Badlands National Park was officially certified as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International on July 17, 2026 — the first and only park in South Dakota to earn the designation, and one of roughly 40 National Park Service sites in the country recognized for protecting truly dark night skies. The certification was announced at an evening ceremony in the park and caps an effort that began back in 2018.
As the team behind Badlands Tour Company’s stargazing tours, we’ve been waiting for this one. Here’s what the designation actually means, why the Badlands earned it, and how to experience it for yourself.
What Is an International Dark Sky Park?
DarkSky International (formerly the International Dark-Sky Association) certifies public lands that meet strict standards for night-sky quality and responsible outdoor lighting. A Dark Sky Park is land with exceptional starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is actively protected — through lighting retrofits, public education, and ongoing sky-quality monitoring.
It is not a one-time award. Parks must keep measuring their skies and maintaining dark-sky-friendly lighting to stay certified. That’s what makes the designation meaningful: it’s a commitment, not a plaque.
How Dark Are the Badlands, Really?
Dark. The night sky over Badlands National Park rates around Bortle Class 2 — the second-darkest classification on the scale astronomers use, a level most Americans have never experienced. According to the Badlands National Park Conservancy, more than 7,500 stars are visible on any given clear night. From a city, you might see a few hundred.
On a clear, moonless night in the Badlands you can see:
- The Milky Way stretching horizon to horizon, bright enough to cast a faint shadow
- Planets — Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, depending on the season
- Meteors year-round, with major showers like the Perseids in August
- Satellites and the ISS gliding overhead
- Deep-sky objects like the Andromeda Galaxy — visible to the naked eye
Why the Badlands Earned It
The park began pursuing certification in 2018, working with community partners and the Badlands National Park Conservancy to retrofit lighting to dark-sky standards, adopt night-friendly practices, and establish long-term monitoring of sky quality. The July 2026 certification makes Badlands the first International Dark Sky Park in South Dakota and one of only two in the National Park Service’s Midwest Region.
That’s rare company — and it’s now part of what makes a night visit to the Badlands genuinely different from almost anywhere else in the United States.
The Best Ways to Experience the Dark Sky
Go when the moon is new. A full moon washes out the fainter stars. The week around the new moon offers the darkest skies.
Stay past twilight. True darkness arrives 60–90 minutes after sunset. Most park visitors are gone by then, which is exactly when the show starts — here’s what the park is like after dark.
Get away from the developed areas. The darkest viewing is away from the visitor center and campground lighting — along the Badlands Wall, Sage Creek Rim Road, and the remote overlooks. We’ve mapped them in our guide to the best stargazing spots in the Badlands.
Protect your night vision. It takes 20–30 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt. Use red-light flashlights only (we provide them on our tours).
Check the park’s Night Sky Program. Rangers run seasonal astronomy programs at the amphitheater — a great free add-on to any evening in the park.
See It With a Guide
Our Badlands Stargazing Tour is built around exactly this sky: we enter the park for golden hour, watch the sunset transform the formations, then set up zero-gravity chairs, telescope, and star charts at a quiet spot along the Badlands Wall for a private constellation tour under the newly certified Dark Sky Park. Red-light flashlights, night-photography help, and Lakota sky stories included.
Prefer the sunset side of the evening? Our Badlands Sunset and Golden Hour Tour ends at blue hour with the first stars — and our Wildlife Tour catches the park at its most active. Browse all our Badlands tours to find your fit.
Badlands Tour Company is operated by My XO Adventures, a Rapid City, South Dakota tour operator rated 5.0 stars across 600+ Google reviews.
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