It was a sight so good, it gave me the chills. We slowly ventured into the grassland towards the slow falling sun that brought out the shadows of the dark Black Hills, visible on the way distant horizon. It instantly felt like a dream, as the sky exploded with reds and oranges, casting a soft golden hour glow onto Buffalo Gap's rolling prairies. But before jumping into dinner, the most amazing sunset I've ever seen filled the sky. With our Coleman Flatwoods II tent pitched and Yakima's new SlimShady awning they generously mailed me to review, deployed from the roof of my station wagon, we set up two chairs, a 'table' and cracked open a few cold Potosi beers. There's no noise, no sounds of generators, no artificial light, no commotion- just silence. When we were there the last week of August, there were a few other camper vans, tents, and one or two bigger campers being pulled behind some behemoth of a heavy duty pickup truck. Chances are you'll see very few other people that are "in the know" about this hidden treasure, and if you do, there's plenty of room to spread out. We drove about ten minutes along a dirt road the skirts its way along the top of the cliffs to find the perfect spot, a peninsula like patch of land with drop offs in all directions just feet from our tent. Spending a night here, above a steep cliff in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland was one of the most memorable, surreal, and fascinating times I've had in the outdoors, blowing away all other car camping I've done at state and national parks in the past. Most will park along the tops of the cliffs that overlook into the Badlands. GPS coordinates are 43.890031, -102.226789.Ī pure, remote car camping experience like none other. Once you're piloting your vehicle, 4x4 recommended, down the bumpy dirt road, it's open game for setting up camp. Forest Service occasionally will close this dispersed camping area if the barbed wire fence is neglected and not replaced. It is imperative and mandatory you follow this step, replacing the fence right after you drive through. This is to control free range cattle, so you'll need to get out and move the fence out of the way, drive through, and then replace the fence, securing it tight. When you arrive at #7170 seen below (or #7175), you'll immediately notice a barbed wire fence blocking the road. When you start to see tall cell towers, keep a close eye out for dirt road #7170. The entrance to the dispersed camping area we're talking about here, Badlands Overlook, is located on the right/east side of the road. At this point you will be in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland (look for the sign). Right before the pavement ends, veer right towards the park's Pinnacles Entrance station and continue driving north on SD 240. If you're coming from inside Badlands National Park, continue west on the main Badlands Loop Road. The enormous national grassland shares a southern border with Badlands National Park (see my piece here on Parks & Points, Why Badlands is My National Park.) It soon turned out to be the most incredible spot I've ever pitched a tent while not backpacking. So a few nights before loading up my black Saab 9-2x with outdoor gear, I hopped on, plugged in our location, and found a jaw-dropping dispersed camping area called the Badlands Overlook, inside the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Again, more public lands open to exploration.Īfter camping in the developed campground inside Badlands National Park for two nights, Brenna and I were craving more solitude for our third night of our by way of wagon travels. But I've never been to a national grassland, and gosh I'm so glad I took the time to do so on a recent trip out to other worldly Badlands National Park and humbling Wind Cave National Park on the western edge of South Dakota, deep in the Black Hills National Forest. Over the past few years, I've been ever so grateful to cross-off several national parks, state parks, national monuments, national historic parks and sites, county parks, wildlife refuges- just about any slice of public lands I can break ground in with my hiking boots. The greatest, best, and most beautiful place I've ever car camped was on top of a cliff in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Why You Absolutely Need to Camp in the Buffalo Gap National GrasslandĪ version of this article previously appeared on Robby Around the World.
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