Panorama Point earns its name with a view that really does go all the way round. From the overlook at the edge of the Badlands, the ground drops away to the south into the White River Valley, a wide plain of yellow grass and shadowed canyons, with flat-topped buttes standing on the horizon. It is a quiet place, much less visited than the busy overlooks near the visitor centre, and a good place to sit on the bike and let the wind do its work.
The land to the south belongs to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home of the Oglala Lakota, and this country has seen some of the most painful chapters in American history. The Stronghold Table, a high tableland in the Badlands to the south-west, was a gathering place for the Ghost Dance in 1890, a spiritual movement that frightened the authorities and led to the massacre at Wounded Knee, a short distance away, in December of that year. Today the land is part of the Oglala Lakota's territory, and the Oglala Lakota run a section of the park jointly. It is worth reading about before you come, and approaching with respect.
The riding here is good, flowing and easy. The Badlands Loop Road passes along the north edge of the formation, through grassland dotted with yucca, and the curves and dips are gentle. The surface is generally good, with a few patches of frost heave. The danger is the weather: wind, heat and thunder come fast on the open plain, and the sky is enormous, so you see storms coming from a long way off. Spring and early autumn are most comfortable, and in October the park is nearly empty, with cool air and clear light.
There are no services at Panorama Point beyond a pit toilet and a few parking spaces. The nearest fuel is at Interior, a small place, or at Wall, to the north on the interstate, and for a larger choice Rapid City is about an hour away. Cedar Pass Lodge has food during the season, and the visitor centre is a short distance east. Carry water, because the dry air and sun take more out of you than you notice, and rattlesnakes sometimes lie in the sun on the paths, so watch your step.