Day 16 – Grassland Boondock

One advantage of traveling with an RV is that wherever you stop you are home! We prefer our truck & camper since they are a bit more maneuverable and can go a bit more off road. The term for camping outside of an RV park or campground is “boondocking”. Originally the term referred to a remote out of the way area. Now, it typically means that you “camp” without amenities like sewer, water, or electricity.

Where can you boondock? Well, there are many companies, like Walmart, that allow you to “camp” in their parking lots. They benefit from the campers shopping in their store and the campers benefit from free camping. Although not a picturesque location, they can be convenient for a night stop over. Also, most national forest service lands allow boondocking and some state lands are open for campers.

When asked, “How do you find places to boondock?” We
typically reply, “Well….” Usually we drive along a less traveled road and look for side roads that are on federally managed lands. Then we look for a spot that is accessible and not on someone’s property or blocking access to their property. A camper doesn’t take a lot of room, so if it is fairly level, we call it good.


This trip we came across what we considered a nice boondock just outside of the Badlands. It was alongside a dirt track on the National Grasslands. With the cliffs of the Badlands off in the distance, we pulled in and joined some prairie dogs. 

With our camp chairs set up and an Irish Coffee in hand, we enjoyed our prairie experience. A gorgeous sunset followed by coyotes yipping in the distance. Later, a dark sky, with so many stars that Cassiopea was lost in the the Milky Way, provided our evening entertainment.

Boondocking is not for everyone, but we enjoy the peace and solitude.

I can’t say it was a quiet camp in the morning though. The prairie dogs were up squeaking and chirping early. Also, a herd of free ranging cows had moved in to graze around us mooing as they munched their breakfast. 


However, our early rising companions didn’t deter us from going back to our grassland camp a second night, after touring the winding roads of the Badlands.


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