Badlands Wilderness
About 38 million years ago, the Badlands Wilderness was a marshy jungle teeming with saber-toothed cats, small camels, giant turtles, and other long-extinct creatures. Their bones were buried in mud washed down from the Black Hills and beneath layers of gray and white volcanic ash. Over time, the jungle transformed into grassland, and eons of wind, rain, and frost sculpted the landscape into a moonscape of cliffs, gorges, mesas, soaring spires, sharp ridges, and fossil-rich canyons. With an erosion rate of one inch per year, the Badlands are constantly changing due to the elements. To the Dakota Natives, this area was known as Mako Sica, meaning "bad lands to travel through."
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | National Park Service |
| State | South Dakota |
| Size | 64,144 acres |
| Designated | 1976, by Congress |
| Center point | 43.83° N, 102.31° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 33) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 2 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 7 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Agate North Trail ↗ | 7.4 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 5.8 miMinuteman Missile National Historic Site ↗Rapid City, SD
- 10 miQuinn Methodist Church ↗Quinn, SD
- 10.7 miWasta Rest Stop Tipi--Westbound ↗Wasta, SD
- 10.8 miWasta Rest Stop Tipi--Eastbound ↗Wasta, SD
- 11.1 miCalumet Hotel ↗Wasta, SD
- 11.8 mi
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for South Dakota and hiking across the country
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Badlands Wilderness?
64,144 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Badlands Wilderness?
The National Park Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Badlands Wilderness in?
South Dakota.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Badlands Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1976.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Badlands Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Badlands Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 43.830° N, 102.314° W. Badlands National Park is 5 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Which national parks are near Badlands Wilderness?
Badlands National Park (5 mi) and Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (7 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Badlands Wilderness?
The National Register has 6 listings within 15 miles, including Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and Quinn Methodist Church.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.