Badlands National Park
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 426 spp. recorded
Badlands National Park is a rugged expanse of steep layered rock formations and mixed-grass prairie located in southwestern South Dakota. It differs from mountain or forest parks through its dramatic eroded buttes and deep gullies, crossed by open dirt trails that wind through expansive grasslands and sparse vegetation.
43.852° N 102.355° W
🦜 Nature
224 Species sighted
25,170 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 276 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Badlands National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
22Jan
21Feb
18Mar
23Apr
31May
33Jun
32Jul
32Aug
32Sep
26Oct
18Nov
18Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Big Badlands Overlook
-
Cliff Shelf Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Fossil Exhibit Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Sage Creek Rim Rd
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Pinnacles Overlook
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1
dayTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 309
🐒 Mammals 86
🦎 Reptiles 21
🐸 Amphibians 10
426 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
15 Threatened 9 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.4
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
75% 📊
Coverage (91 species at ≥5% of 426 in the inventory)
21% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (6 bird, 6 mammal)
67% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
66 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
6 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
26 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.0
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
More specifically, we were on a mission to see American Bison (which I called Buffalo during the entirety of our visit… apparently there’s a difference, eye-roll).
To round out our wildlife sighting, we saw a few long-horned sheep, pronghorns, and even a badger.
Less famous than neighboring Wall Drugs, it’s a spot to get stuck in a bison traffic jam or watch a rainbow chase away storm clouds. sunset on our first night A road trip seemed the right way to visit, so my partner and I set off on a car camping adventure.
Regis yelled, “hey look, she’s photobombing your photo.” On most of our adventures, we rarely get to see older male bighorn sheep.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Badlands National Park?
426 species
Badlands National Park has 426 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Western Meadowlark (about 90%), Bighorn Sheep (about 90%), American Bison (about 90%), Black-tailed Prairie Dog (about 90%) and Mourning Dove (about 80%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Prairie Rattlesnake (about 50%); among amphibians, Woodhouse's Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Badlands National Park for wildlife?
May to July
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 50% in November to March. Those are among Badlands National Park's wettest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in January.
Can you see an American Bison in Badlands National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report an American Bison sighting in Badlands National Park on a given day, based on 623 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see a Bighorn Sheep in Badlands National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Bighorn Sheep sighting in Badlands National Park on a given day, based on 815 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August to December (over 90%).
Can you see a Black-tailed Prairie Dog in Badlands National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Prairie Dog sighting in Badlands National Park on a given day, based on 671 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see a Pronghorn in Badlands National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Pronghorn sighting in Badlands National Park on a given day, based on 233 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and December (about 90%).
Where in Badlands National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Big Badlands Overlook
The richest sighting zone is around Big Badlands Overlook, followed by Cliff Shelf Trail and Fossil Exhibit Trail, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Badlands National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.4 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Badlands National Park rates 3.4/5: 232nd of 316 parks worldwide and 39th in North America. 32 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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