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Badlands National Park: Best Sites, Hikes & Activities (Family-Friendly)

by Jenny November 7, 2020
3.5K
Badlands National Park - Big Badlands Overlook at sunset

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Come discover an unreal landscape full of colorful pinnacles, massive buttes and deep gorges that will leave you feeling as if you have entered into another world. Bands of purple, yellow, red and white paint the landscape for miles upon miles across these wind and water sculpted landforms.

The views are breathtaking! The landscape is completely surreal and hiking through this bizarre wonderland is a blast!

Our family absolutely loved visiting Badlands National Park and I’d love to share with you what we’ve learned!

In This Post:

Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway

Family Friendly Hikes

Breathtaking Views

Animals

Family Fun

Junior Ranger Program

Tips

 

Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway

Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway (SD 240) is a 32 mile two lane road that traverses through the heart of the Badlands. To get to this scenic byway, enter off of I-90 at Exit 131 or at Exit 110 to begin your journey!

This loop road is the only paved road through the park and it passes the most popular sites, hikes and vistas in Badlands National Park!

  

 

Breathtaking Views

(While Driving Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway)

 Big Badlands Overlook

Badlands, SD

Don’t miss this Fantastic Overlook!

Badlands National Park

Big Badlands Overlook was our family favorite scenic overlook in Badlands National Park. It is located right past the Northeast entrance to the park.

This is a perfect spot to watch the sunset! Arrive ~1-1.5 hours before sunset to see the spectacular colors emerge across the landscape.

 

 

Cliff Shelf

Badlands National Park

Although we didn’t hike the 0.5 mile round trip trail at Cliff Shelf, we did stop here for a breathtaking sunset view!

 

White River Valley Overlook

Badlands National Park

We enjoyed this fantastic view at White River Valley Overlook.

Yellow Mounds Overlook

Badlands National Park

We loved the picturesque painted hills at Yellow Mounds Overlook!

 

Pinnacles Overlook

Badlands National Park

Pinnacles Overlook is incredible but please note that it can be extremely windy here. But make sure you check the cliff sides for Big Horned Sheep!

 

 

Best Family Hikes in Badlands National Park

Door Trail

Badlands National Park

 

Door Trail gets you out into the heart of the Badlands!

  • Badlands, SD - Hike

     

  • Badlands, SD

     

This was our favorite trail in the Badlands!

Door Trail is 0.75 miles round trip.

The trail begins on a well maintained boardwalk for the first 1/4 mile. Then the trail continues out into the heart of the Badlands, only marked by yellow posts to guide your way.

Door Trail was the perfect trail for our family, ages 5, 7 and 9 years old. It wasn’t too long and on the second part of the trail you get to cross rocky terrain which our kids thought was a blast!

Hiking Door Trail allows you to easily immerse yourself into this unearthly environment. It was more fun than any amusement park for our kids and that’s saying something!

Family Tip

Please make sure kids stay with an adult. The second half of the trail is not maintained and there is uneven ground and even some drop-offs near the trail path.

We chose to hike this trail first thing in the morning and we highly recommend this because for the first 30 minutes we were the only ones on the trail!

Hiking Door Trail is an Incredible Adventure!

 

Window Trail

Window Trail is an easy 0.25 mile round trip trail near Door Trail. This trail leads to a natural window in the Badlands Wall for an incredible view!

Traveler Tip: There is a restroom at the head of this trail.

 

Fossil Exhibit Trail

Fossil Exhibit Trail is a great trail to learn more about the Badlands!

Along this trail there are educational displays and replicas of fossils to touch that will teach you more about this land’s history and the extinct animals that used to roam this area.

This trail is 0.25 miles round trip.

Traveler Tip: There is also a bathroom at the head of this trail.

 

Castle Trail

Castle Trail is a 10 mile round trip trail that goes from Door Trail Parking area to Fossil Exhibit Trail. We chose to only walk ~1 mile of this trail with our family.

This trail is a great way to experience the grass prairies of the Badlands.

 

 

Animals in Badlands National Park

Here is some of the wildlife we found in the Badlands!

Prairie Dogs!

A Big Horned Sheep at Pinnacles Overlook sitting high up on a ledge!

Look for rabbits! We found many throughout the park. This rabbit was near Window Trail.

Pronghorns!

Other animals that you may find in the Badlands include bison, coyotes and mule and whitetail deer.

 

 

Fun with Shadows!

