Park Services
The only lodging in the park is the Cedar Pass Lodge, on the
Badlands Loop Road. Additional lodging is 7 miles outside the Pinnacles Entrance in the town of Wall. See our
Lodging Page for details.
The main camping area is Cedar Pass Campground, just off the
Badlands Loop Road behind the Cedar Pass Lodge and the visitor center. See our
Badlands Camping Page for details.
Food is available at a restaurant adjacent to the Cedar Pass Lodge.
Gasoline is not available in the park, but is available outside of the Northeast Entrance near I-90 and in the town of Wall, 7 miles outside of the Pinnacles Entrance.
A bookstore is available inside the Ben Reifel Visitor Center described below, and a gift and convenience store is inside the Cedar Pass Lodge.
There is no public transportation of any sort offered by the park. A private vehicle is necessary to get around the park roads.
The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is located on the
Badlands Loop Road, 4.7 miles from the Northeast Entrance. It is open 8AM-5PM in the spring, 8AM-6PM in the summer, and 9AM-4PM other times.
Visitation Seasons
The spring is generally a pleasant time to visit the park. Daytime temperatures are cool early in the season and warm later on. The night remains quite cold in general.
The summer brings warm temperatures, often climbing into the uncomfortably hot range. It is dry except for occasional violent thunderstorms. Although summer sees the heaviest crowds, it is not the best time to visit.
The fall is perhaps the best time to visit Badlands. The crowds are fewer and temperatures are usually pleasantly warm, with little precipitation.
The winter is the quite time at Badlands. Temperatures are very cold, often dropping well below zero. Road closures are infrequent however, as the winter is very dry and snow is uncommon. As a result, visitation is possible in the winter for those well prepared for the harsh conditions.
Visitation Time
Most people see the park as a detour from I-90, and the loop road between exits 131 and 110 can be seen in about two hours. A full day should be allowed for a more in-depth look and a hike or two. A second day could be spent exploring the Stronghold Unit to the south.
Park Q & A
Why is it called the badlands?
The name of the park, and the area, comes from what the Lakota Sioux called it, Mako Sica, "land that is bad."
Was part of the park really a gunnery range?
Yes. The United States Air Force used 341,726 acres of the Pine Ridge Reservation, home of the Oglala Sioux people. 337 acres of this land was part of the Badlands National Monument. This land was used from 1942 through 1945 as a gunnery ranges. After the war, portions were used as an artillery range by the South Dakota National Guard. In 1968 all but 2,500 acres were released as excess property. The remaining acres are still owned by the Air Force but not used.
