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Evening Enchantment: Badlands Sunset & Stargazing
4.8
27 Ratings
Sage Creek Wilderness Area
Experience the Badlands’ wildlife at sunset, then stargaze in secret spots. Capture unforgettable moments with expert photography.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Sage Creek Wilderness Area - Discover the best way to experience the park at sunset. We’ll guide you through the Sage Creek Wilderness area, showcasing various formations with the sunset behind us. This creates stunning opportunities for wildlife, shape, and shadow photography. It’s our favorite tour spot, and you’ll soon see why.
- Hay Butte Overlook - One of the most breathtaking views of the Badlands, often overlooked. We’ll make sure to stop here for photos and possibly set up for a sunset viewing.
- Badlands Wall - We’ll prepare for a spectacular night sky at a special location known only to us. Our tour includes blankets, comfy mats, and pillows to maximize your sky-gazing experience. Relaxing on the cozy mats, we’ll observe planets, shooting stars, and the Milky Way Galaxy.
Our guide will capture night photos and share them with you at the end of the tour. We can also teach you how to take them with your phone. Red light flashlights are provided to preserve your night vision!
We also offer a night sky chart showing constellations and satellites passing overhead. This is a truly unique experience for both adults and kids. Badlands National Park offers a clarity of the night sky that few in the United States get to enjoy, with over 7,500 stars visible on any given night.
- Pinnacles Overlook - We’ll enter Badlands National Park at the magical time just before sunset. We’ll set up folding chairs at the perfect spot for viewing. Afterwards, we’ll head to the Amphitheater for night sky viewing with a telescope, watching the stars illuminate the sky.
- Bigfoot Pass Overlook - Named after Chief Bigfoot, who led his tribe through the Badlands while being pursued by the U.S. Army until they reached Wounded Knee, where they were tragically massacred. Chief Bigfoot was known for his diplomatic skills, but unfortunately, that didn’t save him and his tribe from the genocide carried out by the U.S. Government and Col. James Forsyth.
- Big Badlands Overlook - Just moments away from our secluded night sky viewing spot. Soon, our comfortable viewing area will be set up, eyes will be wide open, and the show will begin!
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Zero-Gravity Folding Chairs for Star Viewing
- Binoculars
- Blankets
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Constellation Locator Software
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
This is our favorite tour! We care about you, your experience, and your time in South Dakota.
You’ll be taken to special locations where animals congregate during the setting sun. As you enjoy the wildlife of the Badlands, we’ll take care of any photos you wish. The “Blue Hour” begins after sunset and continues for an hour, highlighting the wild formations with the bright blue and orange sky.
Next, we’ll take you to the night viewing area in the park at a location only My XO Adventures knows. We’ll see planets, shooting stars, and the Milky Way Galaxy.
Our highly skilled guide will capture night photos and share them at the end of the tour, ensuring you have great memories of your experience.
Location
Sage Creek Wilderness Area
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(27 Ratings)
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Tn864
Nov 11, 2023
Badlands Sunset and Stars Tour - This was a great tour. Kelli our tour guide was well prepared and knew right where to find the best viewing spots and wildlife. It was a gorgeous night the sunset and stars were spectacular! I highly recommend My XO Adventures!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passenger284190
Oct 12, 2023
Amazing Badlands night sky tour - This tour is an absolute must! Our experience with My XO Adventures was excellent from start to finish. We were staying in Keystone, so Aimee reached out to us as soon as we booked to make arrangements to meet in Rapid City. Pickup went smooth. Our driver, Kelli, was right on time and greeted us warmly. She was very friendly, easy to chat with, and knowledgeable about the area. We hoped to see wildlife and weren't disappointed.
Kelli knew exactly where to go and it was almost as if she had arranged for the bison, coyote, and mountain sheep to appear on cue. The beautiful sunset and the amazing night sky views are beyond description. You just have to experience it to know. I highly recommend this tour and My XO Adventures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scottsdalezonie
Sep 28, 2023
Spectacular Stargazing in Badlands - We had an incredible time touring Badlands National Park with Daniel Milks, the owner of My XO Adventures. He was unbelievably knowledgeable about the area and the history behind it - stating facts off the top of his head that were very interesting. At first I was a bit skeptical about the accuracy, but after furtively fact-checking on my phone a number of times, found he was spot-on.
He took us into the park through a little-used entry in order to give us the spectacular first views initially envisioned as the "main" entry to the park. From there we went to a beautiful overlook to watch the sun set and the shadows & colors of the formations slowly change.