Everyone wants to have a family vacation full of fun and laughs, but sometimes this is hard to accomplish with the stress of getting from one place to the next.

Here’s one way we had some family fun, laughed and created everlasting memories in the Badlands!

Strike a pose and have a dance party! Our family had a great time watching our shadows dance across the canyon walls!

Right before sunset is the perfect opportunity to create this shadow party.

Your shadow dance party might even end up on the wall on the other side of the canyon!

Our car even joined in on our shadow fun too! Watch the canyon wall next to the road as you drive down Badlands Loop Scenic Byway.

 

 

Junior Ranger Program

We love the Junior Ranger Program!

Stop by the Ben Reifel Visitor Center and pick up a Junior Ranger booklet. Have your children complete the activities marked for their age so that they can earn their official Badlands National Park Junior Ranger Badge!

The Junior Ranger Program is an amazing way for families to learn all about the Badlands. The activities are designed for children up to 13+. This is a great keepsake for kids and it really gets them thinking about where they are and helps them appreciate their experience in the Badlands.

 

Badlands National Park Travel Tips

Arrival – We recommend arriving in the evening to watch the sunset over the Badland’s dramatic landscape. Spectacular colors begin to emerge approximately ~1-1.5 hours before the sun sets. You don’t want to miss this sight!

This also allows for evening and morning hikes which avoids the intense midday heat.

Hotel – If you are looking for a hotel, we stayed at Cedar Pass Lodge in Badlands National Park and loved it!

https://www.cedarpasslodge.com/

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Lunch – Grab a picnic lunch to bring with you into the park. Food is very limited in the park and it’s a decent drive to leave and come back in.

Duration – This depends on how much you hike, but we would recommend ~1 day. If you enter the park in the evening (at least 1.5 hours before sunset), then you should be able to see everything by the early afternoon of the next day.

Location – The Badlands are located ~1 hour away from Rapid City, SD and ~1.5 hours from Mount Rushmore.

Itinerary Thoughts – Combine an adventure in the Badlands with Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Mammoth Site at Hot Springs and Devils Tower to make an incredible 5 day family vacation!

Website: https://www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm

 
 

Our Favorite Kid’s Books for Badlands National Park:

Babies of the Badlands by Kat Socks (Great Board Book for young children about the animals of the Badlands)
 

If You Lived With the Sioux Indians by Ann Mcgovern (Perfect for Children 7-10 years to learn about what life was like for the Sioux Native Americans here in the 1800s.)
 

Buffalo Before Breakfast by Mary Pope Osborne (Fantastic book for children 6-9 years to be whisked back in time almost 200 years and experience life out west.)

Our Favorite Kid’s Gear for Badlands National Park:

 24 Colors

9 Colors

6 Colors Available

7 Colors

Available in 16 Colors

Compact Picnic Blanket

Available in 6 Colors

Collapsible Water Bottle

Orienteering Compass

If You Found This Post Helpful, Please Share / Pin It

Badlands Guide Pin

Thank You!

Let’s Get Kids Excited To Travel with Books!

30 Books for Kids about the U.S. Wild West

Related Posts:

A Family Guide for One Week in South Dakota

How to Hike at the Incredible Devils Tower with Kids!

Discovering Scott’s Bluff National Monument with Kids


 

Posts to Help You Plan Your Trip:

The Ultimate Guide for Creating a Successful Road Trip

10 Fantastic Road Trip Toys (Non-Electronic)

Essential Hiking Gear for Families (And Great Gift Ideas!)

 
©10 Traveling Feet – 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc) is strictly prohibited.

 
10 Traveling Feet is a participant of Amazon Associates which means means we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. I only recommend products that I have found useful and have loved using with my family. Thank you for supporting this website so that I may continue to bring you quality information.
 
Hiking with KidsNorth-Central U.S.South DakotaTop Things to DoTravel ItineraryTravel with Kids
Jenny

Welcome to 10 Traveling Feet! My name is Jenny and we are a family of five that loves to explore & learn about our incredible world! Discover our favorite sites, top hikes, fantastic hidden gems and helpful travel tips for Your Next Adventure! Let's Find Your "Traveling Feet!"

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Leave a Comment

2 comments

Anonymous December 4, 2019 - 3:49 pm

Beautiful pictures of a great place to visit! Love all the colors!

Reply
Jenny December 5, 2019 - 5:36 pm

I’m glad you enjoyed this post! Visiting at sunset really makes the colors of the Badlands come alive! Thanks for commenting.

Reply

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