Badlands National Park earns International Dark Sky Park designation

Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States

Badlands National Park has been designated as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International, recognizing the park’s exceptional night skies and its commitment to protecting the nocturnal environment. This designation marks a significant milestone for the Northern Great Plains, positioning the region as an emerging destination for dark sky conservation, astronomy, and immersive visitor experiences.

Dan Oakley, Policy and Destination Manager from DarkSky said, “this announcement has been a long time coming, but it is now great to be able to celebrate the efforts and the uniqueness of Badlands National Park as a Dark Sky Park.  The designation will hopefully inspire the surrounding communities to further collaborate with the National Park to bigger and better protections and educational opportunities.”

Located in western South Dakota, Badlands National Park encompasses over 240,000 acres of striking geologic formations, mixed-grass prairie, and rugged wilderness. Known for its sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires, the park preserves one of the largest intact mixed-grass prairie ecosystems in the United States.

The park’s remote location and limited surrounding development contribute to exceptionally low levels of artificial light, creating ideal conditions for experiencing a near-pristine night sky. Visitors can enjoy expansive views of the Milky Way, planets, and deep-sky objects, visible to the naked eye under some of the darkest skies remaining in North America.

Beyond its natural features, the region holds deep cultural and historical significance. The night sky has long played an important role in Indigenous knowledge systems, including Lakota Star Knowledge, which connects celestial observations to cultural traditions, storytelling, and a broader understanding of the natural world.

Badlands National Park also serves as an important scientific landscape, with ongoing research in geology, paleontology, ecology, and environmental science. The preservation of dark skies enhances these efforts by protecting natural light cycles that are essential to both wildlife behavior and ecosystem health.

To achieve International Dark Sky Park designation, the park and its partners undertook a multi-year effort focused on reducing light pollution and promoting night sky stewardship. Key actions included retrofitting exterior lighting to meet dark sky standards, implementing night sky quality monitoring, expanding ranger-led night sky programming, and engaging local communities and regional stakeholders in education and advocacy efforts.

“This designation reflects years of collaboration and a shared commitment to protecting one of our most valuable natural and cultural resources,” said Eric Veach, Badlands National Park Superintendent. “It also represents an opportunity to expand how visitors experience the park, through science, storytelling, and a deeper connection to the night sky.” 

“This accomplishment is deeply personal to me. I grew up on a farm in the middle of South Dakota, where seeing the Milky Way each night felt ordinary. It wasn’t until recently that I realized how rare that experience has become. This is just the first step in what we hope to shepherd across the broader region and the state of South Dakota. Protecting and expanding public access to the night sky as one of our most valuable, yet often invisible, natural assets,” said Marissa Marshall, Executive Director of the Badlands National Park Conservancy.

Looking ahead, Badlands National Park and its partners are actively shaping South Dakota’s identity as the premier destination for dark sky viewing, astronomy, and astrophotography in the Northern Great Plains. Building on this designation, efforts are underway to expand coordinated programming, deepen partnerships across science, education, and tourism sectors. ,. By integrating conservation with innovation and regional collaboration, the Badlands is emerging as a defining landscape for experiencing the natural night sky, where scale, darkness, and cultural context come together in a way that is increasingly rare.

About the International Dark Sky Places Program:
Founded in 2001, the International Dark Sky Places Program is a non-regulatory and voluntary program encouraging communities, parks, and protected areas worldwide to preserve and protect dark sites through effective lighting policies, environmentally responsible outdoor lighting, and public education. When used indiscriminately, artificial light can disrupt ecosystems, impact human health, waste money and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view and connection to the universe. Badlands National Park now joins more than 250 Places that have demonstrated robust community support for dark sky advocacy and strive to protect the night from light pollution. Learn more by visiting https://darksky.org/what-we-do/international-dark-sky-places/.

About DarkSky International:
The mission of DarkSky is to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting. Learn more at darksky.org.

Media Contacts

Marissa Marshall
Executive Director, Badlands National Park Conservancy
605-350-5850
[email protected] 

Dan Oakley
Policy and Destination Senior Manager, DarkSky International
+44 780 357 0818
[email protected]