Badlands Premium Van Tour - Public

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Recommended by 93% of reviewers

Badge of Excellence | Rapid City, USA

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7 hours (approx.)

Hotel pickup offered

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Overview

Our professional guides provide you a memorable tour to the one of a kind Badlands National Park. You learn the history of the Badlands, the local Native Americans and western homesteaders.

We tour in comfort and style, in a 14 passenger Ford TurtleTop Executive Van. Leather reclining seats, huge side windows and a touring window above the windshield. No bad views as we travel and lots of stops for photos and restroom breaks.

And we also offer this tour in our wheelchair accessible Mercedes Sprinter Van . . . single wheelchair and 5 executive leather seats. Large side and front windows for great viewing. The handicap lift allows everyone to share in the roadsides stops and boardwalk trails.

Additionally we stop to visit Wall Drug and the Minuteman Missile Site.
*Please note: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday Minuteman Missile is closed.

What's Included

Snacks
Bottled water
Hotel pickup and drop-off
National Park fees
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Local guide

Lunch You may bring your own food or beverage or purchase your lunch at Wall, SD.
Gratuities

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Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point

Meeting point

North Elk Vale Road
Rapid City, SD 57703, USA

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Detailed check-in instructions, including the exact address, are provided with your booking confirmation.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Detailed check-in instructions, including the exact address, are provided with your booking confirmation.

What To Expect

Delta-09 Missile Silo

From 1963 until the early 1990s, the missile silo at Delta-09 contained a fully operational Minuteman Missile, bearing a 1.2 megaton nuclear warhead. The Delta-09 missile silo was one of 150 spread across western South Dakota. In total there were 1,000 Minuteman missiles deployed from the 1960's into the early 1990's. Visitors can now tour the site daily.The launch facility consists of a silo 12 feet in diameter and 80 feet deep made of reinforced concrete with a steel-plate liner. The door to the silo has been welded and fitted with a glass roof, and an unarmed missile placed inside. For safety reasons, tours are not conducted underground. In addition to the missile and silo, visitors will see support structures such as antennas and motion sensors.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Short stop at location of 1950'-60's Nuclear Missile Site. Small museum provides exhibits of the 'Duck and Cover' days.During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles were placed in the Great Plains. Hidden in plain sight, for thirty years 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert; hundreds remain today. The Minuteman Missile remains an iconic weapon in the American nuclear arsenal. It holds the power to destroy civilization, but is meant as a nuclear deterrent to maintain peace and prevent war.*No Tours on Sundays, Mondays & Tuesdays (Closed)

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Badlands National Park

Badlands Loop Road (SD 240) is a spectacular way to see the North Unit of Badlands National Park. This two-lane paved road is wide and safe and does include viewing wildlife along the Loop Road. We drive carefully, stopping to use overlooks and pull-outs. There are over a dozen spectacular overlooks and trailheads, we stop at the best ones to explore and take photos.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Door Trail

A wheelchair-accessible ¼ mile boardwalk leads through a break in the Badlands Wall known as “the Door” to a panoramic view of the Badlands. You have the option to explore the trail. The maintained trail ends and continues onto Badlands bedrock, with yellow posts marking the primitive portion of the trail.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Ben Reifel Visitor Center

The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is the main facility in the North Unit of the park. You can stop by to talk with rangers, explore museum exhibits, check out the Fossil Preparation Lab, or visit the Badlands Natural History Association bookstore.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Fossil Exhibit Trail

The Fossil Exhibit Trail is a fully accessible boardwalk featuring fossil replicas and exhibits of extinct creatures that once lived in the area. The exhibits are tactile, so please feel free to touch.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Pinnacles Overlook

This view displays the expanse of the Sage Creek Wilderness area. On clear days, the Black Hills are visible on the horizon. Bison might be visible in the distance, in the valley below or the upper prairie to the northwest. This overlook is also a popular spot for Bighorn sheep to gather. This is also a lambing area for Bighorn sheep in late April to early May, so it’s not unusual to see lambs traversing the rocky slopes of the Badlands.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Wall Drug

One of the world’s most well-known tourist attractions, it’s hard to believe Wall Drug Store got its start with something many wouldn’t even turn their heads at today … the promise of free ice water. But in fact, the Husteads turned free ice water into a million-dollar idea with a little determination, quick thinking and a lot of signs.Signs with catchy jingles like “Get a soda . . . Get a root beer . . . turn next corner . . . Just as near . . . To Highway 16 & 14. . . Free Ice Water. . . Wall Drug” drew weary travelers into the small-town drug store to enjoy a refreshing break. Today, more than 2 million visitors a year stop at the popular roadside attraction for a meal or activity, 5 cent coffee, and ice water – which is still free.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Black Hills

As we drive to the Badlands and back you will have distant views of the famous Black Hills to the west and the Prairie Grasslands to the east. And as we approach the Park you will be able to discern the barren dessert tables of the Park.Many stops for rest and bathrooms breaks.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

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Additional Info

Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

Frequently Asked Questions

(6)

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Badlands Premium Van Tour – Public?

A: You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund. For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (MDT).This tour requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund. Read more Apr 2025