Your Badlands National Park CME conference.

Badlands National Park after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Mountain time. The park suggests driving the Badlands Loop Road and watching for wildlife, and the state tourism site calls the road a scenic byway where animals are often seen. The Fossil Exhibit Trail is a quarter-mile accessible boardwalk, and the park describes it as a good place for little ones to explore. The Ben Reifel Visitor Center has a working fossil preparation lab. The park says colors shift through the year and that winter often covers the formations in snow.

Travel, lodging and park entry are arranged separately. Your conference follows your specialty and interests, and the park is simply the setting you pick for it. Check the park’s alerts and the day’s forecast before you set out, because the park warns that weather in the Badlands can change very quickly.

Roads, prairie and wildlife

The park protects an expanse of mixed-grass prairie, and the grasslands support bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets. The state tourism site also lists antelope and deer. Stay at least 100 feet from bison, which the park says can run faster than 30 miles per hour and can inflict fatal wounds.

The North Unit has Badlands Loop Road, a two-lane paved road reached from Interstate 90, and Sage Creek Rim Road. The South Unit has no roads through the park, but visitors can drive up Sheep Mountain Table or take a scenic drive around the unit. Pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet at all times.

Prairie rattlesnakes hide under boardwalks, stairs and tall grass, and warm themselves on paved roads at night, so watch where you put your hands and feet.

Fossils and the backcountry

The park describes the formations as deposits that hold a rich fossil bed, and says ancient horses and rhinos once roamed here. The visitor center’s fossil lab is the place to see that work in progress.

Experienced hikers can follow a social trail and camp overnight in the backcountry. The state tourism site links to a trip idea for backpacking in the Sage Creek Wilderness to see bison and unusual formations. The park warns that the terrain is unstable and easy to slip on, that clay-based buttes become very slick when wet, and that dry washes can flood quickly.

Dark skies and the edge of the park

The state tourism site says Badlands is an International Dark Sky Park with near-zero light pollution. After your 2:00 PM finish, an evening of stargazing is an option, with a clear sky and a plan for cold shoulder-season nights.

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site sits next to Interstate 90 near Philip and is described as being on the park’s edge. For thirty years about 1,000 Minuteman missiles were kept on constant alert in the Great Plains, and the site preserves Cold War facilities: Delta-01, a launch control facility that once controlled ten missiles, and Delta-09, where visitors can view a Minuteman II missile in its silo through a glass enclosure. In Wall, at Exit 110, the state tourism site lists a city-block-sized roadside emporium with a giant jackalope for photos and a life-sized concrete brachiosaurus on the hillside overlooking the interstate.

When to visit Badlands National Park

Spring highs climb from 48°F in March to 72°F in May, with precipitation rising from 0.90 inches to 2.75 inches over the season, and fall highs fall from 81°F in September to 50°F in November. Summer highs run 83°F to 92°F and often top 100°F, and June is the wettest month, at 3.12 inches. Fall precipitation is lighter, from 1.23 inches in September to 0.41 inches in November. Hailstorms and occasional tornadoes can descend on the Badlands, and lightning can strike before a storm arrives. In a storm, stay away from trees, high ground and dry washes.

Winter highs run 34°F to 40°F, with lows of 11°F to 17°F, and December and January are the driest months. The park lists temperatures ranging from minus 40°F to 116°F over the year, and about 16 inches of precipitation, mostly in the warmer months. Dress in layers and drink about a gallon of water a day. The park advises sunscreen, long sleeves, pants and a wide-brimmed hat for summer heat, and says summer storms are frequently violent and unpredictable.

Getting to Badlands National Park and your study setting

The park is 75 miles east of Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) is the arrival point shown in this guide. It lists nonstop flights to major hubs on American, Delta, Allegiant, United and Sun Country, and names Badlands National Park among nearby attractions.

From Interstate 90, Exit 131 at Interior leads to the Northeast Entrance, about three miles south. Exit 110 at Wall leads to the Pinnacles Entrance, about seven miles south. The Interior Entrance is reached from State Highway 44 and Highway 377. The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.