The highlight for us was the next stop. After driving further into the park, we stopped in an area where there weren't any other vehicles and got out to walk about 3 minutes to a spot Daniel had discovered that was ideal for star-gazing. He laid out foam pads, pillows and sleeping bags for us to lie down and be amazed by how many stars we could see, as well as the Milky Way - it was breathtaking! There was no moon that night and the sky blazed. He used a green laser to point things out, like constellations and passing satellites. We had been star-gazing in Death Valley & Great Basin National Parks and thought those were amazing, but Badlands was the best we have experienced. He even downloaded to us all the fantastic pictures he had been taking throughout our tour on his camera!
We can't imagine a better guide for our journey through Badlands. Daniel was informative, kind, considerate and entertaining the whole time. Needless to say, we highly recommend both Daniel and this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Timsh4347hf
Sep 21, 2023
Ultimately Cool & Wonderful ~ Badlands Sunset and Night Sky Adventure Tour - We had the most remarkable private tour with My XO Adventures on their Badlands Sunset and Night Sky Adventure Tour. Not only was everything perfect, but we felt, in every instance, that our expert guide cared about us, and did his best to make this trip memorable.
Our sunset-to-star-gazing tour has become one of the most eye-opening, adventurous, and stunning journeys of our lives - something we will remember, draw upon, and cherish for many years to come.
We were also pleasantly surprised by the diversity of our trip: from agate hunting to a visit to an almost ghost town, to excellent wildlife viewing, spectacular viewing locations throughout the park, a gorgeous sunset view, topped off by an absolutely stunning star-filled night sky.
We even had a special bonus of the northern lights which wowed us skywatchers with a dazzling display of colorful lights.
My XO Adventures thinks of everything, Daniel had everything we needed including binoculars, folding chairs, flashlights, laser-pointers, blankets, sleeping pads, pillows, and snacks. We felt like kings!
Throughout the tour every new activity offered new experiences and Daniel’s knowledge of the Badlands was at expert level. He knew all the best spots to take us to and kept our pace and the knowledge-share flowing at the perfect cadence.
We will definitely be back to book more tours with My XO Adventures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Esqette
Sep 5, 2023
EXCEPTIONAL COMPANY! - I booked this as a private tour. XOXOADVENTURES is an AMAZING company. Daniel, the owner, and his staff engaged with me immediately when I booked, offering helpful information and so many great suggestions for area things to do, places to dine, accommodations - they were just wonderful! We couldn’t wait for our Badlands adventure with such welcoming and knowledgeable people! But fate intervened and we had to cancel our entire trip, including this tour. So PLEASE, take this tour for me, and enjoy all this outstanding company has to offer! (I hope to reschedule our whole trip and this tour is at the top of my must-do list!)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Onair44669233985
Sep 4, 2023
Amazing weekend in South Dakota thanks to XO Adventures - My wife and I had the pleasure of using XO Adventures on 2 tours, the first one took us out to Badlands National Park and the second took us to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the Black Hills. Both tours were lead by Daniel who was an amazing guide. He's full of information about many aspects of the area and he got us to so many great spots throughout the day. The number of unique opportunities we got made for great photos and memories. Daniel was prepared for anything and offered water and snacks throughout the day. The evening sunset and star gazing out at the Badlands was a major highlight. We were able to fit a lot of sights into 2 days in South Dakota. Using XO Adventures made the trip so much more relaxing and worry free, but also fun and meaningful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
W6491uikarenb
Aug 23, 2023
Best Tour/Adventure of Our Trip - This was the best adventure of our trip! Daniel was very friendly and interested in getting to know us to enhance our experience. His knowledge of the Badlands made this an amazing experience. We experienced sunset at one of the overlooks, then on to star gazing. We saw shooting stars, fireballs, satellites and the Milky Way. He assisted us with getting beautiful iPhone pics of the Milky Way; best photos ever, we'll enjoy them and this memory forever! Would book this adventure again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rdh4u
Aug 17, 2023
Wonderful!!! - This is wonderful. Daniel is the best guide. He is prompt, full of information regarding the area such as the history, geography, geology, etc. It was "our tour," so we could stay at various stops as long as we wanted. We were lucky in that there was a supermoon that night. We laid under the stars talking for hours having lost track of time. I highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ablrliye
Jul 22, 2023
Badlands and night sky private tour - Barbara Jean was a fun and knowledgeable tour guide and our family of 4 thoroughly enjoyed the evening with many laughs and great conversation. Thank you for a wonderful time and the best donuts!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dbt723
Jun 20, 2023
Wonderful time! - My 15 year old grandson and I had a great time on this tour. Daniel, our guide, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
