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- ClosureNotch Trail closed for ladder repairsNotch Trail and all areas within 100 feet of the designated trail are closed; do not enter the closure area.Official details
Overview
About Wall Drug Store
Why stop
- A café, homemade doughnuts and pharmacy add a practical side to the browsing.
Heads up
- The sprawling, commercial complex can overwhelm anyone looking for a quick stop.
Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Badlands Tour Guide
Your drive to Wall Drug Store, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Badlands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Badlands audio tour- 116 audio storiesacross Badlands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Bighorn Sheep, Prairie Dog, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 11 trails, 34 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
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Guide
More about Wall Drug Store
A very different Badlands stopWall Drug Store is a sprawling roadside attraction in the town of Wall, outside Badlands…
Wall Drug Store is a sprawling roadside attraction in the town of Wall, outside Badlands National Park. A small-town drugstore grew into a cluster of shops, a café, a pharmacy and themed displays, all with a Western kitsch look. Go if you enjoy oddball roadside stops and browsing; skip it if you want a quiet break or would rather spend every minute among the buttes.
The idea that made it famousTed and Dorothy Hustead bought Wall’s only drugstore in December 1931.
Ted and Dorothy Hustead bought Wall’s only drugstore in December 1931. During a difficult stretch for the business, Dorothy’s 1936 idea to advertise free ice water to passing motorists brought travelers through the door. That simple pitch became a roadside institution, and free ice water is still one of its calling cards.
Shops, food and browsingThe complex is built for wandering, with shops and displays alongside a café and pharmacy.
The complex is built for wandering, with shops and displays alongside a café and pharmacy. The café and other eateries make it more than a souvenir stop; homemade doughnuts are one of the offerings Wall Drug still promotes. Think casual food and novelty shopping, not a quiet museum visit.
The classic photoThe large green-and-yellow sign above the covered storefront, with painted Western silhouettes…
The large green-and-yellow sign above the covered storefront, with painted Western silhouettes along the porch, is the clearest exterior picture of the place. Include some of the porch beneath the sign so the photo reads as a whole roadside storefront, not just lettering.
Where it fitsWall is just north of the Badlands’ western entrance, so Wall Drug works as a town stop at…
Wall is just north of the Badlands’ western entrance, so Wall Drug works as a town stop at either end of a park visit. It’s outside the park itself. The sprawling, commercial feel can be a lot if you’re looking for a quick stop; allow time to browse if the kitsch and history are your thing.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Badlands
760 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,060 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
904 sightingsPrairie DogMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
333 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
304 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
87 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Badlands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
