Park · SD, US
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park in southwestern South Dakota became an International Dark Sky Park in 2025. Rangers lead night sky programs year-round, and the free Badlands Astronomy Festival each July sets up telescope lines at the Cedar Pass Campground amphitheater. Cedar Pass Campground has 96 sites near the visitor center, and primitive Sage Creek Campground on the North Unit's west side is free and first come.
Official site (opens in new tab) View on OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab) Source (opens in new tab)
| Type | Park |
| State / Province | SD |
| Country | United States |
| Nearest town | Interior |
| Certified | 2025 |
| Coordinates | 43.7494, -101.9455 |
| Source | https://darksky.org/places/badlands-national-park/ (opens in new tab) |
Plan Your Night
Tonight’s moon
Waning Crescent
1% illuminated. Rises 5:02 AM MST. Sets 3:28 PM MST. Times are local to the park.
Next new moon
November 9, 2026
The darkest, best-for-stargazing night in the current lunar cycle. See the full trip planner for the next 12 months of new-moon windows.
Upcoming meteor showers
- Leonids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, November 17, 2026
- Geminids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, December 13, 2026
- Ursids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, December 22, 2026
5 nearest dark sky places
- Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area · 153 km (95 mi)
- Medicine Rocks State Park · 324 km (201 mi)
- Jackson Lake State Park · 414 km (257 mi)
- Golden Gate Canyon State Park · 522 km (324 mi)
- Sinks Canyon State Park · 569 km (354 mi)