Badlands National Park South Dakota Landscape

View overlooking the namesake rock formations of Badlands National Park. Badlands National Park, located in South Dakota, was established as a national monument in 1939 and became a national park in 1978. The park is famous for its dramatic landscapes of sharp pinnacles, deep canyons, and layered rock formations that reveal millions of years of geological history. Key sights include the Badlands Loop Road, which offers stunning overlooks, the Fossil Exhibit Trail, where visitors can learn about prehistoric creatures, and the mixed-grass prairie, home to bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs.