Badlands National Park, South Dakota   It was great. Says Brittany Badlands National Park in South Dakota has plenty of interesting and beautiful geology. Badlands National Park has wonderful outdoors recreation that you could utilize. Lakes are good; Missile 249 Reservoir is a lake that's next to Badlands National Park; if you need a place to stay Badlands Budget Host is a great choice. Badlands National Park is a beautiful sector of wilderness that everyone loves. Throughout the summer, highs usually are in the 90's at Badlands National Park. Summer night lows descend down to the 60's.     During the winter highs are in the 30's; night lows at Badlands National Park throughout the winter commonly dip into the 0's. What a spot this is for outdoors people. Badlands National Park is a location that is pretty dried up usually; June is the wettest month with most rain while January is the month with the least amount of precipitation. Badlands National Park has beautiful nature scenery for you to love. This is a brilliant neighborhood for people who like lakes. Big Foot Pass Reservoir is a lake in the vicinity. You'll need more than a day to look at everything Badlands National Park has to offer, you can camp at Badlands/White River KOA. You might want to pay a visit to Cedar Pass while you're here at Badlands National Park. There's so much to do here at Badlands National Park that you need to camp here for       During the winter highs are in the 30's; night lows at Badlands National Park throughout the winter commonly dip into the 0's. What a spot this is for outdoors people. Badlands National Park is a location that is pretty dried up usually; June is the wettest month with most people from Interior. Badlands National Park is a magnificent place for a trip when you need to get out. Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. The Badlands Wilderness Area covers 64,000 acres and is the site of the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, the most endangered land mammal in North America. The Stronghold Unit is co-managed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe   and includes sites of 1890s Ghost Dances. Established as Badlands National Monument in 1939, the area was redesignated 'National Park' in 1978. Over 11,000 years of human history pale to the ages old paleontological resources. Badlands National Park contains the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 23 to 35 million years old. The evolution of mammal species such as the horse, sheep, rhinoceros and pig can be studied in the Badlands formations.    CONTACTS Email - badl_information@nps.gov Fax- (605) 433-5404 Write to Badlands National Park P.O. Box 6 Interior, SD 57750 Phone Visitor Information - (605) 433-5361 TRAVEL BASICS Operating Hours, Seasons The park is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Entrance fees are collected year round. Getting There PLANE - Rapid City and Sioux Falls have airports CAR - I-90 to Hwy 240 'Badlands Loop Road' or Hwy 44 from Rapid City. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - No public transportation is available to the park. Weather & Climate The Badlands experiences hot, dry summers with occasional violent thunderstorms. Winters are typically very cold with 12 to 24 inches of snowfall. Extremely high winds are common year-round. Sudden and dramatic weather changes are common, so it's good to dress in layers. Hats and sunglasses are recommended. Accessibility Fossil Exhibit Trail and Door Trail are one-fourth mile in length and wheelchair accessible. An open-captioned version of the park video 'Buried Fossils, Living Prairie' is available. Accessibility guide to park free upon request. Getting Around A typical visit lasts three to five hours and includes the park movie, stops at four overlooks, and two walks. The 30-mile Loop Drive is accessed from Interstate 90 and is a two-lane, paved surface. The 30-mile Sage Creek Rim Road is gravel and impassable after heavy rains or snows. Five trails, varying from one-fourth mile to eight miles in length, explore park features. The remainder of the park is open to exploration using a topographic map and a compass. FEES/PERMITS Entrance Fee BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK $10.00 for 7 Days $5.00 per bicycle or motorcycle + $5.00 per passenger CAMPING Cedar Pass Campground Open All Year Cedar Pass Campground is $10.00 per night in summer with a 14 night limit. During winter months,it is $8.00 per night. The campground is operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis. There are four group campsites that can be reserved in advance by calling (605) 433-5235. Minimum fee for a group campsite is $25. Sage Creek Campground Open All Year Sage Creek Campground is a free, primitive facility with vault toilets and no water. The campground is operated by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis. FACILITIES Visitor Centers BEN REIFEL VISITOR CENTER Phone - (605) 433-5361 Location - Cedar Pass 'Badlands Loop Road' Hwy 240. Closures - The Ben Refiel Visitor Center is CLOSED on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Special Programs - Check at the visitor center between June 15 and August 19 for full ranger program schedule. Reduced schedule offered April through May and August 20 through Labor Day. No programs are available from Memorial Day to mid-June to allow summer naturalist staff to complete training and orientation. Exhibits - Fossils, cultural history, prairie ecology. Available Facilities - Cedar Pass Lodge, operated under a concession contract by the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is open from mid-April through mid-October. Call (605) 433-5460 for Lodge reservations. User input for Badlands National Park, South Dakota: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Review Guidelines   Current weather conditions at Badlands National Park, South Dakota Local climate location: WASTA 27 miles away Find a Business in or near Badlands National Park Business TypeOR Business Name   Coordinates: Latitude: 43.74 Longitude: -101.93 South Dakota Public Lands Complete list of all Public Lands in South Dakota Outdoors Recreation Near Rapid City, South Dakota Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Rapid City, South Dakota, the metro area neareast to Badlands National Park. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more. Books about about Badlands National Park, South Dakota Books available from Amazon.com about Badlands National Park. South Dakota Outdoors Index Campgrounds Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Paddling Rivers Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Other National Parks Near Badlands National Park, South Dakota Trails Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Hotels Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Lakes Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Beaches Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Golf Courses Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Ski Areas Near or in Badlands National Park, South Dakota     Badlands Budget Host, Interior .4 miles away Budget Host Sundowner Motor In, Kadoka 19 miles away Days Inn Wall, Wall 24.6 miles away Best Western Plains Motel, Wall 24.7 miles away Econo Lodge Wall, Wall 24.8 miles away Super 8 Wall, Wall 24.8 miles away Americas Best Value Inn-Wall, Wall 24.8 miles away Rodeway Inn Kadoka, Kadoka 28.5 miles away Redwood Motel, Wasta 39.3 miles away * Distances listed are direct linear distances, actual travel distance may be different.