek wilderness area, although it’s backcountry with less defined trails and open area. The site abuts the Sage Creek Campground on Sage Creek road.
Notch Trail
Distance: 1.5 miles | Type: Out & Back | Difficulty: Moderate | Average Time: 45 mins – 1 hr. | Trailhead Location
My favorite of all the hikes within Badlands National Park, and one of the most fun to explore and hike. If your time in the park is limited we suggest you prioritize visiting this part of the trial. The trail takes you into a stunning desert canyon. The canyon expands and contracts as you make your way through.
Part of the way through is the really cool part, the wooden log bridge. The only troubling part with the bridge is that it’s two directions, so you may have to wait awhile to climb the bridge. Just be sure to alternate every few people so that both sides can get a turn.
The bridge is a bit wobbly but it’s safe, and to me it was the highlight of the hike! You don’t get these everywhere. It’s technically possible to bypass the bridge but it’s a steep hike and in my opinion more difficult.
From here the hike takes you on the upper part of the ledge along the cliff. You’ll get a way more interesting vantage point of the valley and areas of the canyon. The hike continues on this way until the “notch” at the end of the trail. The notch is a bit anticlimactic If you don’t have time you can hike as far as you want and turn around and return back down the ladder and to the trailhead.
Note: The parking lot provides access to the trailhead for Door Trail, Window Trail, Notch Trail, and Castle Trails.
Saddle Pass Trail
Distance: 0.7 miles | Type: Out & Back | Difficulty: Moderate | Average Time: 30 mins | Trailhead Location
This is one of our favorites and a great short trail to get some beautiful views of the area. The trail is less than a mile but climbs up the Badlands Wall and gives hikers a great view of the White River Valley. It’s also a good way to see the rough terrain of the badlands.
While it is one of the shorter trails, we’d considered it moderate. The trail has a steep climb with about 300 feet of elevation gain. This is over a pretty short timeframe which can be tough for folks.
We also recommend you do the hike if you have good footwear. We found the trail very uneven, so even if it’s short, you should make sure you have good shoes. The trail also connects with the Castle and Medicine Root Trails if you decide to extend and continue on those trails. Just be wary that you’ll either need to return the same way or find a way back to your vehicle.
Note: The parking lot for the trail is small and tends to fill up quickly.
Medicine Root Trail
Distance: 4 miles | Type: Out & Back or Loop | Difficulty: Moderate | Average Time: 1. 5 hrs | Trailhead Location
This trail can either be done as out and back or even better as a loop with adding in part of the Castle Trail (the whole Castle Trail is about 10 miles). The trail is a great way to see the mixed-grasslands of South Dakota as well as the rough terrain of the badlands. The trail also connects with the Saddle Pass Trail, although it’s a steep decline to the parking area there.
Overall the trail is pretty straight-forward and not too difficult. We think it’s pretty much an easy-to-moderate type trail. We labeled it moderate as it can sometimes be tricky/muddy and it’s longer than the easy trails we shared above.
Note: The parking is located off Old Northeast road and while it’s a decent sized lot, there’s not much else nearby for overflow.
Fossil Exhibit Trail
Distance: 0.4 miles | Type: Out & Back | Difficulty: Easy | Average Time: 10 mins | Trailhead Location
You would probably assume there’s a lot of fossils from Badlands, and you’d be right. Unfortunately fossil hunting and even disturbing fossils is illegal. However, NPS created this trail to allow visitors to walk through and see information as well as fossil replicas and history of what is found in the area.
The trail is short, sweet, and has a good boardwalk and explanation. You don’t really need a lot of time here. And while it’s popular we found the parking lot large and with a fair turnover even when it’s busy.
Overlooks in Badlands National Park
Along the main badlands loop road (route 240), there’s plenty of great scenic overlooks to visit to get some beautiful views of the landscape. We recommend taking this scenic drive through the park and especially if your time in the park is limited these overlooks will give you a great overview of the park.
Below are some of the best to visit and where they are located. The following are all North Unit sites where most of the overlooks are, the other units are far more wilderness based with less road access.
Pinnacles Overlook | Location
Shows the views of the jagged badlands formations in the park. It is also the highest elevation spot in the north unit which makes it a great place to see the formations looking from above, as well as an excellent sunset spot. It’s also a place that often is frequented by bighorn sheep, so a good opportunity to see wildlife.
