Kadoka is pretty close to the badlands so I arrived pretty early. It was a couple hours drive across the badlands from east to west, where the free ‘primitive’ campsite is. Along the way were prairie dogs, bison, deer and bighorn sheep. The road was dirt for the second half of the drive.
The campsite was pretty empty, a big grassy field with two compost toilets. I picked a spot and set up my tent. A park worker pulled up nearby and ate lunch at a picnic table. I asked her a few questions about hiking and animals. She told me that the rattlesnakes are denning now and they had a family nearby. Also, the bison can be aggressive so don’t approach them. No one ever sees the bobcats. I asked her about the lower unit of the park, “What is down there?” She said “more badlands.”
In the badlands you can hike anywhere, but you cannot have campfires. I did a short hike up a hill near the camp. There weren’t really trails, but there were some worn spots where people and horses had previously gone. There are no bears in the badlands; the things to watch out for are rattlesnakes. Also, you have to be careful about the bison, give them their space. They can run 30 miles an hour.
After the short hike I drove to Wall, a small town about 15 miles (1 hr drive) from the campsite. The town is named Wall because of the geological ‘wall’ that runs east to west through the badlands (so I was told). A long time ago, Wall Drug opened and grew into a collection of all types of stores. They are famous for their free ice water and five cent coffee. What they don’t have is a good camping supplies store.
When I got back to the campsite I was pretty tired. While I cooked some food, two bison wandered through the camp. They are huge.
As I got ready to sleep three minivans full of Germans pulled up and started setting up camp next to me. They were loud, gathering in a big circle to talk. Everyone else in the camp was quiet. Around 8 I got into my tent to sleep. About an hour later I was woken up by the Germans who came over to my picnic table (the camp had about a dozen tables, one of which I camped next to) and started cooking their food there. It’s not just that they were cooking, but they were talking loudly right next to my tent. Very bad camping etiquette. Just when it was getting quiet, I heard guitar music. Specifically, I heard ‘Let It Be.’ This was the only song the guy would play, for 30 minutes.
