Ben Reifel Visitor Center
The park's main visitor center, with geology and fossil exhibits; you can watch paleontologists prepare fossils through glass, and rangers give talks in summer.
The visitor center is at Cedar Pass and is named after Ben Reifel, a South Dakota congressman of Lakota descent. It has exhibits on how the badlands formed and on ancient life, an introductory film and a bookstore. The fossil preparation lab, open in summer, lets you watch staff clean newly excavated fossils through the window. On summer evenings, the theater next door hosts stargazing talks, as the badlands are a well-known dark-sky site. The Cedar Pass Lodge next door provides dining and accommodation. Opening hours change with the seasons and are generally 08:00 to 17:00 or later in summer.
Opening hours
About 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (extended in summer; check the official website)
Nearby sights
- Cliff Shelf Nature Trail
- Window Trail
- Notch Trail
- Door Trail
- Castle Trail
- Big Badlands Overlook
- Fossil Exhibit Trail
- White River Valley Overlook