We recently headed into Badlands National Park with my sister and her kids and it was better than expected. I knew it would be good because every National Park is well worth the visit. However, what I didn’t expect was how much my niece and nephew would enjoy it and why. Here’s why the Badlands must be on your bucket list if you have kids.
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Badlands National Park
There’s a lot to see in the Badlands. Rock formations, wildlife, and the largest collection of fossils are inside this National Park. You can learn more about it in the Visitor Center, but what makes it special is the combination of unique geological formations, prairie lands. I’ve highlighted the best stops below for you.
Where is Badlands National Park
Before we can get to why Badlands National Park is so great for kids, you’ll need to know exactly where it is. The Badlands are about an hour from Rapid City, South Dakota. If you want to follow the trip we did, you can stay in Rapid City. I would like to go back to the Badlands one day and stay closer to be able to do sunrise and sunset. However, we were planning to go to other spots as well so we stayed in Rapid City. You can learn more about the areas we went to in this post. You can easily get to the Badlands from Rapid City in about an hour.
How Long do You Need at the Park?
For our trip we spent only one full day in the park and it did feel like we got to see a lot of the park. If you want to do more hiking and see some sunrises or sunsets, I think 2 full days would be the best amount of time. We drove in and out from Rapid City and were able to drive the entire park, hit the visitor center, and do some hiking.
Must Do & See at Badlands National Park
As I mentioned before, what makes the Badlands unique is that it has these unique geological formations, combined with prairie lands, and wildlife. In our one day, we were able to see it all. If you had two days you could do more hiking and this is what kids really enjoyed.
Must Do: Hike All Over (yes even “off trail” it’s ok!)
The Badlands are an open hiking park which means you don’t have to stay on trail. I had a few hikes in mind, including the Notch Trail, which is the most popular hike in the park. However, we determined the Notch Trail would be a little too much for our group, but we were able to hike around the geological formations without having to do a trail and the kids loved this part. You of course do this at your own risk, but you can get up close to the formations without having to do a full trail which was great for our group. Not everyone in my family can do serious hiking so this was a great option.
Must See: Prairie Dogs and Other Wildlife
Now the second thing you’re going to want to see is the prairie dogs and you’ll easily be able to do this as your drive the main road around the park. Make sure you stop and watch them for a while. They make the cutest chirping noises to each other and they are too fun to just sit and watch them talk to each other. My niece and nephew loved this as well. We also saw buffalo very close to the road and that is always fun as well.
Please don’t try to approach the wildlife!
Must Do: Drive the Entire Park and Stop A Lot
Finally, if you’re like us and only have one day in Badlands National Park, make sure you drive the whole park and stop a lot. The geological formations change and just when you think you’ve seen them all, the colors change to red and yellow. A great thing about this park is that there are a lot of places to stop right off the road. Then, you can make your choices on where you want to hike around.
Final Thoughts on Badlands National Park
The Badlands National Park is definitely great for families with kids. They will love climbing the rocks, seeing the wildlife, and exploring the geological formations. It’s amazing and if you don’t want to drive it, there’s some tours you can take as well. Don’t miss the park because you don’t want to drive!
Tours to the Badlands National Park:
Classic Tour from Rapid City
Sunset and Stars Tour
Small Group Tour
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