Roberts Prairie Dog Town

The largest prairie dog town in the accessible areas of Badlands National Park sits just off Sage Creek Road, and it announces itself before you see it — high-pitched barks carrying across the flats from thousands of black-tailed prairie dogs working their mounds. Prairie dogs are a keystone species, and the NPS notes this pulloff for good reason: their burrows provide habitat for a broad web of animal and plant species. Keep your distance. They can carry plague.