Badlands National Park

North Unit

The eastern half of this unit holds the paved Badlands Loop Road, which passes about ten overlooks and trailheads. Cedar Pass, on that side, is home to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, with exhibits on wildlife, geology and paleontology. Across the west side stretches the 64,000-acre Badlands Wilderness Area, where the black-footed ferret was reintroduced. Eight established trails start from the Loop Road and range from easy walks to moderate climbs. The Notch Trail is a moderate 1.5-mile hike, and the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail is a 0.9-mile loop with boardwalk sections and views over the White River Valley. Keep watch for prairie dogs and bison along the way.

Stronghold Unit

The Stronghold Unit is a largely roadless backcountry area on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where the National Park Service shares management with the Oglala Lakota under a cooperative agreement. In World War II, the U.S. Army Air Force used much of the land as a gunnery range for air-to-air and air-to-ground practice, and unexploded bombs and shells from that era still lie on the ground. Anyone who spots one should leave it untouched and tell a ranger about the spot as quickly as possible. Sites connected with the Ghost Dances of the 1890s are also found in the unit, and the White River Visitor Center is located here. Away from marked routes the open ground is easy to get turned around in, so visitors heading off trail should be comfortable reading a map and navigating without signs.

Sage Creek

Visitors can hike off trail here, since the wilderness area has no maintained paths at all, so you follow faint trails and bison routes through tall grass on your own. The wilderness is open prairie with rounded hills. Sage Creek Rim Road, a dirt and gravel drive, runs past rounded hills and overlooks including Hay Butte and the Sage Creek Basin Overlook, which is one of several starting points for hikers. Roberts Prairie Dog Town sits along the road. Bison are a frequent sight, and pronghorn, bighorn sheep and coyotes are also seen nearby. Black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced to the wilderness. The Sage Creek Campground is a popular access point for the wilderness area.

Wilderness Area

Visitors here can leave the trail altogether. Sage Creek Wilderness Area has no maintained paths, so hikers follow faint routes and bison trails through tall grass. Sage Creek Campground is a popular place to start, but hikers who would rather not drive the length of Sage Creek Rim Road can begin at the Sage Creek Basin Overlook instead. Before setting out, sign the Backcountry Register with your name and vehicle details. Bison can be seen in the distance, and the wider park is home to pronghorn, mule deer and bighorn sheep. Black-footed ferrets, which rank as the continent's most endangered land mammal, have been reintroduced to this wilderness. For a different route, Deer Haven Wilderness Area offers unmaintained trails from the Conata Picnic Area and a good chance of spotting wildlife.