Badlands National Park guide · 1 min read
Sage Creek Rim Road: Gravel Road to Bison Country
Sage Creek Rim Road, also marked as Highway 590, runs through the western section of the park on a gravel surface.
Ordinary passenger cars can handle it. The road leaves the Badlands Loop Road not far from the Pinnacles Overlook and runs about 25 miles to a point near the town of Scenic. Much of the route looks out over the Badlands Wilderness Area.
Heading west from the Pinnacles, the spires thin out into rounded hills dotted with pines. Four overlooks line the road. From east to west they are Hay Butte Overlook, Badlands Wilderness Overlook, Roberts Prairie Dog Town and Sage Creek Basin Overlook. The drive typically takes one to two hours.
Compared with the paved loop, this stretch has a rougher, quieter character, and wildlife is the main draw. Bison are often seen here, along with pronghorn, bighorn sheep, coyotes, prairie dogs and many kinds of birds. Black-footed ferrets, among the most endangered mammals in the world, were returned to the wild in the Badlands Wilderness Area.
The road is dirt and gravel, so the surface can become rough during and after storms. Heavy rain or snow can also temporarily close the road.
Badlands is among the small number of national parks that allow hiking off trail. In the Sage Creek Wilderness, there are no maintained trails, so routes are faint paths and bison trails that wind through the tall grass. Hikers can begin at the Sage Creek Campground or at the Sage Creek Basin Overlook. Before heading out, record your name and vehicle details in the Backcountry Register.
