Badlands Loop Road Sightseeing, Hiking
Trails In The Eroded Landscape of Badlands National Park
  • Badlands Loop Road Hikes
The Badlands National Park In the southwest corner of South Dakota about 60 miles east of Rapid City
and Mount Rushmore offers some stunning landscapes with its many short hikes and day hikes.  From the
loop road hikes are offered below the viewing areas along with sightseeing from the loop road and its  
frequent pull-outs.
An eroded landscape of stratified layers of variously colored deposits spreads over a huge area of
grasslands.
Enter the loop road from Route I-90, the east coast to west coast interstate highway,  at either the east end
or at the west end. The east west loop road is just a small portion of the immense Badlands National Park.
Find six Hikes of varied length and difficulty on the loop Road.
Badlands National Park offers Tent and
RV camping for $15 per night.  

The park has an RV Dump station with
a  fee of $1.00 for those passing
through. The park offers a self-pay kiosk
that accepts credit card or correct
change for the campsite.  The sites are
small sites with no shade trees.
  • Animal Viewing
Many wild animals inhabit the park, common sights being the prong horn antelope, the mule deer, and, in
the Sage Creek section of the park, the wild buffalo.  Buffalo were reintroduced and now number 800
animals.
Rattle snakes inhabit the park and therefore, visitors are cautioned to wear hiking boots and to stay on the
trails.  
From the parks overlooks and viewpoints you can see wild animals grazing in the flat grassland below.
Binoculars help to see them as they keep their distance from the road except in early morning or at dusk
when they are more apt to be on the move.
Lynx or bobcat work the roadsides for road kill.    An extensive Prairie Dog town lies on both sides of the
road at about the midpoint of the loop road.  Big horn sheep and coyotes are also residents
RV vacationers use the park as a convenient stopover on the way west or east on route I-90; the
park's loop road is an east/west road.  Bikers on the way to the first week in August rally at
Sturgis ND make the park a stop on the way.   ($15 entrance per vehicle,  $10 motorcycle, 7 hiker
or biker)
The Badlands Loop Road opens up great
views with its vista points, overlooks, and
hiking trail heads.           See trail
descriptions
The east west
loop road,
Route 240,  
runs about 40
miles between
the east and
west exits on
I-90
  • Badlands Hiking
The Badlands Loop Road is great for  hiking and
sightseeing South Dakota's Badlands National Park.  
The loop road Route 240 runs parallel to the I-90 for
Forty Miles through the eroded landscape of
Badlands NP.
  • Trailhead Parking
There are many sightseeing overlooks with parking
and trailheads for hiking into the badlands.  Not all
lots will accommodate large vehicles.  Maps are
available at the park Visitors Center.
  • Trail Length
Trail length  ranges from the quarter mile Fossil
Exhibit Trail, which is wheelchair accessible, to the
five-mile Cliff Shelf Nature Trail to the ten mile round
trip Castle Trail.  
From the overlooks it is common to see the animals
graze on the vast prairie below the loop road ridge.
How to Reach the Badlands: The nearest large city is Rapid City South Dakota. Air
service reaches Rapid City from hubs in Denver and Chicago. Rental cars are available
at the airport. From Rapid City take scenic Route 44 east to Interior and the National
Park  campground or take Route route 90 east to Wall and find the Park entrance and
loop road.
Best Time To Visit Badlands South Dakota:  May to October   40 f at night 65 f days
The weather is perfect June, July, August but the mid day temperature can reach over 100 f.   
 Cool in May and September,  Cold and winter snows October to April  Total snow 2 feet per
year.   June is a wet month.   July and August can have thunderstorms with hail.  
Drive through the campground, pick an unoccupied site, pay at the kiosk, and clip your receipt to the post and
you are ready to tour the loop road.
Private campgrounds are nearby in the town of Interior.    (9 miles from Visitor center)  Tent and RV Camping
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Badlands Loop Road hiking from the trailheads on  
Route 240 where you find parking.
The Badlands Loop Road offers hiking trails
into the eroded landscape of Badlands
National Park.  Find the trailheads and
parking on Route 240 as it runs through the
Badlands and offers many sightseeing
pullouts.
Badlands Loop Road Sightseeing,
Touring the Loop Road of Badlands N P
Sightseeing pullouts on the Badlands Loop
Road offers hiking and views of animals
grazing
Badlands Loop Road Sightseeing while touring
Badlands Loop Road Sightseeing,
reveals a tormented landscape
Hiking
  • Badlands Camping
  • Badlands Hiking, Longer Hikes
The longest hike of the seven trails from the Loop Road is the Castle Trail at ten miles RT.   It starts at the Fossil
Exhibit Trail , Windows Trail parking area.
Another trail of 1.5 miles RT, The Notch Trail, offers a climb by ladder and some ridge walking to good views.
Otherwise the trails are short and easy for beginner hikers.  The challenge could be the heat and weather
extremes.   Trail maps are available at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.  
  • Long Hikes, Sage Creek
The Sage Creek area, 30 miles west of the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, offers extensive back country hiking and
camping.
Badlands SD Sightseeing
Badlands Area Camping
Badlands Hiking
Badlands Animal Viewing
Badlands Area Sightseeing
Badlands  Camping
Badlands NP History
Badlands Lodging
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Save On Air Travel
When traveling by air to South Dakota you can save on your air fare by Parking your Car for Two Weeks
Free after one night Lodging in Airport Hotels near your home city .   
See details, photos of hotels, and reviews.
Convenient Two Week Free Airport Parking with a one night hotel stay could save you money and   
enhance your Badlands vacation experience.  
The Badlands Loop Road reveals animals
on the move at dusk from the vista points,
overlooks, and hiking trail heads  
Park Entrance Fees
$15. vehicle
$10. motorcycle
$7. individual Hiker or
biker

Camping $15.
Camping with electrical
hookup $28