Badlands National Park - Plan Your Visit

Operating Hours & Seasons

The park is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Entrance fees are collected year round.

Local Partners & Information Resources

Badlands Bombing Range

Oglala Sioux Tribe

South Dakota Tourism

Wall Chamber of Commerce

Black Hills and Badlands

Getting There

Plane
Rapid City and Sioux Falls have airports with multiple daily flights.

Car
I-90 to exit 110 or 131 to access Hwy 240 "Badlands Loop Road". Hwy 44 west from Rapid City provides an alternate scenic route to the park.

Bus
Some bus tours are available through tour companies in Rapid City and the surrounding area.

Public Transportation
No public transportation is available to the park.

Getting Around

A typical visit lasts three to five hours and includes the park movie (not available Summer 2005), stops at four overlooks, and two walks. The 30-mile Loop Drive is accessed from Interstate 90 and is a two-lane, paved surface. The 30-mile Sage Creek Rim Road is gravel and impassable after heavy rains or snows. Five trails, varying from one-fourth mile to eight miles in length, explore park features. The remainder of the park is open to exploration using a topographic map and a compass.