Guided Golden Hour & Stargazing Tours in Badlands National Park
Chase the Golden Hour. Stay for the Stars.
From Rapid City: Private Tours of the Badlands
The Badlands aren’t a place that easily gives itself away. From afar, they appear as a desert of rocky outcroppings and quiet, but when you know where to position yourself, when to get there, and how to observe, they come alive. The colors change with the light. The wind is full of tales that are older than memory. And if you time it just right, the sun will paint the tops of the hills in a way that will make you stop talking altogether.
This is why I founded the Badlands Tour Company, DBA of My XO Adventures. I have been leading tourists through this region of the country for years, learning its rhythms, its weather, and its secrets. To come to the Badlands is to experience a place that can be fierce one minute and peaceful the next, and it takes more than a guidebook to understand them for what they truly are. It takes someone who cares enough about this place to listen to its rhythms, lead you in from the right direction, at the right time of day, and with enough care that you can feel the wonder of it all settle into you.
When you come with us, you are not simply checking another park off your list. You’re embarking on an experience that is driven by instinct, timing, and a deep respect for the land. We will show you the quiet that most people never see. We will stop in the places where the rock layers tell tales of time. We will hunt color when the sky begins to dance. Every turn, every stop, is deliberate.
The act of guided exploration is what makes a good day into something truly unforgettable. It is what turns a drive through the park into an experience that will stay with you. We don’t simply take you to the Badlands. We help you feel them, in all their ever-changing light and quiet. Badlands Tour Company: this is what we do. This is who we are.
Choose Your Badlands Tour
Every tour is private, so the vehicle and the guide are yours alone, and every tour leaves from Rapid City.
The three tours at a glance
Badlands Stargazing Tour: a private evening of about 7 hours, from late afternoon until well after dark, with pickup from your Rapid City area lodging. It takes up to eight guests, the minimum age is 5, and park entry fees, water and snacks are included. The booking calendar on the tour page shows the price for your date.
Badlands Sunset and Golden Hour Tour: a private evening of about 7 hours, timed so you’re on the overlooks when the light goes gold, with pickup from your Rapid City area lodging. It takes up to eight guests, and park entry fees, water and snacks are included. The booking calendar on the tour page shows the price for your date.
Badlands National Park Wildlife Tour: a private day of about 8 hours looking for bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and prairie dogs, with pickup from your Rapid City area lodging. It runs from April 15 to October 15, it takes up to four guests, and park entry fees, water and snacks are included. The booking calendar on the tour page shows the price for your date.
There’s nothing quite like watching the Badlands come alive as the sun begins to set. Our Private Sunset Tour of the Badlands captures the park at its most breathtaking moment, when the light softens and the colors shift through shades of gold, rose, and amber. The towering formations seem to glow from within, and the quiet of the evening settles over the land like a deep exhale.
When the last colors of sunset fade and the stars begin to rise, the Badlands transform into something truly otherworldly. Our Night Sky Tours of the Badlands invite you to step into the quiet wonder of a starlit desert, where the Milky Way stretches across the sky in a shimmering arc and shooting stars trace quicksilver lines overhead. Far from city lights, the darkness here feels alive. Deep, peaceful, and endlessly vast.
The Badlands Wildlife Tour is where adventure meets discovery. Badlands Tour Company reveals a side of the Badlands few ever get to see up close. From grazing bison and graceful pronghorn to alert prairie dogs and soaring hawks, the land teems with life shaped by time and resilience. Each stop along the way presents an opportunity to observe, learn, and appreciate the delicate balance of this ancient ecosystem. It’s a wild and humbling experience that reminds you of the immense beauty that thrives in the open spaces of South Dakota.
What the Badlands Hold
Spectacular Landscapes
The stark beauty of the Badlands landscape is breathtaking, with its towering buttes, steep canyons, and razor-sharp spires jutting out against the horizon. Each time of the day reveals new shapes and shadows. Contrasts between the natural prairie and cliff faces reveal a whole new world.
Incredible Sunsets
The sunsets in Badlands National Park are second to none, with the vibrant colors of the sky contrasting against the sharp and jagged rocks, creating a peaceful and unforgettable experience. This is undoubtedly the best place to witness sunsets in South Dakota with Badlands Tour Company
Stargazing
With its remote location, almost no light pollution, and perfect viewing conditions, Badlands National Park is considered one of the best places for stargazing in North America. We bring the binoculars, the chairs and the red-light torches, so you only need warm layers.
Wildlife
With its rugged terrain, Badlands National Park is home to over 60 species of mammals, including bighorn sheep, bison, swift foxes, badgers, prairie dogs and pronghorns. You’ll also see plenty of birds, including bald and golden eagles, soaring through the skies.
Fossils
A major draw to Badlands National Park is its fossils. Badlands National Park is home to an abundance of fossilized wonders, ranging from ancient plants and animals, to tracks and burrows of creatures long gone. Fossil beds can be found throughout the park, but look don’t touch. If you find a fossil, report it to a Park Ranger!
Getting Around Badlands National Park
Directions to Badlands National Park
If you’re not exploring with Badlands Tour Company, most visitors to the Badlands National Park enter through the north side of the park on I90. Take exit 110 at Wall, SD, to enter Badlands Loop Road. You can also continue past exit 110 to exit 131, located at the Minuteman Missile Museum.
Alternatively, you can enter through the south side by taking Highway 44 to the town of Interior, SD, where you’ll find the entrance. Rangers are located at all entrances.
Badlands Loop Road
The Badlands Loop Road is 32 miles long and designed in part by Peter Norbeck. This is no ordinary road. It was constructed to highlight the most beautiful views of Badlands National Park. In total, there are 14 marked overlooks with parking.
In addition, there are pull-offs where you can stop and take in the scenery. Driving the loop straight through takes a little over an hour. With a guide, it can easily take 2 hours to view the entire Badlands Loop Road.
Sage Creek Rim Road
This gravel road on the park’s north side is where the bison usually are, and it is also where rental cars come to grief: washboard, soft shoulders, and a surface that turns to grease after rain. We drive it in our own vehicle when conditions allow, which is one of the reasons people book a guide instead of trying it themselves.
What Our Guests Remember Most
Badlands Tour Company is part of My XO Adventures, so these are our Google reviews.
Payment and Terms
Payment in full secures your reservation. Cancellation terms are shown to you before you pay, and any refund goes back to the card you paid with. The full policy is on our Terms and Conditions page.
Badlands Tour Company Contact Information
- 2719 Tomahawk Dr, Rapid City, SD, 57702
- 605-252-9100
- da****@*****************ny.com