Tour Companies

There are several tour companies that make day trips out to Badlands National Park [1] from Rapid City [2] and other communities in the Black Hills [3]. Each company has a slightly different offering.

Affordable Adventures (409 N. Ellsworth, Box Elder, 605/342-7691 or 888/888-8249, www.affordableadventuresbh.com [4], $110) is a small-group tour company that provides narrated tours on small vans through the Badlands. The fee includes admission to the park but does not include the price of meals. Their Badlands tour includes the Badlands Loop Road [5], Ben Reifel Visitor Center [6], and Wall Drug [7], for shopping and for lunch, and takes about seven hours. Departure time from Rapid City is at 8:30 a.m. This tour is offered year-round.

Black Hills Adventure Tours (201 N. 44th St., Rapid City, 605/209-7817, www.blackhillsadventuretours.com [8], $119) is geared toward the active visitor who wants to get out of the car and walk around a bit. Tours are tailored toward the different fitness levels of tour participants, so tour routes vary. The hiking tour leaves Rapid City around 9 a.m. and returns about 4:30 p.m. and includes around five hours of hiking time. Tours include narration about the history and geology of the park, and include the park admission fee, snacks, and water. Lunch is not included, though they will order sack lunches for participants on request.

The company also provides sightseeing tours to the park that include a wildlife tour, the Badlands Loop Road [5], time to browse the Ben Reifel Visitor Center [6] and have lunch at the Cedar Pass Lodge Restaurant [9], a stop at the Minuteman Missile Historic Site [10], and a visit to Wall Drug [7]. Travel is provided in sport utility vehicles or small vans, depending on the number of participants. Tours are offered year-round.

For an entirely different experience, Black Hills Aerial Adventures (I-90, exit 131 at Cactus Flats and look for the helicopter stand just before the park entrance, 605/673-2163, www.coptertours.com [11], May–Oct., closed in off-season, $40–159) offers flying tours over the Badlands. View the spires and buttes from an entirely different perspective. The introductory tour costs $40 and includes 5–6 minutes of flight time. The longest tour, at $159, provides about 25 minutes of flight time. All of the tours fly over the Badlands area.