Last Updated on: 17th July 2025, 09:05 am
Most visitors to Badlands National Park stick to the easily accessible Badlands Loop Road. But who wants to come out to such a remote landscape only to be surrounded by crowds? Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get off the beaten track, including backcountry hikes like Deer Haven and the scenic Sage Creek Rim Road.
The following itinerary is ideal for those who plan to head somewhere further west, such as Deadwood or Custer, following their trip to Badlands. We’ll also be covering the spectacular Sheep Mountain and Red Shirt Table Overlooks in the park’s seldom-visited South Unit.
While well worth the detour, these hard-to-reach overlooks are optional if you plan on returning to Wall (the park’s nearest town) at the end of the day. If that’s the case, simply drive back to Sage Creek Rim Road the way you came.
Note that if you’re coming from Rapid City or Custer in the morning, you can also try the full itinerary described below in reverse order.
At the end of this guide, you can learn more about where to stay in the area and Badlands National Park entry fees at the end of the article.
Pinnacles Overlook & Conata Basin Road
For those departing from Wall, you’ll want to start your day at the Pinnacles Overlook, just a 15 to 20- minute drive from town. This is one of the main overlooks along Badlands Loop Road which we already covered in a separate guide.
While not the focus of this itinerary, it’s worth a brief stop here to appreciate the Pinnacles in the morning light if you haven’t already.
Just to the west of the Pinnacles is the entrance to Sage Creek Rim Road. But for now, head east instead toward the Yellow Mounds Overlook.
But don’t go quite all the way to the Yellow Mounds. Instead, turn right onto Conata Basin Road and drive toward the Conata Picnic Area.
Despite branching off of the popular Badlands Loop Road, the Conata Basin Road hardly gets any traffic. But the scenery here is gorgeous in the early morning light, and you’ll probably want to make plenty of brief stops for photography.
Deer Haven
The Conata Picnic Area is where you’ll find the trailhead for Deer Haven, one of Badlands National Park’s most interesting hikes. Before going further, note that Deer Haven is less of a proper trail and more of a general area that visitors are allowed to freely explore.
If this doesn’t sound like something you or your party would be into, then you’ll probably want to skip this portion of the itinerary and head straight to Sage Creek Rim Road instead,
Before embarking on your adventure, you’ll want to fill out the Backcountry Registration form. If something were to happen to you, rangers would notice your car still in the lot in the evening and start searching for you.
With that said, Deer Haven is mostly a flat area, unless you decide to climb up one of the giant mounds, that is.
Your main risk here will be potentially getting lost. That’s why it’s imperative to use a GPS app that works offline, such as Organic Maps or Maps.me. I was not able to find this area featured on AllTrails.
As mentioned, there aren’t any proper trails here, but you should at least mark the trailhead and prominent landmarks that you pass in your app in case you get confused on the way back.
In my case, fairly early on in the walk, I passed a lone bison grazing in the field. And he would remain in the same spot during my return, serving as a useful landmark.
There wasn’t a single other human in sight, and before long, out of a narrow opening in the distance, a galloping deer suddenly appeared and ran past me.
As this is one of the larger tree-covered areas in the park, it’s long been a major habitat for wildlife.
Without a destination in mind, I simply walked in the direction that would provide the best lighting for photos. And eventually, the prairie grass started to disappear, and I found myself walking along a wash in the middle of a narrow gulch.
Being surrounded on all sides by towering formations reminded me of experiences I had in remote badlands of Utah and New Mexico.
During my exploration of the Badlands Loop Road the previous day, I was rather shocked by how crowded the park can get. But wandering through Deer Haven was much closer to what I’d been picturing when planning the trip.
Not sure of how far the gulch would extend, I ultimately decided to turn around and head back the way I came. I then decided to check out some other parts of the wider prairie area, but large formations often blocked the route.
In any case, I had a lot more planned for the day. After roughly 90 minutes of exploring, I felt like it was a good time to head back toward the parking lot. Fortunately, I encountered the same bison again (from a comfortable distance), upon which point I knew I was close.
