Yellow Mounds Overlook
Rounded mounds in gold and purple-red stripes, the most colorful and recognizable landform in the badlands.
The Yellow Mounds are ancient soils formed from seafloor sediments about 67 million years ago, which have since weathered. They show a vivid mustard yellow, with reddish-brown stripes stacked on top, which contrast strongly with the surrounding gray-white spires and make them a common postcard view of the park. The overlook is on the western section of the loop, near the Conata Basin junction. You can get out and walk along the edges of the mounds for photos, but do not step on vegetation or the soft mounds. Late afternoon to dusk, with side lighting, gives the best photographs.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Pinnacles Overlook
- Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
- Roberts Prairie Dog Town
- Sage Creek Rim Road
- Wounded Knee Museum
- Badlands Loop Road (SD 240)
- Wall Drug
- White River Valley Overlook