Badlands National Park is a scenic bypass off of the major interstate. The park fee is $30 per car and is included with an America The Beautiful pass. You can spend as little as an hour just driving through taking in the sites or as much as a whole day, stopping at the many hikes & overlooks. With little ones in tow, we took the middle ground and spent about 4 hours.

Also, for a reference point, we traveled east to west, beginning in Cactus Flat and ending in Wall. I think this is the most common route but if you are traveling the opposite way, you may be visiting these stops in the reverse order. I’m including a map to help, but be sure to grab a more detailed one at the park entrance booth.

There are so many overlooks and while they are all beautiful, stopping at them all just didn’t seem necessary. I mean, who wants to get kids out of their car seats 20 times?! It just wasn’t feasible. So, I did my research beforehand to find the very best!

Big Badlands Overlook- This is the very first lookout you get to when you enter the park, so it’s your first chance to soak in the beauty of the landcape.

Panorama Point- The overlook provides a wide view of the White River Valley.

Yellow Mounds Overlook- It is very obvious why this overlook gets it’s name. The mounds in this area look like a sunset of stripes of yellows, oranges, and pinks. It makes it a very unique view.

Pinnacles Overlook- This is the most visited overlook in the park. It has a boardwalk out to a landing with a beautiful view. Keep your eyes open for wildlife! We saw several mountain goats at this stop.

There are also some great hiking options! We love to hike, but kept the hikes we chose limited because of heat and literally zero shade. No matter the hike, make sure you are prepared with plenty of water, sunscreen, and hats. I’ll share the most popular hiking trails and why or why not we chose to do them. All of the trails listed, with an exception of the Fossil Trail, are located at the same trailhead soon after you enter the park.

Door Trail- This was the ideal hiking trail for us! It was a 1 mile round trip out & back hike that took about 30 minutes. It went through the “door” of one of the large mounds into a beautiful scenery of the Badlands. This isn’t a traditional trail path, but is over the rocks and mounds that are marking with yellow posts taking you to the endpoint, with a beautiful view! You definitely want a carrier or hiking backpack for this one.

Window Trail- This trail is made to be super easy and accessible for everyone! It’s only 0.25 miles out & back. A boardwalk takes you to a beautiful overlook, making it easy for the toddlers to walk independently and to use strollers for the babies!

Notch Trail- This trail is the most popular but we chose not to do it due to both the heat and mixed reviews on whether it’s suitable for children with it being on the cliff’s edge and having a steep rope ladder. It was recommended by some to go until you reach the ladder and then turn around, but we did not try it. It’s a 1.5 mile out and back, taking about an hour to complete.

Castle Trail- This trail is not recommended during the summer heat. It’s 10 mile round trip and takes about 5 hours. Most of it is through the meadows and gives you a chance at seeing wildlife and wild flowers. It’s obvious why we chose not to do this one with littles.

Fossil Exhibit Trail- There was nothing special scenery wise for this little trail but is fun for kids, especially those who like fossils! It only takes about 10 minutes and is on a boardwalk, making it completely accessible for strollers and for toddlers to run. Exhibits of fossil replicas, including pictures of the animals and where they are found, are located throughout the trail.

The Ben Reifel Visitors Center is a great stop for a picnic lunch after your hikes! There are picnic tables protected by shade coverings to keep you protected from the summer sun. There’s a museum telling how the formation of the Badlands came to be, a active fossil lab where you can ask the archeologists questions and see them in action, a gift shop, and clean restrooms.

I’d also recommend traveling a few miles down Sage Creek Rim Road to Robert’s Praire Dog Town. The road is gravel and is near the end of the byway. Unfortunately, it was closed for construction during our trip so we were unable to take it, but from my research, it’s recommended to not do the complete loop but just take it as far as Robert’s Praire Dog Town and back. Seeing dozens of prairie dogs is so fun for the kids & the road leading to it is supposed to be your best chance at seeing wildlife, such as bison.

After hours in the heat, don’t forget to stop at Wall Drug, the biggest tourist trap in South Dakota! It was definitely the highlight for our daughter, and she still begs to go back. The history behind Wall Drug goes all the way back to the Dust Bowl, where they became known for offering passerby’s free cups of ice cold water. Now you can still get free water, but there are numerous gifts shops, an outdoor play area for children, an arcade, and art gallery. There is also a cafe, soda fountain, fudge shops, homemade doughnuts, and ice cream! A bison burger & ice cream was the perfect treat after a long day!

Badlands National Park

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