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Activity Badlands Loop Road, Badlands National Park

Badlands Loop Road

An activity in Badlands Loop Road, Badlands National Park, budget-friendly ($) and worth about 2.5 hours. Best time to go: Afternoon.

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Badlands Loop Road in Badlands Loop Road, Badlands National Park
Photo: Ashley Stanley · Google

Why go

SD Highway 240 through the park, with overlooks every few miles.

It is one of 10 curated places we feature in Badlands National Park, alongside 4 sights, 3 activities and 1 place for a drink. The closest of our other picks is Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, 0.4 mi away as the crow flies.

Type
Activity · Nature
Neighborhood
Badlands Loop Road
Price
$
Time needed
2.5 hr
Best time
Afternoon

Nearby

The 6 closest curated picks in Badlands National Park, measured as straight-line distance.

  1. 1
    Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

    Cold War missile site with a visitor center and the Delta-09 silo viewing window.

    Sight · 0.4 mi straight-line
  2. 2
    Door Trail

    Easy 0.75-mile trail through a break in the Badlands Wall into eroded terrain.

    Activity · 5.4 mi straight-line
  3. 3
    Notch Trail

    1.5-mile trail with a log ladder climb to a ledge over the White River Valley.

    Activity · 5.6 mi straight-line
  4. 4
    Ben Reifel Visitor Center

    Main park visitor center with a fossil prep lab and orientation film.

    Sight · 6.5 mi straight-line
  5. 5
    Cedar Pass Lodge Restaurant

    The park's only restaurant, known for Indian tacos and bison burgers.

    Food · 6.7 mi straight-line
  6. 6
    Fossil Exhibit Trail

    Short accessible boardwalk with fossil replicas of ancient mammals.

    Sight · 6.9 mi straight-line

On these curated routes

Badlands Loop Road is a stop on our Dakotas Badlands & Black Hills route. Open it to see the full day-by-day plan.

More things to do in Badlands National Park

Another curated activity in Badlands National Park. See the full Badlands National Park guide.

When to go

Average daily highs in Badlands National Park run from 36°F in December to 93°F in July; May is usually the wettest month. For Badlands Loop Road itself, we suggest: Afternoon.

Modelled monthly averages for Badlands National Park from NASA POWER, not a forecast. Full Badlands National Park weather by month.

Getting there

Map links open a live search for Badlands Loop Road, so hours and directions come straight from the map app.

Address
SD-240, Philip, SD 57567, USA
Coordinates
43.83860, -101.89967
Destination
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Badlands Loop Road: quick answers

How much time do you need at Badlands Loop Road?

Plan on about 2.5 hours at Badlands Loop Road. That is our curated estimate for a typical visit; groups that linger will want more.

When is the best time to visit Badlands Loop Road?

Our pick: Afternoon. Insider tip: Drive west in the afternoon to end at Pinnacles for sunset.

Where is Badlands Loop Road?

Badlands Loop Road is at SD-240, Philip, SD 57567, USA, in Badlands Loop Road. The Google Maps and Apple Maps links on this page open it for directions.

Which TripsCircle routes include Badlands Loop Road?

Badlands Loop Road appears on Dakotas Badlands & Black Hills, a curated route you can open on TripsCircle and plan with your group.

Add Badlands Loop Road to your crew's plan

Save it to a shared TripsCircle itinerary, settle the timing with a quick poll, and split the costs with everyone going to Badlands National Park.

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Lists & regions

Also in Badlands National Park

Curated recommendation, not live listing data. Confirm hours, prices, bookings and access before you go.