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park map more info about this area back to parks top Badlands National ParkInterior, SD
 Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands
National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes,
pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass
prairie in the United States. The Badlands Wilderness Area covers 64,000
acres and is the site of the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret,
the most endangered land mammal in North America. The Stronghold Unit is
co-managed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and includes sites of 1890s Ghost
Dances. Established as Badlands National Monument in 1939, the area was
redesignated "National Park" in 1978. Over 11,000 years of human history
pale to the ages old paleontological resources. Badlands National Park
contains the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 23 to 35
million years old. The evolution of mammal species such as the horse,
sheep, rhinoceros and pig can be studied in the Badlands formations.
CONTACTS
Email - badl_information@nps.gov
Fax- (605) 433-5404
Write to
Badlands National Park
P.O. Box 6
Interior, SD
57750
Phone
Visitor Information - (605) 433-5361
TRAVEL BASICS
Operating Hours,
Seasons
The park is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
Entrance fees are collected year round.
Getting There
PLANE - Rapid City and Sioux Falls have
airports
CAR - I-90 to Hwy 240 "Badlands Loop Road" or Hwy 44 from Rapid City.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - No public transportation is available to the
park.
Weather & Climate
The Badlands experiences hot, dry
summers with occasional violent thunderstorms. Winters are typically very
cold with 12 to 24 inches of snowfall. Extremely high winds are common
year-round. Sudden and dramatic weather changes are common, so it's good
to dress in layers. Hats and sunglasses are recommended.
Accessibility
Fossil Exhibit Trail and Door Trail are
one-fourth mile in length and wheelchair accessible. An open-captioned
version of the park video "Buried Fossils, Living Prairie" is available.
Accessibility guide to park free upon request.
Getting Around
A typical visit lasts three to five hours and
includes the park movie, 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.
FEES/PERMITS
Entrance Fee
BADLANDS
NATIONAL PARK
$10.00 for 7 Days
$5.00 per bicycle or
motorcycle + $5.00 per passenger
CAMPING
Cedar Pass Campground
Open
All Year
Cedar Pass Campground is $10.00 per night in summer with a 14
night limit. During winter months,it is $8.00 per night. The campground is
operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis.
There are four group campsites that can be reserved in advance by calling
(605) 433-5235. Minimum fee for a group campsite is $25.
Sage
Creek Campground
Open All Year
Sage Creek Campground is a free,
primitive facility with vault toilets and no water. The campground is
operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served
basis.
FACILITIES
Visitor
Centers
BEN REIFEL VISITOR CENTER
Phone - (605)
433-5361
Location - Cedar Pass "Badlands Loop Road" Hwy
240.
Closures - The Ben Refiel Visitor Center is CLOSED on
Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.
Special Programs -
Check at the visitor center between June 15 and August 19 for full
ranger program schedule. Reduced schedule offered April through May and
August 20 through Labor Day. No programs are available from Memorial Day
to mid-June to allow summer naturalist staff to complete training and
orientation.
Exhibits - Fossils, cultural history, prairie
ecology.
Available Facilities - Cedar Pass Lodge, operated under
a concession contract by the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is open from mid-April
through mid-October. Call (605) 433-5460 for Lodge
reservations.
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