Badlands & Mount Rushmore

Hay Butte Overlook - This overlook offers 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.

Enjoy lifetime access with no expiration. Use it anytime, on any trip, as often as you like.

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

The tour spans over 40 miles, featuring more than 20 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.

Badlands Wilderness Overlook - Known for its unique landscapes, including rugged rock formations and deep canyons, this 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 many 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 processed bison.

Yellow Mounds Overlook - Featuring unique layered rock formations, the Yellow Mounds owe their color to iron oxide in the rock layers. These formations offer a 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, and the paleosols are part of the bottommost formation in the Badlands: the Pierre Shale.

Homestead Overlook - Lincoln believed the American West had the resources the country needed, though few Americans wanted to live there. West Coast Natives were wary 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. Burns cleverly found a government-allotted plot with a freshwater spring.

Prairie Wind Overlook - Unlike previous overlooks, the main attraction here is the gentle, pleasant prairie, showcasing the park’s surprisingly diverse ecosystems.

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

White River Valley Overlook - From here, you can see The Castle, a magnificent formation and the largest visible from the overlook. Beyond the castle, the White River Valley stretches endlessly, created long ago by the White River.

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

Saddle Pass Trail - This 0.7-mile trail takes under half an hour to hike and offers excellent 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 - A great place to take a break from your expedition through the Badlands. In addition to a picnic area and usual amenities, you’ll find the Fossil Preparation Lab, which shows what paleontologists do with fossils once discovered.

Cliff Shelf Nature Trail - This half-mile loop offers one of the best views in the park. Besides the stellar vista from the top of the loop, you’ll 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 leading to a tremendous vista of the White River Valley. Hikers seeking challenging 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, known as The Door, offering unbeatable views of the landscape beyond. Be sure to bring your camera!

Castle Trail - At 5.4 miles, it’s the longest-maintained trail in the park, weaving through prairie, Badlands peaks, and unique formations. This trail is a great choice for those wanting to see all the different features of the Badlands.

Big Badlands Overlook - A fitting place to conclude, offering one of the best views in the park. This sweeping vista looks out across the eastern stretch of the Badlands Wall, revealing beautifully striped layers of rock dating back tens of millions of years. If you’re seeking the perfect photo of the Badlands, you’ll likely capture it here.

64 Presidential Trail - The Hall of Records was a proposed structure intended to be built near Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It was meant to serve as an archive for important historical documents related to the Presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore and other significant American historical records.

Badlands & Mount Rushmore

Sculptor’s Studio - Here is Gutzon Borglum’s studio. Inside, you’ll find a large plaster sculpture showing the original design for Mount Rushmore, which is more intricate than the final product. The original design featured fully carved bodies for each president.

Gutzon Borglum Historical Center - The sculptor behind Mount Rushmore, Borglum was born in Idaho in 1867 and led a complex life.

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

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

Avenue Of Flags - Ahead is the Avenue of Flags, featuring 56 flags in alphabetical order. Fifty are state flags, while the other six represent 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 - This tourist route highlights the history and legacy of former U.S. Presidents. It includes 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.

Enjoy new, lifetime access with no expiration. Use it anytime, on any trip, as often as you like.

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
• New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
• 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.
• The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.
• 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.