South Dakota
Where ancient earth, open prairie, and endless sky collide.
The South Dakota Badlands are a dramatic landscape of rugged buttes, colorful ridges, deep canyons, and sweeping mixed-grass prairie. Millions of years of geology and erosion have shaped a place that can seem almost otherworldly, especially when sunrise or sunset brings out the reds, golds, grays, and purples hidden within the formations.
Centered around Badlands National Park, the area offers much more than scenic overlooks. Visitors can drive the Badlands Loop Road, hike among the formations, explore ancient fossil beds, watch bison and bighorn sheep, photograph the changing landscape, and discover the region's Lakota and Great Plains history. Whether you're stopping for a few hours or spending several days exploring, the Badlands are one of those places where the journey is best experienced slowly.
Beyond the grasslands of western South Dakota, the earth suddenly falls away into a maze of striped buttes, jagged spires, fossil beds, and deep canyons. Explore the geology, Lakota history, wildlife, scenic drives, trails, and unforgettable light of Badlands National Park.