Badlands Loop Road, South Dakota

About this drive

The Badlands Loop Road covers 39 miles through Badlands National Park in South Dakota, a landscape that looks less like anything else in the United States and more like the surface of another planet. The road cuts through formations of layered sedimentary rock — gray, cream, rust, and ochre — that erosion has carved into a continuous field of spires, ridges, and buttes. The scale is deceptive from the car; hiking even a short distance into the formations gives a sense of just how large the individual pinnacles are. The park's fossil record is among the richest in the world — rhinoceros, three-toed horse, and saber-toothed cat species have all been excavated from these formations. The pale gray and tan bands near the top are relatively recent lake sediments; the dark iron-stained layer below dates to about 34 million years ago. A geology lesson runs alongside the whole drive, readable from the car. Bison, bighorn sheep, and black-footed ferrets can all be spotted on or near the road. The Pinnacles Overlook near the west entrance gives the widest panoramic view of the formations. Sunrise and sunset are the most photogenic times; the directional light emphasizes the banding in the rock in ways that midday sun completely flattens.

Stops along the way

• 📸 Pinnacles Overlook · Scenic Viewpoint

  A wide pullout looking out over a dense field of eroded spires and ridgelines.