sage creek wilderness area

Sage Creek Campground was fantastic. A FCFS free site, we arrived around 6 pm and were able to pick pretty much any site. The buffalo herds and prairie dogs towns we saw on the way were really cool. There were many trails that led right from the site out to sage creek and the surrounding hills. Waking up in the middle of the night to watch the milky way was amazing, I would recommend Sage Creek to anyone who loves camping. Keep in mind- No running water, and open fires are not allowed.

We finally stayed in the Sage Creek Campground this time, after driving through previous years. It is a small campground with pit toilets and NO WATER, the pit toilets were very clean. The campground is in the open with full exposure to the sun, there are about a dozen picnic tables with sun shades over top. It is a very peaceful campground with wide open views and buffalo coming and going as they please and they do. Great stargazing and coyotes yipping close by at night. Terrific rustic campground.

When you're going around the Badlands Loop Road, you'll see a dirt road branching off called Sage Creek Rim Road. Once you're done exploring the main part of Badlands, TAKE THIS ROAD. The road leads you out of the park, so save it for the end of your visit.Plenty of mountain goats, hundreds of prairie dogs, and..... BISON. We turned a corner and suddenly there was a herd of several dozen bison in the middle of the road. We got close and parked the car. We found ourselves just a few feet away from these huge, beautiful beasts. Looking one of the larger ones in the eye for an extended amount of time is an experience I will never forget. On our trip, we visited 10 National Parks across the US and saw quite a bit, but this was one of my favorite moments... all thanks to the Sage Creek area of the Badlands.

The Sage Creek Rim Road gives you a different view of Badlands National Park than the Loop Road. We drove it early in the morning when the animals were out and about. Saw Big Horn Sheep and Buffalo along the road. The Prairie Dogs at Roberts Prairie Dog Town were most active running and squeaking about their burrows. Saw a young Badger investigating the burrows probably hoping for an easy breakfast but he was unsuccessful. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times for the animals and the scenery. Be aware this is an unpaved gravel road but was not rutted or potholed when we were there.

We drove the Sage Creek Rim Road and found a very different landscape from the Loop Road. After driving awhile we left the spectacular eroded formations and into rolling hills with grass. This is the area of Badlands where the bison are located. We found the bison more toward the latter part of the road and along the road into the Sage Creek Campground. For the most part, we found the bison solo, or in groups of two, until the last 100 yards before the west entrance to the park where we found a herd of about 40 bison. This is beautiful country and I think in terms of camping, this area is more pleasing than the drier Pinnacles and Cedar Pass areas.

This is about 23 miles long, and you will need to display your Badlands National Park pass or buy one when you reach the park entrance. I started in Wall heading south, then West along Sage Creek Rim Road so different starting point than what is listed on the Badlands/NPS, but essentially the same route. I first saw some big horn sheep, and later, I saw the biggest prairie dog colony ever near where Sage Creek and County Road 502, and because this area is less traveled by humans, the prairie dogs freak out in a really funny way when they see you coming. It will be hot even when temps are around 70 degrees, so bring plenty of water. At a minimum, bike with a hybrid if not a mountain bike. You should also be prepared for a fair amount of hill work. I would not characterize this ride as "fairly easy" as written on the Badlands/NPS site. It is absolutely worth doing though

It's primitive- no water or other amenities, but if you're looking for simple (and free!) this place is great. While it is totally exposed to the sun, most of the sites have covered picnic tables to keep you shaded. The pit toilets are the cleanest I've ever seen! While we were there, our neighbors were respectful and quiet, and it's a great location to explore the badlands.

A great end to the Badlands Loop. The campground is bare bones (pit toilets, picnic tables), but probably my favorite campground of the whole trip. In addition to being free (!), it's gorgeous, flat, and quiet. I grew up in the middle of the country and don't think I've ever seen so many stars at night.

DH and I stopped at the Sage Creek Campground on our way to the Big Horn National Forest for a quick overnight. This is a free campground with few amenities (picnic tables and pit toilets) but the natural amenities are spectacular. Unlike the typical "Badlands" terrain, Sage Creek is a grassy wilderness, complete with prairie dogs barking and coyotes howling. No campfires are allowed so plan accordingly. The night skies are unrivaled so brush up on your astronomy before you go!

We drove out this gravel road at dusk one evening. There were tons of animals. We saw a whole herd of buffalo that came across a field, crossed the road in front of us and went down a steep hill on the other side. The sheep were active too. They walked up the steep bluffs like it were flat ground. We also saw what appeared to be a herd of antelope.Helpful Hint: This was in July so it was very hot. We went on this loop in the early afternoon but saw nothing but a few sheep. Right at dusk was the active time for the animals.

