Buffalo Gap Dispersed Camping

I stayed here for a week in 2022. This was before the change to use designated sites. Back then you could camp on the"wall" side of the road, now you can only camp on the inland side. It can be hard to find a"good" spot with a view here if you come in on a weekend, but(in 2022 at least) you could always find room on the inland side. You'll almost certainly need to do quite a bit of leveling. There are no facilities here. I had good Verizon and T-mobile signal. Sometimes people run very loud generators that can be heard anywhere in this camping area. Sometimes it is so windy that it kept me up all night, sounding like I was in a tornado. But it has beautiful views and I would camp here again.

This spot was easy to find. We pulled off the main road an arrived at some dispersed camping near the edge of the badlands. We had the best view and it was so private. We came in the off season, an had no crowds and the wind was tolerable.

All the spots were filled but we ended up setting in another couples site. The sites were big, it’s quiet, and the view was amazing. Went on a full moon night and it was lovely. Windy but not too bad in our rooftop tent.

The campsites are massive. I was coming from Yellowstone so I got to the sites quite late. I parked in what looked like an open site but an older man came over and was quite rude about us taking up a few feet of his 50ft site with our tent and asked us to move. Pretty rude but oh well. We then drove another mile and found some smaller sites near the end of the road. The views from the tent weren’t amazing but once you approach the edge of the Canyon it was beautiful. The sites are backed up to a cattle grazing field so expect some noise at night and in the morning. The sites are very conveniently close to Badlands which is great. It is a bit windy as well which was nice due to the extreme heat in Badlands in the summer. Overall nice place to camp but if you want privacy I would look somewhere else

This is a great location for camping. They recently built up this campsite with gravel and wood logs for more defined sites. There is about 20 sites here and most can fit long RVs. Just 2 miles from Badlands National Park. Unbeatable and one of the best free sites we have seen in all our travels. We pulled in about 6 pm and had lots of sites to pick from. Highly recommend.

Beautiful and convenient spot with many spots, but very crowded in the summer months. We were able to find one of the last few spots at sunset. Easy access to the park and easy for cars of all types to get to the camping area. Roof top tents be aware it is insanely windy up here which on a normal day would have been tolerable, but we got hit with a storm and ended up sleeping in our car due to the high winds. Ps. There are cattle just hanging out in the field near the road, so you'll randomly get some loud moos in the middle of the night. Wish we had better luck with the weather, but maybe you will!

Tent camping will keep you up at night, the storms bring heavy rain/wind that makes your vehicle feel as if it's going to tip over. But the views go on for miles. You will feel how small you are looking over that edge. Make sure you get in early otherwise you'll do what my neighbors did and make it hard to see the beautiful night sky with light pollution.

We pulled in around 6pm and had to drive a bit to find an open spot but there were several open. We tent camped - it was windy but with a good tent you should be fine. The views were awesome and the stars were great. We heard some coyotes getting caught up in something in the middle of the night but the whole family loved it.

The view here is absolutely incredible. Very close to the Badlands park.

Arrived Friday May 30, 2025 about 4:30pm a little less than a dozen designated sites remaining. A great view with clear skies and light wind.

Plenty of sites available! Not too far from the national park or from a town. No matter what site your at it is breathtaking!!

This is a great dispersed site right next to The Badlands National Park. In October, there were only about 20 campers at most (lots of available space). The views from here are amazing, as well as sunrise and sunset. It can get quite windy. Very quiet!

This was an our first time dispersed camping so we weren’t sure exactly what to expect. There were lots of campers (probably 20 other cars), but the views are unmatched. Waking up at dawn and watching the sunrise over the Badlands is breathtaking! Really easy access. We saw people with all size trailers parked. Lots of space to spread out. Not much for privacy, but with views like that, who cares!

