Window Trailhead · National Park Service
This trail is short and provides excellent views of layered badlands geology. The view at the end provides a premier vantage point of the Badlands wall, extending far beyond the park’s eastern boundary.
Window
OpenStreetMap
The Window overlook sits at 2,615 feet along the Badlands Loop Scenic Byway, facing due east at 90 degrees. The terrain drops 105 feet within 600 meters of the viewpoint, giving a view down into the layered badlands terrain below. Big Badlands Overlook is visible to the northeast, 2.2 miles away at 2,606 feet in elevation. The east-facing orientation means the view aligns directly with sunrise, which ranges from 05:07 at the June solstice to 07:19 at the December solstice. The overlook lies between White River Valley Overlook and Door on the byway route. Kadoka is the nearest town at 21.4 miles east-northeast, followed by Wall at 22.4 miles northwest and Philip at 23.3 miles northeast. According to the National Park Service, the trail here is short and leads to a view of the Badlands wall extending beyond the park's eastern boundary, with layered geology visible along the way.
Access
On the byway
Elevation
2,615 ft
View
East · 90°
Light
Best at sunrise
Relief
105 ft drop
In view
1 named features
What you’re looking at
Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.
- Big Badlands Overlook2,606 ftnortheast · 2.2 mi
Light
This overlook faces sunrise — 0° off square to it.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:52 | 19:00 | 18:22 |
| June solstice | 05:07 | 20:34 | 19:50 |
| September equinox | 06:36 | 18:47 | 18:09 |
| December solstice | 07:19 | 16:14 | 15:27 |
Local time (America/Denver). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
- Kadoka21.4 mi east-northeast
- Wall22.4 mi northwest
- Philip23.3 mi northeast
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How high is Window?
Window sits at about 2,615 feet (797 m).
What can you see from Window?
From Window: Big Badlands Overlook (NE, 2.2 mi).
Is Window better at sunrise or sunset?
Sunrise. The land falls away from Window toward the sunrise, so at sunset the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.
What is the nearest town to Window?
Kadoka, 21 miles ENE of Window.
What is the next lookout after Window?
Door is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Window.
Drive to Window with Byway
Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along Badlands Loop Scenic Byway, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.
Byways with this lookout
Day trips start here
- Badlands National Park · 29 mi
Locals make it Verified.
Window — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
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