Even for those with only a day in the park, you should be able to make a quick detour to Deer Haven during your drive along Badlands Loop Road. Looking back, this was one of my favorite experiences at Badlands National Park.
Sage Creek Rim Road
As mentioned above, Sage Creek Rim Road begins just to the west of the Pinnacles Overlook. While much of it is unpaved, the road is regularly maintained and you shouldn’t have any problems even in a smaller sedan.
The dirt portion of the road is only 6.5 miles long before it eventually becomes paved again. As with Badlands Loop Road, it’s home to numerous overlooks, some of which are among the park’s best.
Near the beginning, you can stop at the Hay Butte Overlook, which essentially the Pinnacles Overlook from another angle. And then a short drive away is the Badlands Wilderness Overlook.
Badlands Wilderness Overlook
This is another great overlook that, despite being within easy reach of the central part of the park, many visitors skip.
It’s from around this point that the park’s trademark badlands scenery gradually starts to fade away, being replaced by rolling green hills. At least temporarily.
Robert's Prairie Dog Town
Another stop along Sagecreek Rim Road is Robert’s Prairie Dog Town. These cute mammals – a common sight throughout the Dakotas – are known for their many burrows which together are referred to as prairie dog towns.
Prairie dogs help fertilize the prairie by nibbling on the grass which in turn stimulates the grass to grow more.
Sage Creek Basin Overlook
The next stop along the road is the Sage Creek Basin Overlook. The general area you see in front of you is known as the Sage Creek Wilderness Area which largely consists of prairie rather than badlands.
In addition to Deer Haven mentioned above, this is also one of Badlands National Park’s popular spots for freeform backcountry hiking. But the scenery isn’t nearly as interesting as Deer Haven’s.
Another access point for the Sage Creek Wilderness Area is Sage Creek Campground which is where I headed next. From this point on, Sage Creek Rim road becomes paved.
Sage Creek Campground
For those intending to return to Wall on this day, there’s no real reason to visit the Sage Creek Campground. But I stopped here to get a preview of what backcountry hiking in this lesser-known part of the park was like.
I hiked up a large hill for better views, but saw nothing but endless other grassy hills in the distance. While indeed a tranquil scene, this was not what I came out to Badlands National Park to see, and ended up returning to the parking lot after fifteen minutes or so.
From this point on in our itinerary, you’ll repeatedly find yourself weaving in and out of the boundaries of the National Park, which only starts to make sense upon examining a map of its peculiar shape. All in all, the full park is much larger than many people realize.
The Ghost Town of Scenic
Our next stop is a ghost town known as Scenic, about 25 minutes past the Sage Creek Campground. Reaching the very end of Sagecreek Rim Road, briefly turn onto South Dakota 44 before turning again onto Railway Street.
Scenic is rather odd in the sense that it appears only partially abandoned. The buildings pictured here are obvious examples, but surrounding them are numerous others that appear inhabited, so it’s not an ideal place for urban exploration.
Apparently, Scenic only became abandoned in the 21st century due to an economic downturn. Many of the properties were then bought by a local rodeo legend named Twila Merrill. But that’s not where the story ends.
From around 2011, much of the town has changed hands again, and now belongs to a Filipino church known as the Iglesia ni Cristo. It’s still unclear what they have in mind for Scenic.
Sheep Mountain
Next, past the town of Scenic, head south down Bombing Range Rd. About five minutes later, you’ll reach the turnoff for Sheep Mountain. The unpaved Sheep Mountain Road will take you up atop the formation known as Sheep Mountain Table.
While no special vehicle is required for this drive, you’ll want to avoid doing it if it’s just rained. It’s also just possible to hike up the formation if you don’t feel like driving.
Located where the park’s North and South Units meet, this is one of Badlands’ most difficult-to-reach areas, and it’s easy to see why few make it out here.
But this is arguably the most spectacular overlook in the entire park.