Loved the close proximity to the badlands literally just down the road from the scenic loop. Plenty of spaces this time of year had my pic. Only downside was the wind which died down in the evening. Stars were fantastic. Wall drug had free water. Oh and I came in from Mitchell SD from the east and skipped the highway and took HWY 248 which runs paralell but I had the road to myself for 2 hours what a peace scenic ride.

We camped here on a Sunday night.  Lots of campers along a road which was about 6 miles long along the top of a cliff.  We thought we found a nice spot away from others, but two huge campers pulled in after dinner right next to us on the opposite side of the road.  Beautiful view of the badlands and we enjoyed watching the sunset from our site.  After we went to bed, the wind picked up big time and howled for several hours.  It was strong enough to shake the trailer.  It died down before midnight.  You can't really hike down into the badlands from the cliff so the only place to walk is along the top of the cliff past the other campers.  No services, but free.

I camping here from 8/15 to 8/21.   Far, the weather has been amazing.  I moved spots about 3 days in.  The first spot was great except for Cell Service (t-mobile) that exact spot was a dead spot.  After moving south one spot about 60 feet, i went from 1-2mb/s to 40-60mb/s.  Roads are rough but do-able I am pulling a 29ft toyhauler with a Chevy silverado 1500.  I cecomend taking the north entrance or if taking the main (by Radio towers) then turn left when you get to the wall.

Thursday night you August was busy. However, the sunrise the next morning made it worth the stop.

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)

I stayed here for 2 nights as a solo female traveler. It is minutes from the Badlands entrance. There were a lot of people around (I stayed in early July) so I always felt safe even at nights. It's pretty open land so it was hard finding a private area to use the bathroom. I slept in a tent the first night, but it got really windy on night 2, so I just slept in the car. Overall, I highly recommend staying here as it is free and absolutely beautiful.

I arrived solo with my kitty road companion, and ended up meeting so many other solo travelers. We moved together in the same area and somehow a few day trip turned into 11 days.

Such a great place to camp. HOT AF though during the day when I was there. At night the WIND BE WIND’N.

I’d definitely come back.

This was a great stay very close to badlands np. Easy to find, lots of spots, not a lot of privacy but great views

This area is so remote and quiet, stars everywhere and the wind is wild! We showed up super late in the evening on a weekend and had zero issues finding a spot. Closest gas station is 10 minutes away for anyone who needs a restroom nearby or a grocery store.

If you’re visiting the Badlands you gotta stay here! Plenty of spots mid July, the road is long so just keep driving until you find one you like. The road is gravel and our old van did it no problem. The views are beautiful. Spots are somewhat spread out but you can still see everyone, so not a lot of privacy during the day if you gotta pee outside, but we made it work. There aren’t any bathrooms, but the town of Wall isn’t far up the road. Short drive to get into the Pinnacles entrance of the badlands. Service was good for both Verizon and T-mobile.

Stopped for 1 night before heading to the Badlands and stayed in a tent. We had a great flat spot to set up and admire the view.

this place was absolutely beautiful, the sunset and sunrises were unbelievable. Great place to go hiking if you don’t mind the wind. anywhere you park will be an amazing view and it’s really quiet. very peaceful, will definitely come again!

The views are beyond words, truly an incredible experience to wake up to. Plenty of space for all. Not 5 minutes drive from the park entrance. Will be coming back.

The night we stayed was very windy. It was really hard to find a spot, even 2 hours before sunset. Cows will come right up to the campsite (sorta cool).

Honestly, nice view for a night but nothing more. Too many people that park right next to you even with multiple open spots and all the views are the same. Wind is non stop, no biggie if you wanna stay inside a camper but not a good tent spot during spring or if you wanna be outside. Also dont plan on taking a crap theres zero privacy or places to dig a hole. just go to Badland National and move on.

The campsites are basically outcrops off of the main road which means typical dispersed camping with no amenities. The views from the campsites are astounding. Very serene landscape with plenty of wildlife. The road is long and I suggest following it all the way before picking a campsite.

A wonderful place to sleep. Windy but quiet. Making a fire is forbidden.