Badlands National Park/Nomad View, SD

Ready for anything (or so we thought), we drove to Badlands National Park (4 hours according to Google, 8 hours IRL). It was time to go off the grid and be as self-sustainable as possible.

Site:

Nomad View, Badlands SD

Site: None! We’re boondocking, baby!

Wifi: Verizon - 4.25 down, 5.39 up / ATT - 1.96 down, 2.24 up

Cost: Free

Noise: Nothing but the wind

When you think of stellar views, what you don't know you’re picturing in your head is the Badlands. From a state of flat terrain and being sure you can see across to the other side, suddenly you come upon these gigantic cliff formations that seemingly rise out of nowhere. Nomad View, on the outskirts of the Badlands National Park, is a boondocking haven where you can be far from your neighbors and perch next to the edge. It wasn’t without its sore points. The wifi is sporadic at best. There were times we would get 30up and 40 down, and the next minute it was like the hotspot was dead. There didnt seem to be any pattern, and it was incredibly frustrating to work and take video calls knowing you may get kicked at any minute. It was also fairly questionable to even access the area. The drive up after pulling off the highway was rutted and swampy, and when we pulled in we almost tipped when another RV tried to pass us to leave. If we werent jostling around we were spinning our tires trying to get through the massive mud slick. Not to mention all of this taking place NEXT TO THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF. On trips to town we had to drive the motorcycle down the same path. It was treacherous and we determined that we wouldnt be able to go anywhere for at least a day or two after it rained to give the path time to firm up. Of course in our week there, it rained every other day. The feeling of being trapped was real. The weather is unpredictable. One day we woke up and the fog was so thick around us we thought we were in Silent Hill. This lasted for hours and once again we could not leave. It’s hard to beat a free spot with killer views, but this is probably the only time we will come to Nomad View, unless we return with a tank.

Rating: 10/10 for the view, 1/10 for the actual fear

City:

Wall, SD

If you are ever in South Dakota, literally anywhere in the state, you will see signs for Wall, SD and Wall Drug. They range from “Free Water!” to “6 ft Rabbit!” to “YOLO” (seriously?). Wall itself is a sleepy town with a 24 hour laundromat, an Ace Hardware, the famous Wall Drug, and… not much else. The people were once again incredibly friendly and the 3 giant gas stations right off the highway were really convenient, but we saw no reason to explore for anything other than the library that is open for like 4 hours a day on Weds and Friday. 

Rating: Get your gas and get going

Restaurant:

Wall Drug Cafe

You know when the Dairy Queen is listed as the #4 restaurant in your town that your options are rough. (We actually went to the DQ, and it was just fine). Since Ron had never been to Wall Drug, we went to the Wall Drug Cafe for breakfast before exploring. It was really confusing once you get in there, as there are signs that say there is service in the back, but when we asked an attendant if it was sit down service they pointed us to an ordering counter. They also had a buffet available that we never saw. The venue is old timey, like everything else in Wall Drug. The cafeteria food tasted like just that, but had high, touristy prices. 

Rating: Hard pass