Badlands National Park | Where to Camp & Things to do
- Happy Nomads
- Sep 15, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2024
Last year we passed right through the Badlands and we thought the landscape looked unique and interesting, particularly as we stared down into the White River. When we were considering crossing Badlands National Park off of our National Park checklist, we decided that we should go back this year and explore the park.
So, this year on our way to the upper peninsula of Michigan, we looked into boondocking near the park and found this popular location roughly 10 miles south of Wall, South Dakota. What is boondocking you might ask? Well, it’s just camping in our RV without any electricity, water, or sewer hook ups. So you essentially just have to bring everything you might need to be able to camp in these spots (pack it in, pack it out!).
Our boondocking spot outside Badlands National Park in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland
We did try to go to the Wall Drug Store but got into a tricky parking lot situation and decided to skip it. But we have heard many recommendations so make sure to stop in on your trip!
The views were incredible. You’re basically camping on the edge of the Badlands which is super cool–and might even be my favorite boondocking spot yet. However, I had read a few reviews on iOverlander about how the soil turns into a clay mud when it rains and people had gotten stuck out there. Needless to say, we were on the watch for storms.
Views of the Badlands from our campsite
We set up our RV in ~90 degree weather and it was HOT. We took it easy and planned out our adventures on the first day. On the second day, we went into the park early to make the most of our time before it started to heat up outside. If it’s going to be 80+ degrees outside, we will either try to stay in an RV park where we can have electricity for the AC or we will go do things early in the morning and come back to be with the pets during the peak heat of the day. We always leave a temperature monitor on in the RV so that we can monitor everything while we’re out as well.
We started our day off with the Notch Trail and we highly recommend it. It was a fairly easy hike with a fun ladder to climb and a great view at the end. I think this trail would be best early in the morning or for sunset since it does get very hot out there. We would also recommend bringing lots of water, wearing hats and sunscreen, and sturdy shoes/boots since we saw a lot of people slipping on the rocks.
The Notch Trail
After the hike, we headed to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to get our sticker and check out their paleontology lab. We loved the lab! You can watch professionals in-action cleaning the fossils, touch fossils that have been found in the park, and learn about the park’s history. Very cool!
Then we stopped at the White River Overlook on our way back to the pets, where we had lunch and waited for a storm to pass before heading back into the park for sunset. We recommend doing as many overlooks as you can! They are all easy to get to, have ample parking, and showcase a unique area of the park. If you'd like to explore the park with us, check out our YouTube video!
The Visitor Center & White River Overlook
When we came back for sunset, we headed straight to the Yellow Mounds Overlook. This was my favorite spot because of the yellow soil–it was particularly beautiful under the sunset. This soil is an ancient seabed that gets its mustard hue from a mineral called Goethite (nps.gov). Then, we finished the day with a PERFECT sunset at the Pinnacles Overlook. This is the sunset spot!
I read online that Panorama point is the best sunrise spot in the park. If you plan on visiting Badlands National Park, let me know how it is!
The stars are also incredible in this park so make sure to go outside and look up at night! Check out this photo Austin was able to capture with his Sony camera:
A starry night in the Badlands
The Rangers also host night sky discussions with telescopes and all that at the Cedar Pass Campground on the east end of the park from August-September. So if you have little ones, or you just love stars, I would recommend checking that out! They have information on their website.
We really enjoyed this park and were pleasantly surprised by it. I think we would have stayed longer if a huge storm wasn’t rolling in and the weather was cooler. It would probably be best to visit this park in the spring or fall because it is seriously hot! Overall, we’re glad we went and we’re also glad we got out before we got stuck, haha.
Please let us know what questions you have in the comments!
Happy travels <3
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