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Getting to Badlands National Park

Driving to Badlands

I-90 provides easy access to the Badlands Loop Road, the main road through the park. From the east, take exit 131 and follow the signs three miles south to the Northeast Entrance. From the west, take exit 110 for the town of Wall. Again, follow the signs seven miles south to the Pinnacles Entrance.

If you’d like to plot directions from your location use the interactive map below. The marker shows the location of the Ben Reifel Visitor Center in Badlands.

Flying to Badlands

Badlands National Park is nowhere near an airport of any size. Rapid City is about 60 miles away, and the only choice within several hours. Bismarck, while being 300 miles away, is a practical choice if you also plan to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Both of these are small regional airports. This area of the United States is sparsely populated and served by very few commercial flights.

Below you will find a list of airports most convenient for a trip to Badlands, listed in order of distance. For each airport we provide direct links to browse available flights and cars. For price searches, simply enter your origin and dates.

Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP)

Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, 61 miles by car to Badlands

Rapid City flight schedule and price search

Rapid City available rental cars and price search

Bismarck Municipal Airport (BIS)

Located in Bismarck, North Dakota, 299 miles by car to Badlands

Bismarck flight schedule and price search

Bismarck available rental cars and price search

Official Park Map

Below is the official park map provided by the National Park Service. You can view either the original PDF file or a simple JPEG image file (some of these files can be quite large). Note that while this map is useful for general navigation around the park, if you plan to do any hiking, you should really have a proper Badlands Trail Map.