From atop Sheep Mountain, you’ll simultaneously get to view badlands, prairie, and even more badlands in the distance. And as you walk along Sheep Mountain Table’s edge, the view continually changes. It’s a truly breathtaking place.
Note that it’s possible to drive further along the Sheep Mountain Table, though the road gets a lot rougher, and a sign warns visitors not to proceed without a high clearance vehicle.
It’s unclear exactly what lies beyond, but there are surely more incredible views to check out.
Heading back down the mesa, there’s still one more remote yet worthwhile overlook to see on your way to Rapid City or Custer.
Continuing south, you’ll find yourself driving through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home to members of the Oglala Lakota tribe.
Eventually, you’ll reach Badlands National Park’s White River Visitor Center at which multiple roads intersect.
From here, you want to head west along Cuny Table Road before eventually turning right to head north along Red Shirt Table Road.
Red Shirt Table Overlook
The Red Shirt Table Overlook is about a 25-minute drive from the White River Visitor Center. And as you drive along Red Shirt Table Road, it’s far from obvious that you’re about to encounter such a vast and otherworldly overlook.
Though it initially appears as a normal and rather bland road with mostly prairie grass on either side, all of a sudden, you’ll look to your right to see wrinkly badlands formations as far as the eye can see!
Parking your car, be sure to carefully walk down the hill to check out the overlook from closer up. Yet again, this easily rivals – or even surpasses – the various overlooks along Badlands Loop Road or Sage Creek Rim Road. Yet very few visitors have even heard of Red Shirt Table.
From here, it’s finally time to say goodbye to Badlands National Park and head to your final destination for the night. From the Red Shirt Table Overlook, Rapid City is 50 minutes away, Custer is 70 minutes away, and Deadwood is about 90 minutes away.
Additional Info
The closest town to Badlands National Park is Wall, South Dakota, which is just 15-25 minutes from the park (depending on which entrance you start at).
Wall is also known for Wall Drug, a huge shopping complex that contains multiple souvenir shops, cafes and yes, a drug store. You’ll even find signs along the highway promoting it all over the state.
Wall is where I stayed, but unfortunately, I must warn people against choosing America’s Best Value Inn Wall. It’s a two-story motel, and the rooms themselves appear fine. But the building is so poorly made that if you’re on the ground floor, not only will you hear every footstep of the guests above you, but the entire building seems to shake!
On the first night, I had upstairs neighbors who started stomping around from 3 am. And on the second night, I was kept up late by a raucous biker gang which hailed from a certain Central European country.
The staff were not accommodating to my request to switch rooms, and this was easily the worst hotel experience of this (or any) US road trip.
Just next door to America’s Best Value Inn is a Travelodge by Wyndham, which I regret not having stayed at. While nothing fancy, Travelodge is usually pretty consistent when it comes to quality.
Staying in Wall is generally pricier than other options. The next best option would be Rapid City, which is just about an hour from the Pinnacles Entrance Station.
Popular options there include Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Best Western Plus Rapid City Rushmore, and Staybridge Suites Rapid City.
I think most visitors will be fine staying in Rapid City, especially considering how the sunrises and sunset at Badlands aren’t all that spectacular.
At the time of writing, Badlands National Park costs $30 to enter (learn more here).
If you’re visiting from abroad, note that in contrast to many other countries, US parks typically charge per vehicle rather than per person. However, if you’re traveling by bicycle instead, they’ll charge you for an individual pass which costs $15, while those on motorcycles will be charged $25.
Considering how many National Parks and National Monuments there are to see in the Southwest alone, the best option for most will be to buy an ‘America the Beautiful’ Annual National Parks Pass.
These cost $80 for the year. In most cases, you’re already saving money by just visiting four National Parks/Monuments anywhere in the country within a full year.
What’s more, is that only one person in your vehicle needs to have the pass. Additionally, seniors can buy the pass for just $20. So if you have someone over 62 in your party, just have them get the annual pass and everyone else will be set.
As for where to get the pass, you can purchase it in person at most National Parks or Monuments. But you can also order it in advance online.