Interior: Gateway to Badlands National Park

Interior serves as a gateway to Badlands National Park and appeals to travelers who want to combine park scenery, fossils, and local attractions in one stay. The Interior Entrance Station is one of the park’s three entrance stations and can be reached via US-44 through town. Visitors entering the park through this station can get park brochures, maps, and other information. If you’re looking for a hotel in Interior, you can shape your trip around what matters most to you: nature, hiking trails, geology, or culture.

Prairie, Wildlife, and Geology

Nearby, Badlands National Park protects 244,000 acres of mixed-grass prairie. Bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live there. The park contains one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Interior’s agate deposits attract rock collectors and geology enthusiasts. Prairie and agate offer different perspectives on the region: habitat and geology.

Hiking Trails and Fossils

Nearby Badlands National Park has established hiking trails ranging from short, easy boardwalk routes to a 10-mile trail through the Badlands landscape. There is also a fully accessible boardwalk loop that passes fossil replicas and exhibits about extinct creatures that once lived in the Badlands region. The short boardwalk routes and the 10-mile trail differ considerably in length, while the loop focuses on fossils.

Exhibits and Insights into the Region

The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is the main facility in the park’s North Unit. Its museum exhibits cover mosasaurs and the recent history of the Lakota, who live south of the park today. At the park’s Fossil Preparation Lab, visitors can talk with park paleontologists as they remove rock from fossil specimens.

Historic Sites and Events in Interior

Prairie Homestead is an original sod house and homestead built in 1909 near the northeast entrance to Badlands National Park. The historic site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it was listed in 1974. Prairie Homestead is closed in 2026. The construction in 1909 and the 1974 listing are 65 years apart and mark two distinct milestones in the homestead’s history.

The Interior Frontier Days Rodeo takes place at the Interior Rodeo Grounds in the town of Interior and is considered South Dakota’s oldest rodeo. Dates and programming may change, so check the latest event information before your trip.

Since 2002, the Native West Trading Company has worked to provide local artists with a platform to market their work. Its Interior location is currently closed.

The park is a nearby destination, while the rodeo takes place within town.

Discover more destinations: Kadoka.

For the broader travel overview: Jackson County.