Badlands National Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Entrance fees are collected year round. In the winter or in extreme weather events, roads going through the Badlands may be closed.
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Badlands National Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Entrance fees are collected year round. In the winter or in extreme weather events, roads going through the Badlands may be closed. Check road conditions on your route before leaving for your trip.
Badlands National Park charges an entrance fee. You may purchase a 7-day pass valid at only Badlands National Park by selecting from the choices (Private Vehicle, Motorcycle, or Individual).
While you cannot sleep in your car on the side of the road or in parking lots within Badlands National Park, you can sleep in your car at designated campgrounds. Two campgrounds within the park, Cedar Pass Campground and Sage Creek Campground, allow car camping.
Badlands National Park is a relatively small park and it is super easy to visit. One road, Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240), cuts through the heart of the park. This road is 30 miles long and it takes about an hour to drive the length of it, without stops.
Pinnacles Entrance (I-90, Exit 110): 24240 Hwy 240, Wall, SD 57790.Interior Entrance: 20640 SD Hwy 377, Interior, SD 57750. Reviewing maps of the park before heading can be helpful. Interstate 90 (I-90) is located directly north of the park and provides access to the Hwy 240 Badlands Loop Road.
But the special darkness of Badlands National Park helps visitors to see even more like planets, the Milky Way, star clusters, nebulae, the International Space Station, shooting stars, and – very occasionally – the aurora borealis. The Milky Way is one of the common sights in a Badlands night sky.
Start to Finish: Park rangers suggest spending two full days to truly experience the park, but you can certainly visit in less time. If you have one full day to spend, plan on being at the park for both sunrise and sunset - the light cast over the Badlands is incredible.
Covering all 3 is a very full day, but it can be done with an early start. If I ran short on time, I'd eliminate Wall Drug. The Badlands will take an hour drive time from Rapid, and then allot around 4 hours to adequately see the park. Allot about an hour and a half back to Rushmore.
Things to Keep in MindYou must camp a half mile away from any roads or trails and stay out of sight of the trails & roads. Badlands is only an hour from Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore, and Black Hills National Forest. So plan a trip to this corner of South Dakota and see them all!