• Badlands formations against the blue sky; photo by Rikk Flohr

    Badlands

    National Park South Dakota

Good Times at the Badlands

People are drawn to the rugged beauty of the Badlands. These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as the rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat once roamed here. The park’s 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today.

Features

  • Badlands Loop Road with formations in the background

    Planning A Trip?

    Find out what you need to know. Information for camping, hiking, and much more. Be sure to download the Badlands Visitors Guide to take with you.

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  • park superintendent and youth group in the badlands

    Picture Yourself...

    During National Park Week, April 21 to 29, picture yourself in a national park!

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  • Female visitor enjoys solitude in the badlands photo by Larry McAfee

    Take Us With You

    Badlands videos and photos are available to download onto your mobile devices or computers. Check us out at YouTube, iTunes, Twitter, and Flickr.

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  • sabertooth cat skull

    Teacher's Pick

    Featured teaching resources for teachers, parents, and students! This month, meet Kylie Ferguson – a young girl who did the right thing for fossils.

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  • oil painting of Angel Butte by Brenda Howell 2010, artist in residence

    Art in the Park

    Artists are invited to interpret the Badlands through their work. View examples from photographers, visual artists, and writers in the online gallery.

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  • Five people hike through grassland with badlands formations in the background

    Take a Hike

    A variety of hiking trails offer something for everyone. Select the trail that’s right for you.

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  • junior rangers

    Become a Junior Ranger

    Explore! Learn! Protect! That’s the Jr Ranger motto. Complete a booklet or attend a program to earn a badge.

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Did You Know?

The rugged badlands topography

To the Lakota, this harsh and desolate landscape was known as "mako sica," meaning “land bad." Early French trappers similarly described the area as “bad lands to travel across." Today, geologists consider all the places in the world with similar topography and formation badlands.