Where to See Bison in Badlands National Park

Sighting map

Bison sightings in Badlands

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Where Bison has been reported, from 760 sightings. Not a live tracker: animals move, and an empty area doesn’t mean there are none.

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Timing

When to look

12 AM2% of the busiest hour1 AM2% of the busiest hour2 AM1% of the busiest hour3 AM1% of the busiest hour4 AM5% of the busiest hour5 AM26% of the busiest hour6 AM74% of the busiest hour7 AM95% of the busiest hour8 AM84% of the busiest hour9 AM68% of the busiest hour10 AM58% of the busiest hour11 AM53% of the busiest hourNoon47% of the busiest hour1 PM42% of the busiest hour2 PM47% of the busiest hour3 PM63% of the busiest hour4 PM79% of the busiest hour5 PM89% of the busiest hour6 PMBusiest hour7 PM95% of the busiest hour8 PM74% of the busiest hour9 PM37% of the busiest hour10 PM13% of the busiest hour11 PM5% of the busiest hour

Bison is most seen 7 AM and 5–8 PM. Bars compare each hour with the busiest one.

Bison sightings by hour, as a share of the busiest hour
Hour	Share of busiest hour
12 AM	2%
1 AM	2%
2 AM	1%
3 AM	1%
4 AM	5%
5 AM	26%
6 AM	74%
7 AM	95%
8 AM	84%
9 AM	68%
10 AM	58%
11 AM	53%
Noon	47%
1 PM	42%
2 PM	47%
3 PM	63%
4 PM	79%
5 PM	89%
6 PM	100%
7 PM	95%
8 PM	74%
9 PM	37%
10 PM	13%
11 PM	5%

Audio tour

Hear about Bison on the drive.

Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays stories like this one as you drive Badlands, triggered by GPS and read through your car’s speakers.

Badlands Tour Guide

The Beetles Beneath a Bison Pat

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“Dung beetles help turn bison droppings into fertilizer for prairie grass. Some dig tunnels beneath a pat and carry dung underground. Others roll pieces into balls and bury them elsewhere.”

Plays as you drive in Parkwolf’s Badlands Tour Guide.

6 more about Bison in the app

Why Bison Roll in the Dirt
A Bison’s Winter Snowplow
The Birds Behind the Bison
A Bison’s Second Chew

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Where to look

Badlands spots that mention Bison

Compare with the sightings

Places and trails whose Parkwolf guides talk about Bison. A good start, never a guarantee.

Places

Scenic pulloutSage Creek Basin OverlookA broad prairie view, with bison paths across the basin.

CampgroundSage Creek CampgroundA primitive prairie camp where bison sometimes wander through.

SightPinnacles OverlookSage Creek's jagged skyline earns a sunset stop.

SightRoberts Prairie Dog TownA prairie-dog neighborhood where the residents don’t always show.

SightHay Butte OverlookA quick Sage Creek panorama with an unexpected hay-cutting story.

SightBadlands Wilderness OverlookA quick stop where eroded formations give way to prairie.

SightCedar Pass AmphitheaterStay for a ranger-led night sky tour with a telescope.

Scenic pulloutAncient Hunters OverlookA roadside view with a possible ancient butchering story.

Wolf sightings in Yellowstone on Parkwolf’s Find Wildlife map, brightest around Lamar Valley — Wolf sightings in Yellowstone, in the app

Find Wildlife in Parkwolf

Every sighting map, in your pocket.

16 sighting mapsfor Badlands, on the same park map as your route
Works offlineout where the animals are and the signal isn’t
116 audio storiesplay as you drive Badlands, wildlife included

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Wildlife

More wildlife in Badlands

All 16 sighting maps

1,061 sightingsBighorn SheepOvis canadensisMost seen 5–8 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

906 sightingsPrairie DogCynomys ludovicianusMost seen 8–11 AM & 4–7 PMSighting map

333 sightingsPronghornAntilocapra americanaMost seen 6–8 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

304 sightingsMule DeerOdocoileus hemionusMost seen 6 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

87 sightingsCoyoteCanis latransMost seen 6 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

46 sightingsAmerican BadgerTaxidea taxusMost seen 6 AM & 8 PMSighting map

183 sightingsBurrowing OwlAthene cuniculariaMost seen 6 AM & 5–7 PMSighting map

10 sightingsGolden EagleAquila chrysaetosMost seen 8 AM–12 PM & 1–7 PMSighting map

Where to see Bison in Badlands