Badlands Wilderness
Badlands Wilderness is a 64,144-acre wilderness area in Pennington County, South Dakota. It rises from about 2,426 to 3,156 ft. The nearest town is Interior, 3.9 miles away in a straight line.
Badlands Wilderness map
Badlands Wilderness boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
Fire restriction orders for this unit are not tracked here yet. Restrictions change with the season, so check the current orders before any campfire, stove or target shooting.
Common questions
- Campfires are prohibited.
- Interior, SD is the nearest town, 3.9 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance).
- The highest ground in Badlands Wilderness is about 3,156 ft, and its lowest about 2,426 ft (USGS 3DEP elevation model). Its highest named summit is White Butte, about 2,784 ft.
Who manages Badlands Wilderness
| Agency | Acres | Permit | Group size | Stay limit | Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Park Service | 64,144 | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | Badlands National Park, 605-433-5361 |
Getting to Badlands Wilderness
- Interior, SD is the nearest town, 3.9 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-30)
- Access roads named on the area's wilderness.net page: Interstate 90, Badlands Loop Road, State Route 44, Sage Creek Rim Road.
Position, roads and vehicle notes: wilderness.net page for Badlands Wilderness, accessed 2026-09-30. Roads and conditions change; check with the managing office before driving in.
Named summits, canyons, and springs in Badlands Wilderness
- White Butte summit
Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-30. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.
Public lands next to Badlands Wilderness
- National Park Service unitBadlands Wilderness lies inside Badlands National Park.
- National forestBadlands Wilderness borders Nebraska National Forest.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
Other wilderness areas in South Dakota
- wilderness.net (accessed 2026-09-30)
- prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com (accessed 2026-09-30)
- prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com (accessed 2026-09-30)
- www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)