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Giant Prairie Dog

Badlands Ranch Store
Philip, South Dakota

A six-ton, 12-foot-tall concrete prairie dog is touted as the largest in the world. 

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Prairie dog general store amcampagna (Atlas Obscura User)
Vintage Postcard of the Ranch Store & Prairie Dog http://bad-postcards.tumblr.com/post/71641576481/worlds-largest-prairie-dog-ten-baddest-bad
Giant Praire Dog, photo taken 2016 Gavin (Atlas Obscura User)
Giant Praire Dog, photo taken 2016 Gavin (Atlas Obscura User)
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Outside of Badlands National Park there is a prairie dog of a disturbing size. Surrounded by an actual prairie dog colony, this concrete giant towers 12 feet over its little friends at a whopping six tons.

The massive pink and ocher mascot to the colony below has been watching over this little corner of the Badlands for over 50 years, and despite a little weather wear and tear, shows no sign of going anywhere anytime soon.

The attraction is free, and for $1.00 you can buy peanuts at the Ranch Store Gift Shop to feed the (in comparison) teensy prairie dogs of the non-concrete variety. 

Know Before You Go

Not hard to find. It is off of I-90, off of exit 131, on Hwy 240 which is the main road to Badlands National Park Drive.

roadside attractions statues
Nearby
Minuteman Missile Visitor Center
1.62 miles
Delta-09 Minuteman Missile Site
15.01 miles
Conata
15.75 miles
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Appears in 1 List
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The Ultimate Guide to America's National Parks

Big or small, urban or remote, the parks are full of nature, history, and surprises.
Atlas Obscura March 30, 2021
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