General Information

Location:

Badlands National Park is located in South Dakota, just 15 minutes away from the city of Wall. Badlands National Park is accessible from both Interstate 90 and Highway 44.

Size: Badlands National Park is approximately 380 square miles (242,756 acres).

Climate: Badlands National Park has a cold, semi-arid climate. This means that the park experiences extreme temperatures throughout the year. Winters are extremely cold with average lows staying around 20 degrees F and highs averaging 35 degrees F.

During summer months, the average lows are 60 degrees F with highs in the mid 80s.

Cost: According to nps.gov, on July 27, 2020 the fees to visit Badlands National Park are as follows:

History: Badlands National Park was established as a national monument in 1939 and then given the designation of a national park in 1978.

Our Experience

We had a pleasant experience at Badlands National Park. We visited in July and found the temperature to be warm, but enjoyable. The views were stunning, and we saw a large amount of wildlife including prairie dogs, big horned sheep, and buffalo.

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The park staff were very friendly, and we found all aspects of the park to be very accessible. The drive through the park was enjoyable and we found plenty of places to pull over to take photographs. We were lucky enough to visit on a sunny day, which allowed us clear views of the surrounding scenery.

Pros

-Badlands National Park offers dramatic views of landscapes which feature canyons, spires and unique layered rock formations.

-The park itself is extremely accessible with iconic views that are visible from the main roads and from roadside pullouts, so no hiking is needed.

-Unlike many other national parks, Badlands National Park has many stopping points that are equipped with picnic areas and bathrooms.

-The park has two entrances on either side – this is beneficial if you want to visit the park and do not want to backtrack 20 miles to where you started.

Cons

-While the views are breathtaking, they are not very diverse meaning that visitors can feel as though they are looking at the same thing over and over again.

-This park was the most congested park that we have visited. Personal space is hard to come by and the roads were extremely busy. This made our experience feel rushed because we did not want to hold up traffic.

-Some of the attractions (for example, the prairie dog village) are located down very rough dirt roads. If you are driving a bigger vehicle, or in our case, a campervan, these roads can cause damage as the constant rattling could loosen fixtures, screws, etc.

Ratings

General Rating

We ranked Badlands National Park 3 out of 5 stars.

While the park itself is beautiful, the drive through the park is long which was intensified by the lack of diversity in the landscape. Additionally, the amount of people within the park dampened our experience because we felt as though we were unable to enjoy the park at our own pace. Lastly, the long stretches of dirt roads were poorly maintained resulting in the van needing some maintenance for loosened fixtures, screws etc.

However, the pros of this park far outweigh the cons and it should be a stop on anyone’s list if they happen to be in the area.

Pet Rating

We gave Badlands National Park 2 out of 5 bones on pet friendliness.

Animals in this park are only allowed in the following areas: main roads, parking areas, and designated picnic areas. Due to the park being very congested, this could prove difficult if your furry companion is anxious or excited.
Additionally, dogs are not allowed on any hiking trails (even the short ones that lead to scenic overviews). We saw many dogs on paths where they were not supposed to be, but I would not recommend it. Lastly, the extreme temperatures could be problematic. The heat could burn the pads of your pet’s feet if you go in the summer and the extreme cold could lead to frostbite in the winter.

Fortunately, the majority of viewing areas are located next to parking lots and pullouts, so we were able to leave the van running and take in the views with the dogs safely in air-condition.

That being said, it would have been far more enjoyable to take in the views with our four-legged best friends.