If You Have Only 1 Day--It's relatively easy to explore the highlights of the North Unit of Badlands National Park in a day or less. (Most visitors spend an average of 3-5 hr.) A few miles south of the park's northeast entrance (the closest entrance to I-90), is the park headquarters, open year-round, which includes the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, Cedar Pass Lodge, and a campground, amphitheater, and dump station. After stopping at the visitor center exhibits, bookstore, and information desk, and after watching an orientation video (which we recommend), it's time to hit the trail.
The visitor center is located within 5 miles of several trailheads, scenic overlooks, and three self-guided nature trails. Each of the seven trails in the area offers an opportunity to view some of the formations for which the Badlands is famous. The Fossil Exhibit Trail is wheelchair accessible. The Cliff Shelf Nature Trail and the Door Trail are moderately strenuous and provide impressive glimpses of Badlands formations. But none is longer than 1 mile, and any one of them can be hiked comfortably in less than an hour.
Leading directly from the visitor center is the 30-mile Badlands Loop Road, the park's most popular scenic drive. Angling northwest toward the town of Wall, it passes numerous overlooks and trailheads, each of which commands inspiring views of the Badlands and the prairies of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Binoculars will increase your chances of spotting bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and coyote.
The paved portion of the Loop Road ends at the turnoff for the Pinnacles Entrance. Beyond this point the road becomes the Sage Creek Rim Road, a 30-mile gravel road, at the end of which is the Sage Creek Campground. Five miles west of the end of the pavement, a visit to the Roberts Prairie Dog Town gives you a chance to watch black-tailed prairie dogs "barking" their warnings and protecting their "town."
If You Have More Time--Those staying overnight have more opportunities to explore the park at a leisurely pace, taking advantage of some of the other trails, such as the Castle Trail, which connects the Fossil Exhibit Trail and Window Fossil Exhibit Trail, and Notch Trail. You could also take in some of the park's summer evening ranger programs.