Very remote, you need a topo map, compass,and good navigational skills here or you will find yourself lost wonder the very difficult landscape, as every formation looks similar and navigating the washes and silt deposits here leaves you traveling a maze like path. I did two nights in the back-country here near dear haven. I was the only one in the back-country signed on the registry for those days. This was not surprising considering the difficulty in getting to this destination. I left from the picnic area at conata road. After hiking south a grueling 3-4 miles along a hard to follow game trail, through waist high grass, (rattlesnake country) I came to a fence, the review on backpacker magazine.com had said that there would be a gate. no gate here, just a fence. This was confusing but luckily I had a detailed map of the area and it seemed to me that this was actually the border between the Sage creek wilderness area and the buffalo grazing area. The fence stretched as far as the eye could see, and there was a large heard of buffalo way off in the distance. So I turned due West and headed for the tree laden area at the top of the formations which was reached by traversing a large wash between formations about another mile. After nearing what I presumed to be what was labeled as deer haven, (the green area here surrounded by classic badland fomations) I began an ascent through very difficult terrain. With a heavy backpack and 90+ degree heat, this was the challenging part of the hike, the game trail is very narrow and you find yourself basically creating your own path through thick bushes and grass up the mountain and or navigating the dried creek bed, once through you are in the endless badland iconic terrain. After getting through the deer haven area, the navigating become very difficult due everything looking the same, a compass is essential. I camped just outside this area. I kept deer haven as a visual navigational beacon after crossing through since it is the only tree laden area anywhere around. Once I set up camp, the lighting storm began, I was exploring and even say a big horn sheep, when suddenly I felt static in my hair and then a few seconds later lighting flashed close by. This is truly terrifying in the badlands because there is nowhere where you can seek shelter from the lighting, you are exposed. After feeling the static again and this time the flash being just overhead, I sprinted to the nearest cave like area and spent a few hours riding out the lighting storm. Once out there, the wildlife is amazing, I snuck up on buffalo, deer and a bighorn sheep while wondering the washes, and you can scramble wherever you want (though this is somewhat dangerous, being so isolated) I even found an amazing jaw bone fossil just being revealed by the silt deposits washing away. It was an amazing experience being so isolated, but this backpack trip is not for the faint of heart.

This campsite is first come, first serve and very basic. No campfires allowed, you get a covered table and that's it. There are only about a dozen sites here. True, no hot water or showers and toilets are pits but it is all fine. You don't stay in sage creek for accommodations, you stay for gorgeous views and wildlife. We got there around 4 which was pushing it, they were almost full. We had picked up subway sandwiches for dinner although you can have a grill there. After we set up, we took a drive around 6 (past the sage creek sign when you enter campground) and within ten minutes we were in bison haven. It was amazing they were everywhere! Another cool/creepy thing was hearing coyotes howl all night but it was a great camping experience. Definitely bring citronella and bug spray!!!!!

This was the last stop on our Badlands in 24 hours. Unfortunately that is all the time we had. At first we saw pronghorn and bison, and of course a bazillion prairie dogs. Beautiful views. On the way back we stopped where a small crowd was peering over the edge of a pretty steep drop off. About 100 feet down were about 15-20 big horn sheep hanging out. Then we realized a juvenile male was about 10 feet below the rim just hanging out, munching the weeds on an impossibly precarious perch. We were all about 10 feet away (pretty much straight above) this bighorn. Amazing sight. Badlands is definitely worth spending more than 24 hours exploring, but we tried to make the best of our short visit. The amazing thing was everything except the actual rock formations was green with a kind of alfalfa which was covered with yellow blooms. We will return!

This area takes some time to get to as it is all gravel roads. The scenery is spectacular and there are often wild bison roaming around. We watched some by a creek and it was such a fantastic sight!

We were a little nervous about taking the hire car along this road, but really it is fine if you take it steady. And you'll want to, because the views are spectacular! As it was our introduction to the Badlands rocky scenery, we were blown away by the views, the rock formations, and of course the prairie dogs!By the time we reached the 'civilisation' of the visitor centres, we felt we had earned our right to be there. A lovely wilderness area, and we saw very few cars along our drive, which made it even better. There are a few pull offs later on with information boards and where you can look down the canyons and wonder how the bison managed to get down and if he'll ever get back up again.