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A Badlands National Park Itinerary: The Perfect Way to See the Park in 1-Day

Badlands National Park Itinerary

Carved out of the southwestern hills of South Dakota, the rugged, eroded rocks of Badlands National Park appear out of the hills like an otherworldly landscape. This Badlands National Park itinerary combines the best of everything into one day of adventure in this amazing place. If you have longer, you could easily spend several days here, or combine your trip to Badlands National Park with a visit to Mount Rushmore or other nearby sites.

We visited Badlands National Park during the summer of 2021 and this is almost exactly what we did with our time here. We camped right in the park so we did a few things the night we arrived, but you could easily condense this into a single day assuming you are staying nearby for 2 nights.

Looking for more ideas? Check out 11+ Things to do in Badlands NP

Badlands National Park Itinerary
Badlands National Park Itinerary

Quick Look at the Badlands National Park Itinerary

Start your day early with several morning hikes (especially if you’re visiting during the hot summer months), and finish with a drive through the park to see all the scenic overlooks. If you are driving to the park in the morning and won’t arrive until late morning, you can also reverse this itinerary to do the drive first and the hikes second. Scroll down for more details on this 1 day Badlands National Park Itinerary.

Badlands National Park Itinerary
  • Watch the sunrise at the Big Badlands Overlook
  • Hike the Notch Trail
  • Explore the Door and Window Trails
  • Hike all or part of the Castle Trail (optional)
  • Check out the Fossil Exhibit and trail
  • Drive the park road and stop at some of the overlooks: Yellow Mounds, Pinnacles, and Panorama Overlook.
  • Stop at Roberts Prarie Dog Town
  • Drive Sage Creek Wilderness Drive

Things to Know about Badlands National Park

Here are some quick facts about Badlands National Park:

  • Badlands NP is home to many fossils of the Oligocene Ecoch of the Age of Mammals (including ancient camels and saber-toothed cats)
  • You can see many animals here including bison, prarie dogs and bighorn sheep
  • The Lakota people (Oglala Sioux Tribe) have lived in the Badlands for centuries
  • Badlands National Park was established in 1978
Badlands National Park Itinerary: Big Badlands Overlook
Badlands National Park Itinerary: Big Badlands Overlook

Best Time to Visit Badlands National Park

The temperatures in Badlands NP range from -40 in the winter to 116 in the summer, making this an even more dramatic place to visit. Badlands has fewer visitors compared to other National Park, but it still gets hot and crowded in the summer. If you are visiting during the summer, plan your activities early in the day to avoid the crowds and heat. It’s also common to get afternoon thunderstorms in the summer months, so watch the weather and be prepared if you are heading out.

The ideal time to visit Badlands NP is in the fall or spring when temperatures are better and crowds are low. In the winter, the Ben Reifel Visitor Center remains open and you can drive the South Unit of the park, but you should be prepared for unpredictable weather as well. If you only have one day in Badlands National Park, keep in mind that the weather might not cooperate on the day you will be there and you may need to adjust your itinerary.

We did this Badlands National Park Itinerary in July and got a very early start to avoid the 100+ degree temperatures.

1-Day Itinerary to Badlands National Park Map

Badlands National Park Itinerary Details

Get an early morning start for your Badlands Itinerary. You will start in the eastern part of the park and work your way west.

Watch the sunrise at the Big Badlands Overlook

There are plenty of places to watch the sunrise in the Badlands, but the colors of the rocks at sunrise and sunset are something you really shouldn’t miss. Start your day just inside the Northeast Entrance. Bring your coffee and enjoy watching the colors change as the sun rises.

Hike the Notch Trail

The Notch Trail was our favorite hike in Badlands and since it can get crowded The Notch Trail starts by winding through the rocks and then ascends via a ladder. From here the trail follows along the top of the cliffs to the Notch. Note that this is a fairly exposed hike and if you have a fear of heights, you may want to just go to the ladder.

We loved that you get both views from the bottom up into the rocks and get up high enough to see out on this hike!

Badlands NP Itinerary: Hiking the Notch Trail
Badlands NP Itinerary: Hiking the Notch Trail

Explore the Door and Window Trails

Once you’ve hiked the Notch Trail, it’s easy to check out both the Door and Window Trails (these are very short walks mostly on the existing boardwalks from the parking lot. The Window Trail is about 1/4 mile round trip and takes you to a gap in the rock walls that gives you an excellent view out over the rock formations of Badlands.

