🚗 Badlands National Park Transportation Tips: How to Cruise the Moon on Earth 🌕🛣️

#transportation Welcome to Badlands National Park, where jagged cliffs, colorful buttes, and endless prairie views stretch for miles. Here’s how to get around like a road trip rockstar — without missing a single overlook 👇 📍 Where Is It? Located in southwest South Dakota, Badlands is super accessible from major Midwest and mountain hubs. 🗺️ Nearby cities: 🐾 Rapid City, SD – 1 hr 🛫 Mount Rushmore – 1.5 hrs 🛻 Wall, SD – 10 mins (also home to the famous Wall Drug!) 🗺️ Combine it with a trip to Custer State Park or Black Hills 🚗 Self-Driving = Essential ✅ No shuttle or public transport in the park 🛣️ The best way to explore is via the Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) 🛻 It’s a 39-mile scenic loop that takes you past all major overlooks + trailheads 💡 Best direction: Enter via the Northeast Entrance near Wall, exit near Interior 🅿️ Parking Tips 🅿️ Lots of small pullouts at all major viewpoints ✅ Plenty of parking at trailheads like: Door Trail Notch Trail Fossil Exhibit Trail Panorama Point 💡 Summer tip: Arrive early or late for cooler temps + great light for photos 🛻 RV & Campervan Friendly ✅ RVs allowed on park roads — no size restrictions on Loop Road ⛺ Campgrounds: Cedar Pass Campground (near visitor center) Sage Creek Campground (primitive, free, often shared with bison 🦬!) ⚠️ Watch for bison and prairie dogs — they love the roads as much as you do 🚌 Public Transportation? 🚫 Nope — no shuttles, ride shares, or buses ✅ Closest major airport: Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) → Rent a car there to access the park + surrounding attractions 🚴 Can You Bike It? 🚲 Yes — but it’s rugged! You can bike on park roads (not trails) Bring lots of water — there’s no shade and limited services 🧭 Quick Transport Tips: ✅ Fill up your tank in Wall — no gas inside the park ✅ Bring extra water + snacks — distances feel longer here ✅ Download offline maps before entering — signal is spotty ✅ Pair with a Mount Rushmore or Black Hills stop for an epic South Dakota circuit