News

The National Park Service (“NPS”) has issued a prospectus soliciting proposals to provide Lodging, Food & Beverage, Retail, and Camping services to visitors at Badlands National Park (“Park”). The NPS intends to award one concession contract. The new contract will be for a term of ten (10) years.

Notch Trail and all areas within 150’ of both sides of the trail. During the closure period, Park staff will be mitigating safety hazards associated with loose rocks on and around the base of the ladder.

The National Park Service (“NPS”) anticipates releasing a prospectus for a concession business opportunity to provide lodging, retail, food and beverage and camping services within Badlands National Park (“Park”) in mid November 2024. The prospectus will describe the business opportunity and the terms and conditions of Concession Contract No. CC-BADL001-25.

A new National Park Service report shows that 1,046,400 visitors to Badlands National Park in 2023 spent $134,579,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 1,916 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $193,285,000.

Badlands National Park has partnered with the NASA South Dakota Space Grant Consortium to co-sponsor the 2024 Badlands Astronomy Festival, July 5th-7th. The festival brings together space science professionals, amateur astronomers, educators, and visitors for a three-day celebration.

Badlands National Park Superintendent Eric Veach announced today that the Sage Creek Campground will be closed to all visitor use from 8:00 AM until 7:00 PM on Tuesday June 25 2024 due to the need to treat prairie dog mounds for fleas in order to manage the spread of plague.

The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service have confirmed plague as the cause of a prairie dog die off in Badlands National Park, Buffalo Gap National Grassland, and the greater Conata-Badlands ecosystem, in South Dakota based on a test result received 5/31.

A team of researchers from Badlands National Park, the American Museum of Natural History, and California State Polytechnic University have described the fossil remains of a new genus of tiny, hornless deer that lived in South Dakota about 32 million years ago, during the Oligocene Epoch.

Badlands National Park’s Accessibility Self Evaluation and Transition Plan (SETP) includes findings from the self-evaluation process, as well as a plan for improving accessibility parkwide. The SETP resulted from the work of a National Park Service (NPS) interdisciplinary design team, including planning, design, and construction professionals; and interpretive, resource, visitor safety, maintenance, and accessibility specialists.

Badlands National Park superintendent Eric Veach announced the selection of Abigail Aldrich as the new deputy superintendent of Badlands National Park/superintendent of Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota. Aldrich is currently a project manager with the Harpers Ferry Center in West Virginia. She will assume her new role in South Dakota in January 2024.