Badlands National Park is in southwestern part of South Dakota and less than 2 hours driving distance from Mount Rushmore. The park protects 242,756 acres of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. We visited this park in 2017.
Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway – One of the best things to do in the park is to drive this scenic route. It takes about one hour to drive the 39-mile loop of South Dakota Highway 240 between the towns of Cactus Flat and Wall without stopping. There are 12 overlooks on this byway. We were amazed with the parks rugged beauty which boasts a maze of buttes, canyons, pinnacles and spires. You will want to stop every few meters to admire the striking landscape or take pictures. We also took time to hike on one of the many trails in the park.
Badlands Trails on the scenic byway– We walked on the Door and Notch trail. Door Trail is a 0.75-mile (round trip) boardwalk trail that leads to a break in the Badlands Wall, allowing for exploration beyond the maintained path. The Notch trail is a 1.5 mile easy and scenic walk that ends with a beautiful view of the Badlands.
