All Badlands places
34 places
1Pinnacles OverlookSage Creek's jagged skyline earns a sunset stop.
2Big Badlands OverlookRed and gray bands make this a quick stop worth keeping.
Ben Reifel Visitor CenterA strong first stop, especially when the fossil lab is working.
3Yellow Mounds OverlookA quick roadside stop for colors you won't see at most overlooks.
4Sheep Mountain Table OverlookBroad Badlands views from a remote tableland pullout.
White River Visitor CenterA seasonal center for South Unit orientation and Lakota history.
5Panorama Point OverlookA wide look across eroded ridges toward the White River Valley.
6White River Valley OverlookA quick pull-off to see layered badlands fall into the valley.
7Red Shirt Table OverlookA west-side overlook for a near-complete run of Badlands layers.
8Roberts Prairie Dog TownA prairie-dog neighborhood where the residents don’t always show.
Cedar Pass LodgeHistoric cabins make this the Badlands' only in-park stay.
Waysides at Cedar Pass LodgeA sit-down meal near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.
9Conata Basin OverlookTwo ancient soils turn a quick roadside stop into a geologic lesson.
10Wall Drug StoreFree ice water turned one small-town drugstore into a roadside institution.
11Sage Creek Basin OverlookA broad prairie view, with bison paths across the basin.
12Bigfoot Pass OverlookPause for a broad view and a difficult chapter of Lakota history.
13Hay Butte OverlookA quick Sage Creek panorama with an unexpected hay-cutting story.
14Prairie Wind OverlookA breezy prairie pause between the park’s sculpted rock views.
15Burns Basin OverlookA short boardwalk opens onto Wilson Burns’s former sheep basin.
16Badlands Wilderness OverlookA quick stop where eroded formations give way to prairie.
17Cedar Pass AmphitheaterStay for a ranger-led night sky tour with a telescope.
18Homestead OverlookEroded ridges, wide prairie, and a layered homestead story.
19Ancient Hunters OverlookA roadside view with a possible ancient butchering story.
20Prairie HomesteadA 1909 sod homestead makes prairie settlement tangible.
21Quinn Road Prairie Dog TownA roadside pause to hear and watch prairie dogs at their colony.
Cedar Pass CampgroundBadlands views, a walkable visitor center, and summer ranger programs.
Sage Creek CampgroundA primitive prairie camp where bison sometimes wander through.
Conata Picnic AreaSheltered tables and a backcountry trailhead off the main loop.
22Toadstool RockA hard cap balances on a softer, eroding stone pillar.
Northeast Entrance StationMaps, permits, and a practical start at the northeast gate.
Pinnacles Entrance StationSort out your pass and map at the western gate.
Interior Entrance StationHandle park entry and pick up a map at the southern gate.
23Pinnacles Entrance SignA quick arrival photo before the Pinnacles fee station.
24Erosion MarkersSurvey markers make slow erosion visible on a clay slope.
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Badlands Tour Guide
Badlands, 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 tourRecorded for this place
Pinnacles Overlook0:00 / 0:32
“You're approaching Pinnacles Overlook, with a broad view across the jagged ridges and open prairie of Sage Creek Wilderness. If you're choosing only a few overlooks, keep this one.”
Plays as you drive up to Pinnacles Overlook in the Parkwolf Badlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ancient Hunters Overlook
- How Prairie Protects a Hill
- Hay Butte Overlook
- What an Oreodont's Teeth Reveal
- 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
“We recently toured Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and more! We learned so much from this app as we toured each of these sites. The audio tours are worth the money.”
