PARK VISITOR CENTER HOURS REDUCED FOR WINTER OPERATIONS

Chief of Resource Education Marianne Mills announces that on Sunday, October 20, 2002, the Ben Reifel Visitor Center of Badlands National Park will go to its winter hours of operation: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days per week. The park movie, Buried Fossils, Living Prairie, continues to be available on request. Badlands Natural History Association operates a bookstore in the lobby of the visitor center that will offer its full range of educational materials during operational hours, as well. The visitor center is open through the winter daily except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Restrooms are available 24 hours a day.

Badlands National Park is open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The primary visitor center, the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, is located at park headquarters in the Cedar Pass area, two miles east of the town of Interior, South Dakota. Entrance fees are collected year round either via staffed entrance stations or a self-pay kiosk at the Visitor Center. The Cedar Pass Campground, located 800 meters west of the Visitor Center, is available to campers through the winter with a winter rate or $8 per site per night. Vault toilets are available at the campsite while water is available from the Visitor Center.

For additional trip planning information, call (605) 433 - 5245 and request a trip planner or visit the park virtually at http://www.nps.gov/badl