Badlands Boondocking Area

Wow…so amazing to park and boon-dock there to the see and “feel” the badlands…We got there around lunchtime and there were a few RVs there already but we got a very nice spot! Amazing sunrise woke us up around 5:30am, what else could you ask! It got busy but not crazy packed there and everyone was civilized and respectful of others. Some generators went on for part of the night but thankfully no one near us (stay away from the big class A that need to start their generators often). It can be really windy so it is hard to cook outside or to deploy awning. Leveling the motorhome was easy. Glad we went there, it was free but priceless!

This place is amazing, breathtaking, beautiful, free, and eastward facing for beautiful sunrises. Also has a upper and lower entrance in case you wish to take the second entrance to get closer to the top. It’s a great place to boon dock. Would definitely recommend getting in here before dark if possible. If you can’t, just face east to be mesmerized by the sunrise.

It's about 8 miles from the entrance to the park. It's a dispersed campsite with no services or amenities.

Note* keep in mind. As of Dec 2023, about a half a mile down across the street there is an incredibly creepy abandoned, boarded up house..it may be a deterent from staying there bc who knows what happens at night in there...unless you wanna take it on a check it out!..keep your eyes peeled for skinwalkers

Absolutely breathtaking views! We stayed for 4 days and loved every minute of it. Please think of others if you come.
-don’t bring loud generators
-don’t play loud music
-keep kids from screaming
-just keep noise to a minimum

Most people go to relax and get away from the noise.

Unbelievable spot to spend the night while visiting Badlands. It can get a little windy but the view along with big horn sheep walking right up to you was an unforgettable experience.

We arrived around 2:30 in the afternoon. There was plenty of space and we had out choice of campsites. We left a cooler and some chairs to reserve our place before heading into the park for a few hours. When we returned around 7, it was much more crowded and I don't know that we would have gotten a good spot had we not claimed one already.

The views are spectacular. We watched a herd of cattle meander below us while listening to coyotes off in the distance. It was very hot during the day but the heat broke in the evening at the night was very comfortable with a gentle breeze.

This is a great get-away location. For up to 14 days, you can walk, hike, watch different kinds of animals and camp. There are no amenities of any kind. It is ruggedly beautiful. It borders a National Grasslands which gives you miles and miles of grazing for Buffalo, Big Horn Sheep and others. Bald eagles patrol the skies along with any number of different hawks.

It's a huge area where people park for free. It's a beautiful place to stargaze and even with people who had generators on was very quiet since no one had to be near each other. Part of the roads a bit rough since it's all gravel and someone put posts out where you shouldn't park. Over all really nice spot close to Wall Drug and Badlands.

This place is awesome. Big horn sheep grazing just outside the RV. Cattle as well. There is plenty of space to have some privacy. The sheriff drives thru every day to keep an eye on things. You can stay up to 14 days. There is a water jug refill station just inside the NP entrance that is about 3 miles from the camp! The views are breathtaking no matter where you park. The road in is gravel and seemed to be well kept. No major ruts or potholes at the first entrance. The second entrance was another story. Ruta and potholes galore. Thought everything in the RV was going to be out of the cabinets and in the floor even with the latches.

I parked at a jut out near the cliff, and the views were fantastic. I had a hard side camper, and parked my truck as a wind block. Wonderful sunrise. I went in October after tourist season, and could only barely see other campers. Had a couple of antelope and big horned sheep visit, they came right up to the camper. Very windy; I didn't dare extend the awning. My camp chair blew away one night. The road is rough, but going slow I didn't have any problems. If you plan on going into the park during your stay, you can get water for your camper/RV at the Ben Reifel visitor center, and there is a dump station at Cedar Pass (which was closed when I went). It is also pretty close to Wall, which has most everything you need. Since I had to work remotely one day, there is 4g coverage there.
If you love nature and the views of the badlands, it is great and free.

This was our first time Badlands Boondocking and we kept asking ourselves….”why didn’t we do this earlier?”.

We drove from Sioux Falls after work around 5:15PM and arrived at 8:15PM (with the time change) in July……about a 4 hour drive total. We had just enough daylight left to get our tent set up. Anytime after this we would have been pushing it.

It was pretty crowded when we arrived but did find a spot on The Wall. When driving in, we drove past the first entrance on 240 and kept driving south to the second entrance (about 7-8 miles from Wall Drug exit and 1 mile from the Pinnacles Badlands National Park entrance).

It was free to camp. No electric and no campfires allowed. We saw Big Horn Sheep bedding down for the night when we got there. The sheep were grazing around 5AM.

We did a very short hike in the morning before we drove to the Black Hills (our camping destination). We hiked south going toward Pinnacles entrance. You can’t go any further as there is a barbed wire fence labeled “US Boundary”.

In conclusion, if you are heading toward the Black Hills from East River, maximize your trip and gain the scenic experience of Badlands Boondocking on The Wall.

A must stop if you are looking for a dispersed campsite for the night! So beautiful and very safe. Just be careful when selecting a spot as there are real cliffs. Set the emergency brake and chock the tires. The local police drove through and did a quick safety check which was nice as well.

This entrance is the more grassy area first and a small pond. Not much rock views but great for privacy.

Had a nice 3 days there. Road was not bad. WATER - grocery in Wall has a jug refill machine inside (55c a gallon) Vivian rest stops about 100 miles east on I90 have water refill spickets inside.
Bring flyswatters! SD has alot of flies!
Bring binoculars.
Verizon internet was very good. When it gets windy it's VERY windy!

No secret, this place road had about 50+ campers on a Monday night in July. Plenty of spots, most are not flat, be prepared. Can't beat the views! Check the weather, this place can get WINDY! Definitely wouldn't want to be in a tent or pop up when it come in. 5 stars, keep it nice for all to enjoy!

Best disbursed camping views we've ever had. Spots towards the southern drive have better views, but it fill super early. Get there early in the day to get a good spot!

Pretty views. Quiet and peaceful. I stayed for two days with my camper van and had an amazing time.
It is super windy and pitch-dark during the night, so please be careful driving around during the night!! ⚠

Free with stunning views of the park. Need reasonable vehicle clearance to get out to the good views. Highly recommend stopping here for the night!

Free but the word is out , it is busy and could be considered crowded. Stayed 2 nights a week apart, and Views are amazing, people are nice. HOWEVER, no privacy guaranteed and other then a few signs of where not to put your vehicle ,and no "fireworks" there are NO RULES. There are big rigs here ,some running gensets full blast all day, AND night. Be prepared to put up with your neighbour setting up right beside you, you have to be tolerant. It is a long road to set up, I counted over 80 vehicles. The local po po = police cruises through twice each day that I saw. It IS very worth it. If everyone stays civil it could stay free. My feeling is , it won't be forever.

My wife and have boondocked in several different areas driving out west. This one ranks near the top.
The area for camping is fairly large so it was easy to find a site at 6pm in The beginning of October.
The view was spectacular! Camping near the edge of the drop off and just relaxing was great. The people camping near were quite and respectful. Several people walking their dogs around. Got to see a dozen big horn sheep too.

Awesome views of Badlands National Park. Pleasant primitive camping adjacent to Park. No litter. Dog loved roaming free. Less crowded on road farther from Park. Great views from where we parked our rig.