Last Updated on May 7, 2023 by Aswetravel
Badlands National Park Camping – Situated east of Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota’s Badlands National Park offers an awe-inspiring landscape as you drive through. This park provides you with features such as colorful spires, overlooks, and giant buttes. Badlands National Park can stand out brightly from the surrounding prairies.
Badlands National Park Camping
To truly experience this rugged environment, just a day’s visit won’t do. Spend a couple of nights tent or RV camping in or near the park. This article provides you with your Badlands National Park camping options. There is something for everyone here, whether at any campgrounds located within the park or outside.
Sage Creek Campground
The Badlands National Park is divided into the North Unit and South Unit. On the west side of the North Unit lies the Sage Creek Campground. The Sage Creek Campground is a basic free-to-use campground. This campground is for individuals interested in having an authentic Badlands experience. Don’t expect too many amenities, and you are bound to experience some visits from the park’s resident bison, and the Badlands Wilderness Area is nearby.
With no nearby amenities, this backcountry camping area offers the chance to experience just how rugged this side of the Badlands is. That said, you do get to combine the amazing beauty of nature with the communal aspect of backcountry camping in this area. For this reason, Sage Creek Campground is one of the best camping options in the park. It has also been hailed as one of the best campgrounds in the state.
If you are camping overnight, note that you need to bring along camping equipment, food, and potable water. There are a few amenities, such as vault toilets and a couple of picnic tables in the shade. One thing Sage Creek Campground does have is lots and lots of room to pitch a tent. It was created for small campers and tent camping.
At the Sage Creek Campground, there are plenty of avenues to explore, either hiking or just sitting back and appreciating the gorgeous environment of the Badlands. To find Sage Creek Campground, you have to locate the Sage Creek Road. This is a road that stops larger camper vehicles and motor vehicles from gaining access to the campground. When the weather is wet, the park service closes the road.
Cedar Pass Campground
Cedar Pass Campground is one of two campgrounds located in the Badlands National Park operated by the National Park Service. Cedar Pass is a lot more popular than Sage Creek Campground because more amenities are available. It also doesn’t hurt that you can access the park’s many features from this campground. There are 96 campsites located at Cedar Pass Campground, and every one of them provides you views of the spires and buttes Badlands National Park is known for.
Apart from the beautiful views you get from this campground, the Ben Reifel Visitor Center is nearby to learn more about the park, as is the eastern section of the Badlands Loop State Scenic Highway to take a drive and see all the park has to offer.
The Cedar Pass Campground is accommodating to tent campers and an RV park as well. You can access features such as flushing toilets, pay showers, potable water, and picnic areas in this campground. Plus, the Cedar Pass Lodge and Restaurant is close enough to walk to. The restaurant is available to all visitors and provides additional camping supplies, handmade memorabilia, and a hot meal.
The Cedar Pass Lodge Campground is typically open year-round, with some modifications during the winter. Visitors to the park can access group sites available during the winter off-season. This is particularly useful for those visitors that want to avoid the crowd that other seasons bring.
Another positive about Cedar Pass Campground is the many other attractions close by. Campers can access iconic trailheads, such as the Castle, Window, and Notch trails, all within 10 minutes of driving.
Things To Do in Badlands National Park
Hiking on the Notch Trail
The Notch Trail is a great hiking adventure for adults and kids alike. As one of the shorter hikes, at 1.5 miles, it features a walk through a scenic canyon, a short walk along a cliff trail, and a climb up a wooden ladder, culminating in one of the best views of the Badlands.
You should note that a part of the trail is only five feet wide. Thankfully, you can skip this section, especially when hiking with young children or those who fear heights. You will get to the wooden ladder before the narrow section of the trail, where you can decide to either follow it to the canyon floor until it joins the higher course or climb up the ladder to the cliff trail.
Hike the Castle Trail
The Castle Trail goes deeper into the Badlands and is a five-mile point-to-point trail. It cuts through the Badlands, connecting two points of the Badlands Loop Drive, the Window Trail, and the Door Trail, with the Fossil Exhibit Trails.
There are various ways to hike the Castle Trail. If you choose to do it point to point, you will need someone to drop you off and pick you up. You could also choose to hike the entire trail and back, about 10 miles. The third option would be to walk a section of the trail.
Hikers on the Castle Trail seem to love the Saddle Pass- Castle Trail- Medicine Root Loop. Hiking this 4.7-mile section takes around two hours to complete. While most of the trail is easy, the first climb at Saddle Pass might be too strenuous for some. If you choose to hike this section, you will be treated to stellar views across rock pinnacles prairie land, and if you are lucky, you might get a glimpse of pronghorn or bighorn sheep.
Drive Sage Creek Rim Road
The Sage Creek Rim Road points into the western part of the Badlands NP. It is a gravel road which makes it suitable for any vehicle. This short drive is worth it for those who want to visit the less-traveled part of the Badlands to see the prairie lands, the wildlife, or stroll into the backcountry. The drive begins on the Badlands Loop Drive, not too far from the Pinnacles Overlook. It is about 25 miles long and terminates near Scenic, South Dakota.
If you choose to head farther west, the spires and pinnacles of the Pinnacles overlook will begin to fade away, replaced with small pine tree forests and rounded hills. This part is much wilder, more remote, and rugged than the Badlands Loop Road. While it isn’t as picturesque as the Badlands Loop Road, it is known for wildlife sightings. You might catch sight of coyotes, bison, bighorn, and pronghorn sheep.
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Badlands National Park Camping
Things to Do in Badlands National Park
