Ben Reifel Visitor Center

Lots of information about the formation of the Badlands and the current and past animals and plants that live in this region. Book store has a wide range of book s and literature of the native people and the tribes from this region. Fossil labe is open to 4. The Badlands are surrounded by the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Learn about the importance of conservation of our public lands. Bison, prairie dogs and big horn sheep was seen throughout the park.

The visitor center here was like a mini museum. There was so much to see in such a little building. In one room, they have a ton of fossils of mammals that were found at the Badlands, with many of them being extinct. There is a large section of pictures of people who are credited with finding fossils at the park. The mini museum part shows the wildlife at the park, as well as gives you a bit of info about the Natives who lived there.

This visitor center had some well done exhibits and good information. I wished they had a park video, but we didn't see one. The shop was very overcrowded, but did have some nice merch. We loved the Badlands!

Solid visitor center and if you can make the ranger talk 10/10, complete with telescopes on the moon and informational slide show. Always a must while traveling our nations parks. Camping was fun in the sever storm, not for everyone so be safe if spending the night and keep an eye on the radar. Have fun!

Visitor center with exhibits, paleontologist working on fossils but it’s 5 miles into the park I wish it were closer to the entrance since you’ll miss out on notch, door, and window trails if you go straight to the visitor center from the east entrance. They were also out of maps (albeit it was a Sunday weekend).

Among the usual excellent Badlands visitor center features, this one also has an active working fossil lab. Part time fossil researchers work here seasonally here to sift through thousands growing specimens as visitors often turn into fossil hunters (we found one of my sons elementary school teachers picture on the amateur fossil hunter honor roll!!!!) It is a shame these researchers can't work here full time as funding is lacking and even more so this year (2025) as the executive branch is DOGEing left and right. We bought a ton of souvenirs to support NPS and hoping more awareness will allow higher visibility for some very interesting study.

The badlands don't look like much from a distance, but when you get closer it looks like you have landed on the moon. Nice drive around the park, lots of lookouts, wildlife and hiking trails to consume your day. Several of the hiking trails are very easy with a boardwalk. As you are driving look for the prairie dog town and buffalo.

Great visitor center with a bunch of interactive exhibits that help teach everyone about the park for background information as you drive around. Small gifts store, but a great selection and really nice and helpful staff that answered all our questions and provided maps of the park.

What a great visitor center! It hits all the boxes-- educational, great bathrooms, drinking fountains, cute apparel, unique souvenirs and honestly so much more. There was a lot in here and great for all ages. The park Rangers were there to answer any questions you had about the park. You can also stamp your national park passport! The gift shop was great, a bit crowded but such cute souvenirs. Worth the stop!

The Ben Reifel Visitor Center was named after Dakota here. Today there were lots of buses here. I got to explore the center and watch the Land of Stone & Light, a 22 minute movie. The fossil center was fascinating. We saw a scientist uncovering a skull. There was a wall of fossils found by visitors here.

Wanted to stop into the visitor center in the Badlands because I had some kids books I wanted to grab for my niece. I ended up grabbing two books, "Good Night Badlands" and "Dakota Babies!". I told my mom about the books and she thought it was really cool that a book for toddlers talked about Badlands. They do have a restaurant in here as well as some museum quality exhibits and a theatre. If you need to use their restroom, they keep it clean and when we were at the center there was no line, which was nice. Employees were nice and the cashiers were quick getting through the line of customers. I'd definitely stop by again to watch one of their informational movies in the theater.

As you enter, there is a large gift shop portion of the building the your left, although you can't take any photos as they showcase local art. Understandable. To your right is the NPS ranger desk. Even though I went during shoulder season, the NPS rangers were still inundated with visitors and they seemed overwhelmed. I checked out the displays they had of how the Badlands came to be, and of the flora and fauna. Very informative! The center also has a fossil lab, but it was shut down for the season. You can still peek through the glass and see the fossils that they have cleaned off. Remember, don't take any fossils within the park as that's a federal crime! The gift shop has a wider variety of items than what is usually offered, with artwork, mugs, posters, and more. There's also a larger selection of items next door at the Cedar Pass Lodge.

The Badlands was our final national park to visit on our vaca, thus the last np visitors center to grace before heading home. The center is not huge, but room to move about in the gift shop portion, get your stamps and chat with the friendly park rangers. I didn't notice if their was a screening room here, so I can't comment if they play any movies/programs for people to pop in and out and expand their knowledge of the specific national park, vegetation, animals, and general history of the government-run land. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know: I couldn't help but get one last tee shirt!

This is a wonderful stop in Badlands National Park. There is a small display of information, but it is worth seeing. The staff is friendly and helpful. We were given a great suggestion to see the south unit. Th

there's something for everyone at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center in the North Unit of Badlands National Park. Swing by the information desk, watch the park film, check out a working fossil preparation lab, enjoy museum exhibits, or stop by the park bookstore. Cedar Pass Lodge- its the only available restaurant around it so make sure you pack something or carry lots of snacks.

Great grocery options, kind rangers and the visitor center restaurant has great dishes! Loveddddd the veggie fry bread taco! Great views and hearty portions