Pinnacled rock formations with vivid color bands, sharp-edged cliffs with tiptoeing bighorn sheep, and sprawling colonies of feverish prairie dogs are just a few of the images you'll find in South Dakota's most storied national park. Incredibly user-friendly, nearly all of its top sights lie along the 40-mile Badlands Loop Rd.
©Mark Read/Lonely Planet
Badlands National Park
Top choice in South Dakota
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
22.67 MILES
Wall Drug is a surprisingly enjoyable tourist attraction of the old school. It really does have 5¢ coffee, free ice water, good donuts and enough…
9.09 MILES
Badlands National Park's North Unit gets the most visitors; this stunning road is easily reached from I-90 (exits 110 and 131) and you can drive it in an…
25.08 MILES
The portion of the Badlands west of Hwy 240 along this gravel road is much less visited than the sights of the Badlands Loop Rd. There are scenic…
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Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
7.09 MILES
In the 1960s and '70s, a thousand Minutemen II intercontinental ballistic missiles, always at the ready in underground silos spread across the Plains,…
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16.81 MILES
This Cold War–era missile silo, located down a dirt road in a desolate area 5 miles southeast of Wall, gives you a glimpse into the enormous network of…
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22.33 MILES
This important small museum tells the story of the Wounded Knee massacre from the Lakota perspective using photos and narratives. It's more insightful…
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Buffalo Gap National Grassland
20.89 MILES
This nature reserve surrounds the Badlands and together they protect the country's largest prairie grasslands, several species of Great Plains mammal …
Nearby South Dakota attractions
1. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
7.09 MILES
In the 1960s and '70s, a thousand Minutemen II intercontinental ballistic missiles, always at the ready in underground silos spread across the Plains,…
9.09 MILES
Badlands National Park's North Unit gets the most visitors; this stunning road is easily reached from I-90 (exits 110 and 131) and you can drive it in an…
16.81 MILES
This Cold War–era missile silo, located down a dirt road in a desolate area 5 miles southeast of Wall, gives you a glimpse into the enormous network of…
4. Buffalo Gap National Grassland
20.89 MILES
This nature reserve surrounds the Badlands and together they protect the country's largest prairie grasslands, several species of Great Plains mammal …
22.33 MILES
This important small museum tells the story of the Wounded Knee massacre from the Lakota perspective using photos and narratives. It's more insightful…
22.67 MILES
Wall Drug is a surprisingly enjoyable tourist attraction of the old school. It really does have 5¢ coffee, free ice water, good donuts and enough…
25.08 MILES
The portion of the Badlands west of Hwy 240 along this gravel road is much less visited than the sights of the Badlands Loop Rd. There are scenic…