Roberts Prairie Dog Town

Definitely stop to see the badlands but note that there is prairie dog holes right before you enter the badlands. You don't have to drive the extra 4 miles on a bumpy narrow gravel road to see them.

This is a colony of prairie dogs that are located just about where Sage Creek Road meets Rim Road. It's the largest colony I saw the entire time we were in the region. They don't seem to have any fear of humans, so you can get pretty close. Note however, that their fleas may carry the plague, so you are discouraged from actually petting or getting too close.

I backtracked to see the prairie dogs, but it was absolutely worth it! The road where this is located is off the main path, but it offers spectacular views of the badlands. The prairie dogs were adorable. Two female prairie dogs didn't seem to be bothered by my presence. They let me inch up to them until I was about 3 feet away. At one point, one of them surprised me by coming up from behind and was grazing very close to me. I spent hours photographing them (I still used a telephoto lens to get amazing shots). One of my favorite parts of the badlands.

Bring a bag chair and seat yourself amongst them. You can sit on the ground like I did, but you'll walk away covered in prairie dog urine - not the best smell.

Super cute! They were everywhere! Best part of the national park

https://youtu.be/AdaAWaEJ8so

A great spot to explore!

You have to stop. Like, it should be law. It's nothing but a shack in a field full of rodents, but honestly, it's great. Our 3 and 6 year old were tickled to be able to feed them. And we spent less than $10 total for the hour or so of fun. Can't be beat!

Absolutely awesome! There are prairie dogs right by the Ranch Store as well, much closer to the highway. Be careful driving in the areas where they live. Unfortunately, too many of them get killed by cars :(

they are everywhere but we camped at sage creek and had all the prairie dogs you ever want to see

Oh my God! SO cute. They're so chatty and busy and there are so many of them that you can get totally absorbed in just watching them scamper around. They're a little too shy to let you get too close, but they're tons of fun to watch. A lot of them stay underground but if you go around midday, you'll see more of them. There are hundreds! It's like a little city.