Badlands National Park, the most amazing national park to visit in South Dakota, covers 242,756 acres and welcomes nearly one million visitors every year. Its beauty is stunning year-round, and its geologic features are impressive all day long, but there’s one secret you need to know if you want to come home with the very best photos of this South Dakota gem.

If you're like most visitors to Badlands National Park, you wake up in the morning (after sleeping in a bit), get some breakfast at a cafe or diner, then head to the park for a day of exploring.
kuyals/Tripadvisor
When you hop out of the car to take a little hike, it's 10:30 am or later. While the towering spires and immense canyons are impressive, when you look at your photos later, you're a bit disappointed. After all, the postcards at the gift shop look a million times better, showcasing deep, rich colors that you certainly didn't see during your visit.
Clearly, you're not a professional photographer with an expensive camera and a complicated photo editing program, so that's why your trip to Badlands National Park didn't look like this, right?
Christian Collins/flickr
Well, yes and no. Photographers do often use photo editing software to make their photos even more vivid, and some of the photos in this article may be retouched. But good photographers also know an important secret: the power of the Golden Hour - the hour leading up to the sunrise and sunset.

The photo above was taken in the early evening hours, and you can see how golden the rock formation is, and how its jagged peaks are more visible because of the definition between shadow and light.
This photo was taken during the Golden Hour with an iPhone 4s.
Ryan Tow/flickr
As photography goes here in this, the best national park to visit in South Dakota, you clearly don't need an expensive camera and lenses to capture some truly beautiful shots. Views like this are surely among what makes Badlands one of the best parks in South Dakota overall.
Here's a photo that shows the difference between the formations where the light is touching, and those where it's not.
kathryn/flickr
During a sunrise, you can literally capture half of your landscape in vibrant color, while the other half is still washed out, sitting in shadow. By this time we're sure you understand why Badlands is considered the best national park to visit in South Dakota.

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Photographer Christian Collins captured this gorgeous photo.
Christian Collins/Flickr
Look how the light gives dimension to the rock formations, both near and far. These are the kind of views that capture the soul at Badlands National Park.
Here's a photo of the same spot, taken at midday.
slikrokbel/Tripadvisor
This photo is taken a little closer up, but it's a lot harder to distinguish the separate formations; they seem to almost just wash together. The landscape is still spectacular, but it's definitely not nearly as stunning as the previous photo.
This is a beautiful scene taken from the Door Trail in the park.
Frenne/Tripadvisor
There's no arguing that it's breathtaking at any time of day.
This photographer took this photo at the same spot during the Golden Hour.
tsaiproject/flickr
It's all about timing!
The photographer of this photograph notes that it's unretouched.
Robin Zebrowski/flickr
That gorgeous pink glow is all Mother Nature's doing.

The next time you visit Badlands National Park, get up early and head out while it's still dark so that you can capture some photos as the sun rises. Go back to the park an hour or so before sunset to see even more vibrant colors.

Of course, stormy or overcast weather can ruin your plans, as all photographers can tell you. But if you allow yourself plenty of time during your visit to photograph this magnificent park at different times of day, in different lighting situations, you might find that you have a spectacular collection of photos to document your trip to Badlands National Park.

Have you been to Badlands National Park? What was your favorite part? We’d love to see your photos! Share them with us in the comments, and if you’re a photographer, our readers would love even more tips. You can also learn more about the park on the official Facebook page.

During your next visit, avoid these 9 mistakes that many people make while visiting the park.

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National Park to Visit in South Dakota

Lysa Allman-Baldwin | August 12, 2022

How do you get to Badlands National Park?

Badlands National Park is pretty accessible by traveling along Interstate 90. If you're starting from Rapid City, it's only a little under an hour east and a little bit south after turning onto Highway 240. From Chamberlain, your journey is about two hours, traveling west on Interstate 90 and then south onto Highway 240. Once you get to the area, follow the signs to the particular area you want to access first.

I’m looking for some good hiking trails in South Dakota.

South Dakota is a very diverse and beautiful state and you'll find great hiking trails everywhere from north to south and east to west. Each one offers its own scenic beauty and level of physical challenge, so you have a lot of options. To get you started, some of the most popular ones are the Devil's Bathtub Trail in Spearfish Canyon, Trail of the Spirits at Sica Hollow State Park, and The Sunday Gulch Trail at Sylvan Lake, just to name a few.

Besides hiking, what are some cool things to do outside in South Dakota?

Because the landscape is so diverse in South Dakota, you'll find a wealth of things to do outside including fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, horseback riding, and other activities. But don't forget about the state’s awesome annual festivals. Among them are the Fort Sisseton Historical Festival in Lake City, the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo in Rapid City, and perhaps the most famous of them all – the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

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Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA