Badlands & Mount Rushmore

Hay Butte Overlook - This overlook provides a stunning view of the Badlands and prairie meadows. It’s an excellent spot to observe bison, pronghorn, and the park’s diverse scenery. The overlook is a short hike from the Badlands Loop Road, a popular park route.

Purchase once and enjoy for a year! Perfect for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

For the best experience, bring headphones or earbuds for your walking tour.

Badlands Wilderness Overlook - Renowned for its unique landscapes, including rugged rock formations and deep canyons, this wilderness area is home to a variety of plant and animal life, such as bison, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. It’s a popular destination for hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, and photography.

Roberts Prairie Dog Town - Home to numerous black-tailed prairie dogs, these burrowing rodents from the Great Plains of North America are known for their “bark” and behavior. Visitors enjoy observing these fascinating animals in their natural habitat at Roberts Prairie Dog Town.

Ancient Hunters Overlook - Named after the ancient tribes that hunted in the Badlands, this site has yielded bison bones and arrowheads. It was likely a butchering field where hunters cleaned and prepared bison carcasses.

Yellow Mounds Overlook - Known for its unique layered rock formations, the Yellow Mounds get their color from iron oxide in the rock layers. These formations offer a unique glimpse into the Badlands’ landscapes after millions of years of erosion and weathering.

Conata Basin Overlook - Here, you can enjoy another great view of the park’s yellow paleosols, offering a window into the land’s distant past. This area was once the bed of a warm, shallow sea. The paleosols visible here are part of the bottommost formation in the Badlands: the Pierre Shale.

Homestead Overlook - Lincoln believed the American west had the resources his country needed, though few Americans wanted to live there. West Coast Natives were cautious of settlers in the unexplored region. Thus, Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, allowing people to live on the land and work to improve it.

Burns Basin Overlook - This view overlooks Wilson Burns’ 20th-century farmhouse. Burns demonstrated how homesteaders survived in this harsh environment. As a sheep rancher, he required a lot of water, and most groundwater is buried several thousand feet deep, which was impossible for a typical homesteader. Burns was resourceful and found a government-allotted plot with a freshwater spring.

Prairie Wind Overlook - This spot is quite different from previous overlooks, as the main attraction here isn’t the badlands but the gentle, pleasant prairie. It’s a great example of the park’s surprisingly diverse ecosystems.

Big Badlands Overlook - Named by Lakota Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), in 1890, the US Army pursued Spotted Elk and 200 Lakota through this route. He was soon apprehended by the 7th Cavalry. Spotted Elk surrendered peacefully to save his people. In 1990, Congress apologized but did not compensate the tribe. The Lakota are still trying to withdraw the 20 Medals of Honor given to cavalrymen who massacred them.

White River Valley Overlook - From here, you can see The Castle, a magnificent formation and the largest seen from the overlook. Beyond the castle, the White River Valley extends endlessly. The White River created this valley long ago, as the name suggests.

Fossil Exhibit Trail - This trail includes interactive exhibits showcasing the park’s fossil heritage, including ancient animal fossils. The wheelchair-accessible trail welcomes all ages and fitness levels. Visitors can learn about extinct animals like the rhinoceros and three-toed horse and their environment along the trail.

Saddle Pass Trail - This 0.7-mile trail takes under half an hour to hike and offers great opportunities for bird watching and sightseeing. Despite its short length, it is one of the steepest in the park, with over 200 feet of elevation gain. Avoid this trail if it has rained recently.

Ben Reifel Visitor Center - If you’re looking to take a quick break from your expedition through the Badlands, this is a great place for it. In addition to a picnic area and the usual amenities, you’ll also find the Fossil Preparation Lab here, which shows what paleontologists do with fossils once they’ve discovered them.

Cliff Shelf Nature Trail - This half-mile loop offers one of the best views in the park. In addition to the stellar vista from the top of the loop, you’ll also get to explore one of the Badlands’ lesser-known biomes as you walk through a lush juniper forest.

Notch Trail - The Notch Trail features 1.5 miles of rough terrain for the intermediate hiker, including a rope ladder that takes you up to a tremendous vista of the White River Valley. Hikers looking for tricky terrain and great views will love this trail.

Door Trail - This quarter-mile, fully accessible boardwalk is more of a stroll than a hike. It leads to a break in the Badlands Wall. This gap, known as The Door, features unbeatable views of the landscape beyond. Be sure to bring your camera for this one!

Castle Trail - Finally, there’s The Castle. At 5.4 miles, it’s the longest-maintained trail in the park. It weaves through prairie, Badlands peaks, and all kinds of unique formations along the way. If you want to get a good look at all the different features of the Badlands, this trail is a great choice.

Big Badlands Overlook - It’s a fitting place to conclude, as it offers one of the best views in the whole park. This sweeping vista looks out across the eastern stretch of the Badlands Wall and reveals beautifully striped layers of rock dating back tens of millions of years. If you’re looking for that one perfect photo of the Badlands, you’re likely to capture it here.

64 Presidential Trail - The Hall of Records is a proposed structure that was planned to be built in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It was intended to serve as an archive and repository for important historical documents related to the Presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore, as well as other important American historical records.

Badlands & Mount Rushmore

Sculptor’s Studio - Up here is Gutzon Borglum’s studio. Inside, you’ll find a huge plaster sculpture showing the original design for Mount Rushmore, which is quite a bit more intricate than the final product! As you’ll notice, the original design featured fully carved bodies for each of the presidents.

Gutzon Borglum Historical Center - The sculptor behind Mount Rushmore. Born in Idaho in 1867, Borglum led what some might call a complicated life.

Note: This 1.2+ mile-long tour covers the essentials of Mount Rushmore in 1-2 hours.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

Avenue Of Flags - Just ahead is the Avenue of Flags. There are actually 56 flags here, in alphabetical order. 50 are indeed state flags, but what about those other six? Those come from the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.

Presidential Trail - It is a tourist route that highlights the history and legacy of former U.S. Presidents. There are sites and attractions related to several Presidents, including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which features the carved faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

• Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone
• Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
• Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
• Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
• Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
• Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
• Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
• Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!

• Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations

Discover the hidden charm and rich history of South Dakota with this combined tour of Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park! Delve into the fascinating story behind one of America’s most iconic sculptures at Mount Rushmore. Learn about the designer, the carving process, and the reasons these four presidents were chosen for the monument. Then, journey to the Badlands, where a landscape of otherworldly beauty conceals ancient fossils, geological wonders, and Lakota heritage.

After booking, be sure to check your email or text messages to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the specified starting point.

Purchase once and enjoy for a full year! Perfect for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

Please note, this is not an entrance ticket. Verify opening hours before your visit.

• How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
• How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
• Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
• Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
• Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
• Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
• Audio Setup: Connect your phone to your car’s stereo system using Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. For the best experience, consider using headphones for walking tours. Audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay, with navigation features coming soon. Support for Android Auto is also on the way.
• For the best experience, make sure your device meets these requirements: iPhones running iOS 13 or newer, and Android devices with version 9 or newer. For iPads or tablets, only models with GPS and cellular connectivity are recommended for navigation.
• For the best experience, bring headphones/earbuds for your walking tour.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.