Badlands Loop Road
Scenic overlooks, best at sunrise and sunset.
Badlands National Park
Sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles in pink and tan layers, on South Dakota's prairie, with bison and bighorn sheep.
These striped formations hold one of the world's richest fossil beds, from 75-million-year-old sea creatures to ancient mammals. It's on the way to Mount Rushmore.
The 30-mile Badlands Loop Road has overlooks at every turn.
- Best Time
- May to October
- Time Needed
- 1 day
- Cost Level
- $$$$
- Open
- Year-round
- Getting There
- About 1 hour east of Rapid City, South Dakota.
What to See
1 of 3 are freeNotch Trail
A log ladder and ledges with sweeping views.
Wall Drug
The famous roadside store in nearby Wall.
Know Before You Go
- There's little shade, so bring water.
- Beware of rattlesnakes off trail.
- The park's Lakota-land South Unit is little developed.
Where to Stay
Stay in Wall or at Cedar Pass Lodge.
Where to Eat
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Go Next
Must-SeeMount Rushmore
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Four presidents carved into a granite mountain in South Dakota's Black Hills, with Badlands National Park nearby.
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Worth a DetourDevils Tower
Wyoming
America's first national monument, a fluted rock tower sacred to the Lakota and other Plains tribes, ringed by an easy trail where prayer cloths hang in the pines.
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If You're NearbyBear Butte
South Dakota
A lone mountain on the edge of the Black Hills, sacred to the Lakota and Cheyenne, where the summit trail passes prayer cloths left by those who come to fast and pray.
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Last checked 2026-11-01. Part of the Midwest list.