Day 8: Devil's Tower, Wall, and Nomad View

 July 3, 2021

Vanlog, Boondocking site at Buffalo Gap National Grasslands

Well, it had been a couple of days since my last shower, so I woke early (5:30 AM) and showered out the side of the van using the sink hose at my boondocking campsite at Little Missouri National Grasslands. I would have to say this campsite was a 10/10. I enjoyed two nights of a nice cool breeze on top of the hillside with beautiful sunsets and good company only a few miles from the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt NP. I highly recommend! 

I left early and drove 3.5 hrs to Devil's Tower NM in Wyoming. The roads through Montana and Wyoming were 70-80 mph, straight as an arrow, and without a soul in sight. There was so little traffic on this route that I may have seen 5 cars pass me in an hour's time. I arrived at Devil's Tower around 9:45 AM. It was already crowded because of the Fourth of July weekend. Here are some photos from my 2.8-mile loop hike around the base of the monument in 100-degree weather. I did not do so well in the heat, struggling with nearly passing out on several occasions despite adequate hydration.

They also had a cool prairie dog colony at the park.

Then I drove another 2.5 miles to Wall, SD and had some fun (all masked up) at the Wall Drug tourist trap. 

Another 7 miles on from there was the entrance to Badlands NP. I drove in just to get my brochure and see some bighorn sheep, but then I settled down in my boondocking campsite in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. This is a popular free camping spot among boondockers known as Nomad View or the Wall because it literally sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking some badland-type formations just a mile from the park entrance. Getting a spot here on the edge on Saturday of the Fourth of July weekend was a dream come true for me. Here are the views from my campsite. I also sent the drone up to get some aerial videos if you check out my YouTube channel in a couple of days. Not all that happy with some of my boondocking neighbors. Two campers up was running a loud generator and the ones who just pulled in behind me have a bunch of kids who collected rocks to build a fire ring (violating Leave No Trace principles) and are having a campfire (despite drought conditions and this being a grasslands). But apparently the forest ranger said it was OK. Who am I to judge? I'm just happy for the views.