Eating & Sleeping

 

Eating

The only location to purchase food in Badlands National Park is at the Cedar Pass Lodge, located just down the road from the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. The Cedar Pass Lodge restaurant offers full sit-down meals as well as snacks.

If you are bringing your own food to the park, there are many locations with shaded picnic tables for you to enjoy a meal or snack. The following locations include picnic tables:

• Ben Reifel Visitor Center

• Big Foot Pass Overlook

• Conata Picnic Area

• White River Visitor Center

If you plan on bringing your own food to the park, please remember to pack out what you pack in. Garbage and unfinished food can disrupt ecosystems in the park. Trash cans are available at overlooks throughout the Badlands Loop Road as well as the Ben Reifel and White River Visitor Centers.

 

Sleeping

There are many different ways to spend a night in Badlands National Park. The only lodging available in the park is at Cedar Pass Lodge, which offers cabin rentals. For more information and booking, visit their website.

For those interested in front-country camping, the park offers two official campgrounds. The Cedar Pass Campground is a paid campground with 96 sites total, some designated for RV camping with electric hookups. Reservations for the Cedar Pass Campground can be made through contacting the Cedar Pass Lodge online or by phone at 877-386-4383. Sage Creek Campground is a free, first-come first-serve campground with 22 sites. Motor homes, pull behind trailers, and other recreational vehicles greater than 18 feet in length are prohibited. To learn more about these campgrounds, visit the front-country camping page.

For those seeking a more rugged camping experience, back-country camping is also available in the park. Back-country camping is permitted anywhere in the park as long as it is 0.5 miles from a road or trail and is not visible from a trail or roadway. Before heading out, check out popular locations and safety tips on the back-country camping page.