The Black Hills and Badlands in winter
Quiet roads, snow on the pines, and a few closures to know before you go.
Winter is the quietest season out here. The summer crowds are gone, snow sits on the pines, and you can have a famous overlook almost to yourself. Most of the big sights stay open all year, but some of the best-loved drives close for snow, so it's worth knowing which is which before you plan your days.
What stays open
Badlands National Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all through the winter. Mount Rushmore's grounds stay open all year too, and the faces look sharp against a winter sky.
In Custer State Park, the Wildlife Loop Road is open all year, though it takes careful driving in winter. You can still look for the park's bison herd there, from at least 100 yards away, and our Custer State Park guide covers the rest of the park.
If you came for snow, Terry Peak in the northern Hills has downhill skiing, and Custer State Park has trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
What closes
The Needles Highway closes to cars with the first snow of the season and doesn't reopen until spring. When conditions allow, it's open to people on foot, on bikes, on snowshoes and on skis instead. Iron Mountain Road closes now and then in winter, depending on the weather and how fast it can be cleared. Our guide to the scenic drives has more on both roads.
Driving in winter
Check the roads on the morning you drive. South Dakota 511 shows closures and road cameras across the state, and Wyoming 511 covers the drive to Devils Tower. We checked what's open and what closes against the park and state websites in November 2026, so check 511 on the day you drive.
Winter days are short, so plan each day around the light and aim to be off the back roads before dark. Fill up in Rapid City or Wall before the Badlands, because there are almost no services inside the park, and keep water and a warm blanket in the car.
The Badlands in winter
December and January are the park's driest months. Winter is also its quietest time, so the overlooks are calm. In winter or bad weather the roads through the park may close, so check them before you set off. The long nights are good for the stars, too.
Badlands Tour Company is run by My XO Adventures, the company behind this guide. Its month-by-month look at Badlands weather gives the park's average highs, lows and precipitation.
Where to base yourself
Rapid City is the easiest winter base, because it sits at the eastern edge of the Hills on I-90. The Badlands are about an hour one way and Mount Rushmore is under an hour the other. Main Street Square downtown puts in an ice rink for the winter, and our Rapid City guide covers the rest of town.
If you'd rather not drive
Snowy mountain roads aren't everyone's idea of a vacation, and you don't have to drive them yourself. My XO Adventures, which publishes this guide, runs private winter tours of the Black Hills.