Yellow Mounds Overlook | Location
Another great overlook. What I liked about this was the different colors of the ground that can be seen here. It’s one of the more colorful badlands formations in the park. Located along the main route 240 through the north unit.
Big Badlands Overlook | Location
Located along route 240 close to the Northeast Entrance, Badlands Overlook gives you a great view over the badlands landscape along with getting a good up close view to see the various layers of the badlands formations. It’s a good first or last stop depending on your route through the park.
Panorama Point | Location
Located along Route 240, the Panorama Point gives great views of the badlands landscape. It’s a pretty expansive and “panoramic” view from up here.
Best Times To Visit
The park is open year round with hot summers and cold winters. Most of the sites in the park are located in the north unit. The southern units of the park are open year round however services are only available during the summer. Also, the south units are more wilderness/backcountry based so will have less defined trails than the north unit.
Summers can feature extreme heat and inhospitable conditions. Bring lots of water and dress and prepare for heat. Badlands are areas of little water so be sure to be prepared if you are going on any hike.
Spring and Fall are great times to visit with fall in our opinion being the best. Late September to Early November has excellent weather. Services however are more limited as visitor center hours shorten outside of the peak summer visitation times.
Visitor Centers
Be sure to stop at the visitor centers for more information, trail conditions, as well as Ranger Led Hikes to explore the parks. There are two visitor centers serviced by the National Park Service park rangers in the park with one each for the north and south units. Also a great place to stop and get your National Park Stamp.
Ben Reifel Visitor Center
The visitor center for the north unit and overall main visitor center for Badlands National Park. It is also the only visitor center open year-round.
The visitor center has exhibits, information, map, store, park film, as well as the National Park Stamp. Be sure to also check out the Fossil Preparation Lab at the center. It’s also a great place to get information on local events, ranger-led tours, campsite events, etc. There’s also water, restrooms, and tables.
Hours: The visitor center is open year-round although closed New Years and Christmas Day. Hours vary by season.
- Summer: 7 am – 7 pm
- Fall/Spring: 8 am – 5 pm
- Winter: 9 am – 4 pm
White River Visitor Center
The White River Visitor Center is the main visitor center for the South Unit of the Park. The visitor center has some great exhibits on the park, information from rangers, information on ranger-led hikes. There’s also bathrooms, picnic tables, and water available here. Also be sure to grab the National Park Passport stamp if you collect those.
The National Park co-manages this visitor center with the local Oglala Lakota Tribe and the visitor center is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Hours: Open seasonally only during the Summer: Generally May 30 – August 21st
Entrance Fee
Access to the badlands hikes requires entrance to the Badlands National Park. Even if you don’t drive in, access to the park is a fee area.
- Private Vehicle: $30
- Motorcycle: $25
- Individual (walk-in, bike, etc): $15
- Badlands Annual Pass: $55
If you are planning on visiting lots of parks, we recommend getting the Annual America the Beautiful Pass. Definitely the best deal for visiting parks.
Side Trips from Badlands National Park
There’s a lot to see local to BadLands National Park that folks should try to visit when they are in the area. Some of the nearby sites one can check out that’s pretty close.
Mount Rushmore: One of the most famous sites in this part of the country Worth exploring, learning its history, controversy, and construction. It was both what I expected, smaller, bigger, and just shocking. Something I had always seen photos of, which made it surreal in person.
Wall Drug: Famous rest-stop in the area. It became more well known through the 2020 movie Nomadland. A fascinating site with random kitsch, shops, a good restaurant, and just something of old Americana. It reminds me in some ways of “South of the Border” on the east but better.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site: This historic site tracks the history of the cold war and the US ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missiles). This site, one of the older ones in the area, was decommissioned as part of treaties with the USSR and Russia. You can go into the alert centers which is where the officers would stand ready 24 / 7 in rotating shifts. However, you’ll need to book a ticket in advance to do so.
Wind Cave National Park: The other National Park in South Dakota but with fewer visitors than Badlands. Wind Cave is a fascinating park with incredible places to see above and below the ground. You’d do yourself a disservice by not visiting the caves, which has the most incredible boxwork of any cave in the world. There’s also some great hiking areas in the park and lots of Bison.
Custer State Park: It’s a great state park with open land and Bison. If you haven’t experienced Bison before, you should definitely stop here. If you have, it can be worth a stop but also skippable. Some of the most pure bison remaining in the world are in this park. Something that needs to be well protected.
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