The Park is in the southwestern part of the State. The Cedar Pass Visitor Center is two-and-three-quarters miles northeast of Interior on Highway 377, twenty-seven miles southwest of Kadoka (I-90), and twenty-nine miles southeast of Wall (I-90). Rapid City is seventy-five miles west.
WHEN TO VISIT
Cedar Pass Visitor Center open year round. White River Visitor Center open in Summer only. Peak visitor month is August. Climate: Winter, 8 to 40 degrees F; Summer, 85 to 96 degrees F, with some days in the 100s.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Carved by erosion, this scenic landscape contains animal fossils of 40 million years ago. Prairie grasslands support bison, bighorn sheep, deer, and antelope. The South Unit belongs to the Oglala Sioux, and one of their most sacred places, Stronghold Table, is where the final Ghost Dance took place in 1890, just a few days before more than 150 Sioux were massacred at Wounded Knee.
The Badlands Loop in the North Unit has an 89-mile tour, which begins at the Northeast Entrance on Highway 240 and contains the Cedar Pass Visitor Center. The South Unit, almost entirely undeveloped, begins at the town of Scenic on County Road 589, or at the White River Visitor Center on Highway 27, the road from Wounded Knee. Food, supplies, and overnight accommodations are available in Wall and Kadoka. Reservations for Cedar Pass Lodge are available May to October, 605-433-5460.