The Door Trail is another short hike that takes you on a boardwalk on a loop for about 1 mile. The door itself is a notch in the rock wall with a viewing platform you can walk out onto for excellent views.

Hike all or part of the Castle Trail (optional)

If you are all hiked out, or it’s getting too hot, you can head on your way to the Fossil Exhibit, or if you still want to explore on foot, head across the parking lot to the Castle Trail. The Castle Trail is a one-way trail but you can also hike it as an out and back or even a loop. Another great way to hike part of the Castle Trail is by starting at Saddle Pass and hiking up to the trail from here.

If you are going to hike this as a one-way you will need to spot a car or find a friend to drop you off as there are no shuttles in this park.

Read more about Hiking the Castle Trail

Check out the Fossil Exhibit and Trail

The Fossil Exhibit includes a very short hike with self-guided signs to learn about the history of the area and the fossils. This was very crowded when we visited, but we loved learning a bit and the walk itself on the boardwalks was fun for kids.

Badlands National Park Itinerary: Checking out the Fossil Exhibit
Badlands National Park Itinerary: Checking out the Fossil Exhibit

Drive the park road and stop at some of the overlooks

From here, you will drive along the road, stopping whenever you want at one of the many scenic overlooks on the way. Several of these have picnic tables and facilities. Our favorite overlooks were: Yellow Mounds, Pinnacles, and Panorama Overlook. Several of the overlooks (like Pinnacles overlook) have very short walking trails where you can stretch your legs.

Depending on when you started your day, and where you are heading for the night, you can head on your way from here, or do one of the last activities listed below.

Stop at Robert’s Prarie Dog Town

When we visited Badlands, my kids had never seen a prairie dog and were fascinated with these funny little animals – in fact, they spent a lot of their time in the Badlands just looking for prairie dogs. Stopping at Robert’s Prairie dog town is a fun way to watch these little animals popping their heads up above the ground.

Badlands National Park Itinerary: Checking out the Prairie Dogs
Badlands National Park Itinerary: Checking out the Prairie Dogs

Drive Sage Creek Wilderness Drive

If you’re hoping to see Bison on your trip to Badlands NP, then you should end your day with the Sage Creek Wilderness Drive (or if you are coming to the area from the west and doing this Badlands Itinerary in reverse order, start your morning here).

The Sage Creek Rim Road is a dirt/gravel road just a few miles in from the Pinnacles Entrance and is the best place to spot bison and other wildlife. While there are still some of the Badlands rock formations here, it is flatter and more open.

How to Get to Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park is slightly off the beaten path which is one thing that makes it a great place to visit and less crowded! We visited the Badlands as the first stop on a month-long US road trip. After exploring for the day and drove to the Mount Rushmore area (after stopping at Wall Drug).

The easiest way to get to Badlands is to drive and you will need a car to explore this park. The closest airport is Rapid City (about 1 hour away). Since many people visit Badlands as part of a road trip, here are some of the driving distances for before or after your Badlands National Park Itinerary.

Badlands National Park to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse: About 1 hour and 30 minutes

Badlands to Yellowstone: 9 hours

Badlands to Grand Tetons: 8 hours and 30 minutes

Badland National Park Itinerary: Camping in the park
Badland National Park Itinerary: Camping in the park

Where to Stay in Badlands National Park

The closest towns to stay near Badlands are Kadoka, Interior, and Wall. So it will depend on where you are coming from and heading next as to what works best for you. Wall is the biggest and has the most options of these 3 locations.

The best option in Wall is the Best Western has lots of options for families and a pool.

Another great choice is Cedar Pass Lodge within the park itself.

During our Badlands National Park Itinerary, we camped at the Badlands Campground as Cedar Pass. The campground had both tent and RV spots and was out on the open prairie with great views.

How to Lengthen or Shorten your Badlands National Park Itinerary

2 Days Badlands National Park Itinerary: If you have more than one day, there is still plenty to explore in Badlands National Park. Instead of cramming the best activities into one day, this gives you time to spread things out. You can also add a visit Cliff Shelf Nature Trail or a visit to Wall Drug (although not actually in the park).

1/2 Day in Badlands National Park Itinerary: If you are just passing through and only have a half-day, I would recommend driving the main road (240) through the park and stopping at a few of the scenic overlooks, and select 1-2 short hikes (Notch, Door, Window Trail, or the Fossil Exhibit are all great choices).

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