Boondocking at “The Wall” Overlooking the Badlands

It was our first experience with free dispersed camping (aka “boondocking”) and it was incredible! I had read about this spot in South Dakota where you could camp overlooking the Badlands. The views were incredible and the sunrise looked like it would be stunning. We knew it would be a long haul from Minnesota to get to this spot on our family RV trip, but we were determined to make it happen. Read on to learn more about boondocking at “The Wall” overlooking the Badlands.

So we ate breakfast at the lake cabin in Minnesota and said goodbye to my parents before hitting the road, heading to South Dakota. The intergenerational interaction was wonderful, but it was time to move on and tackle the long drive ahead.

How did we keep the kids entertained? Read all about entertaining kids in an RV here!

We pulled into Wall, South Dakota around 4 pm. Since we had promised the kids we would go to Wall Drug, we took a quick peek inside to ask about the free dispersed camping in the Buffalo Gap Grasslands.

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What is Boondocking?

It’s a term for dispersed camping on public land. It is also referred to as “dry camping” or “wild camping” camping without a hookup for the RV. That means that there is no electric, water, or sewage dump. There are no picnic tables, fire rings, or bathrooms and it is generally free (although certain locations require a permit). You park and just set up camp. This type of camping is allowed in the National Grasslands, including Buffalo Gap National Grassland located directly north of Badlands National Park.

Boondocking at “The Wall”

There is nothing official at all about this spot. It’s a road to a ledge and some pull-offs where you can camp. As we drove south from the town of Wall, SD toward the Badlands we saw the expansive landscape that makes up the Buffalo Gap National Grassland and watched the sun going down. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, just that we would find a road going off somewhere to our left. Soon, we could see a line of campers and RVs on a hill to our left. There were two radio towers and an opening to the grassland (with grating to keep the wildlife inside).

We carefully drove up and found a spot to park the RV, claiming our spot for the night. Since we were in a rented RV, we didn’t have any leveling blocks and there is absolutely no level ground here, so we ended up on an angle. That made sleeping pretty interesting so I highly recommend having some way to level yourself (like leveling blocks) if you try boondocking at “The Wall”.

Our first impression was full of wonder.

The landscape of the badlands unfolded in front of our eyes which behind us was the open expanse of the grasslands. It was so dramatically different than our home and the boys were stunned by the beauty.

The wind was pretty intense (I mean we are in South Dakota). The RV shook all night and, even though I knew we were safe and far from the ledge, I hardly slept a wink. A few minutes before sunrise, I grabbed my cameras and went outside to enjoy the beautiful, yet fleeting, sunrise. There was a lot of haze in the air so it dulled the colors a bit but we still had the beautiful morning we were hoping for.

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After sunrise, we packed up and headed out once more. Into the Badlands National Park we went, but I’ll save that for another day.

Important Note about Boondocking and Grasslands:

When boondocking at “The Wall” there are no facilities. There is also NO OPEN FLAME. We cam prepared with “no cook” meal options to avoid a flame even in the RV. The last thing I want is to be the spark that ruins our National Grasslands or flies miles in the wind to spark a flame in the middle of the Badlands. Anytime you are boondocking, make sure to look up any rules and regulations to follow and stick to them so we can ensure these opportunities remain open and available while the landscape is protected.

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