Best Tent Camping near Wall, SD

Tent camping in the Badlands is a one of a kind experience. The sites are basic, but the views are amazing. We stayed at tent site 81 and had unobstructed views. We read about the wind before going and those campers were not joking. A storm swept through with lightning like we’ve never seen before and the wind continued all night. Be prepared for the wind! Fires are not allowed due to the wind. Bathrooms were ok and they had a dishwashing station which was nice. Enjoy this unique campground!

I decided to check this place out since I love dispersed camping. Getting here is easy - just head south from Wall and you'll see it on the left when you see the radio towers. Little dirt road heads out to it.

Long stretch, and when I was there, lots and lots of RV campers, but no tent campers. Why? Two main reasons from what I can gather: extremely windy, and as a result, no fires. I don't know if it's actually a rule that you can't have fires here, but at least when I was there, you wouldn't want to try and manage a fire here anyway, even if you could throw together a decent stone fire pit. The wind is just too intense and the entire area is really dry. 

Another issue: the wind could easily result in you losing some of your tent equipment if you're not careful when you're setting it up and making sure it can't blow away. When I was there the wind was gusting toward the edge, so if you did have some of your stuff blow away, getting it back could be a real pain in the ass. Needless to say, if you are going to tent camp here - and it is definitely doable - stake it down well and be double-careful when setting up not to lose anything.

People mentioned goats in some reviews, and sure enough, I bumped into a small group of them. Seemed pretty harmless and quite used to humans hanging around.

The sunrise and sunset are supposed to be stunning, which I unfortunately did not have time to stay to confirm. Would definitely plan on a sunrise / sunset viewing if I find myself in this area again and the timing is right.

All in all, a cool spot, but it's gonna be a bit of a doozy for the tent campers if it's half as windy as it was when I was there.

Oh, and for you hammock lovers - not a tree in sight. Good luck! ;)

The location is right outside of the national park, and is a motel / campground. You could get a room, RV or tent site. We reserved a tent site and picked once we arrived. The staff was friendly and they do have a store with ice / wood / etc if needed. They also had a breakfast option.

The tent sites are just on a field of grass. They are right next to one another without any separation so proximity to neighbors is very close. However, the view was great as you could see the badlands.

The bathrooms and showers were rough, and we refrained from using them. Not very well maintained or cleaned often it seems. Also, bugs. Especially at night when the beatles come out.

For RV users, looks like they had full hookups but unsure of the amps. Probably the usual 50.

Overall we wouldn’t mind coming back!

You will have nice views of the Badlands from your campsite. A nice tent camping area for sure. You are in the open at this campground, not many trees grow here.

Good wifi, little store. Tent site. Hot showers, restaurant serves breakfast. Fire rings. Beautiful place overlooking bad lands. Friendly staff, quiet, and comfortable.

Talk about wide open spaces!

I could see how tent camping could be rough here in heavy winds, but I got lucky during my stay.

Incredible spot on a plateau overlooking the Badlands.

Epic sunrises and sunsets, but no shade during the day!

Just outside of the park boundary, so great basecamp for Badlands exploration.

I am very pleased with this Campground . As I drove through the Badlands today and saw people setting up their tents in the totally exposed Park campgrounds I was sad for them . The KOA has great shade at every tent site . The sites are spacious and there were was no overcrowding . I opted to rent one of the small Rustic cabins with AC ( no bathroom or kitchen ) in order to give my elderly dog a respite from the scorching afternoon heat . The little camping cabin is clean and comfortable, there is a small front porch with a swing . Outside there is a picnic table and fire ring . We walked through the campground this evening and there was a cool gentle breeze . Most of the tent sites were unoccupied while I believe absolutely every RV site was occupied . Definitely worth checking out this campsite and hands down better choice than the exposed unshaded sites with in the Badlands .

We have stayed here twice, it was easy to find and lots of available spots but it’s just on a cliff’s edge so there are TONS of strong gusts of winds, it caused our tent to cave in and I ended up sleeping in the car. There was a goat, that was cool, but otherwise I don’t recommend for tent camping (go to sage creek campground, also free)

Pros: you are camping in badlands national park. Night time star gazing program with the park during the summer.

Cons: sites are tightly packed together. No trees. No wind protection. Pay showers. Showers not super clean. Bathrooms and showers do not have counter space or other areas to place personal items.

During our stay sustained winds collapsed our tent during the day. If you are tent camping, using a tent designed to handle windy conditions would be recommended.

It was $35 for a tent site. The bathrooms were clean but did have a lot of moths at night. The campsite had lots of kids and families. The staff was very kind and found us a fire pit when we asked! It’s off a highway but the site is around woods so it’s peaceful.

What a great park and a wonderful campground :) Tent camped here for 4 nights and was pleased with the campground location, restrooms, and site. Nothing special for the site- just a level, open area to put the tent, but there was a nice picnic area.  Lots of little creatures scurrying around most of the time, so there's build in entertainment at the site! The park is beautiful- 5 days was not enough time to explore everything.  I liked camping here since it was close to many trails and gave me a better sense of the park and its wildlife. I would definitely camp here again on a trip to the Badlands.

I loved this campground. Now it could easily have been because it was our first official, set up our tent site after 23hrs of driving. But honestly the views were beautiful.

Sites were nice and level for setting up our tents, the sites had a great covered picnic area. And even though we saw quite a few others camping out, it was quiet. We visited in Oct.

The bath houses were clean and well maintained and showers were sure nice to have.

We rolled in around 7pm so was already dark but waking to the morning sunrise was amazing.

Located within Badlands National Park, this campground couldn’t be more conveniently located to nearby hiking trails and all the Badlands has to offer. There is a visitors center with a small store in walking distance. Our site was essentially along a road, so privacy is limited, but you get your own awning and picnic table. The bathrooms weren’t heated and it was about 5 degrees which made our showers uncomfortable. The showers require quarters, but there is a no change machine. Use the vending machine to make change instead.

Tent camping is allowed all year, but most guests were staying in RV’s.

All pull through sites. Not a lot of room between sites, but adequate. Restrooms are a bit far from the sites but very clean and tiled. The entrance is about a block from Wall Drug, conveniently located.