Badlands National Park
High Traffic Alert
This park experiences heavy crowds, especially on weekends.
Check out the similar parks below for a better experience
Popular destination, arrive early for parking
Best: Weekdays before 10am
The rugged beauty of the Badlands draws visitors from around the world. These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient horses and rhinos 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.
Accepted Passes
Try These Instead
These parks offer similar experiences with fewer crowds
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
When Theodore Roosevelt came to Dakota Territory to hunt bison in 1883, he was a skinny, young, spectacled dude from New York.
Why go: Similar hiking, wildlife viewing, stargazing experience
Around 246 miles away
