roadtripper9990101

We stayed here Oct. 22 and were shocked at how many people came for weekend hiking. There are MILES & MILES of trails. Everything from a stroll to difficult. There are Junior Ranger Programs and other Ranger led events.

There are 6 Equestrian sites that can accommodate small to medium RVs. These have water in the area and a vault toilet. There is a group area that has hookups, but you must reserve the entire area. There are walk in and hike in tent sites.

If you stay here in the summer you are going to need AC so plan on running a generator or have a MASIVE amount of solar.

We really enjoyed our stay. Check out our video for a more detailed look.

Lake side camping, flush toilets, fishing pier, boat ramp & swimming area all for FREE!!! Just find a spot and a security guard will give you a permit and you are set!

For more info about our stay please check out our video:
https://youtu.be/4uuWJCuK3s0

Just follow the road behind Flag Ranch. It does become gravel & get a bit rough in places, but the view is totally worth it. Camp 1 has 4 sites. While we were there in Sept of 23, we were told that each night 4 or 5 "extras" would park there for the night. There are 2 sites in Camp 3. Only 1 of the 4 nights we were there did we have a 3rd car join us.

You cannot beat the View, Location or Price. Please check out our video for more about this amazing camping spot: https://youtu.be/_IMCuxNocQE

It looked like rain when we arrived at Wall so we decided to stay in the parking lot rather than the dispersed area for the night. It was a good call. We made a video of our stay while we were there. Find it under the VIDEO tab above.

Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota has a great history. In December, 1931, during the Great Depression, Ted Hustead and his wife Dorothy used a $3000 inheritance from Ted's dad to buy Wall Drug in the small poor town of Wall South Dakota. After several months of struggling, the couple decided to give it five years for business to pick up.

Near the end of the five year period, it was dreadfully hot in Wall. Dorothy had decided to nap while her two little ones were napping. The traffic on Hwy 16A kept her awake. She asked her husband what he thought all those people driving wanted. She finally said they wanted a glass of ice water. (Remember that cars in the 30s had no AC.)

Dorothy talked Ted into posting signs, fashioned after the famous Burma Shave signs, along Hwy 16 A advertising free ice water. As soon as the signs went up, people came to Wall Drug for a refreshing glass of cold water. That began the historic tourist attraction of Wall Drug.

In the video, the Two Tired Teachers show that Wall Drug is still a pharmacy, but today it is much more than that. The video may seem a bit jumpy because in September 2020, the year of Covid 19, South Dakota had no mask orders. We were avoiding people without masks.

We had spent the night in the Wall Drug parking lot. They have two large parking areas for people to use overnight. A third parking area clearly states that by ordinance of the city, there is no overnight parking. About 5 RVs were in the third area when we went to bed. Early the next morning, they were gone. We don't know whether they stayed all night and left early or whether they were told to move.

At around 8 AM we went in Wall Drug. It was not terribly crowded that early, and they do still have five cent coffee. Sharon aptly compared Wall Drug to an indoor strip mall. Many shops are in Wall Drug. Every inch of wall space in the hallways is covered with Wall memorabilia or South Dakota history, particularly of Native American.

Also included in Wall Drug is a cafe. On the afternoon we got into Wall, Sharon went to the cafe to do take out of "buffalo" (actually bison) burgers. In the afternoon the place was very crowded. Social distancing was not an option.

In back of the main building is an annex of sorts. In the courtyard between the main building and the other one are a jackalope and a bucking bronco with stairs on the side so little kids or those who are kids at heart can have photos taken with those. Also out back is what looks to be taxidermized bison.

Finally inside the second building is a T-rex dinosaur that roars at you.

We had towed almost 1000 miles in 2 days and needed a place to relax and this fit the bill. We enjoyed watching rock climbers from our dispersed site! Camping is free, but you must stay in numbered dispersed sites. The further you go down the gravel road, the rougher it gets. This is just about 1/2 way between Cheyenne & Laramie, WY. Elevation is high enough we were comfortable in Aug.

Please watch our video to see more about our stay:
https://youtu.be/CBliL53kMFM

We stayed here for two 1 night stays here in Sept. 2022.

Pros:
* Free
* Convenient (on Hwy 67)
* Historic - lots of information signs

Cons:
* Noise - It is next to a small highway & train track. You will here some noise during the night, but it might some
* "Popular" - Some people just drive through the parking area, stop for a few minutes and drive on

Overall, we LOVED staying here , stayed twice in a week.

We stayed here because we could not get reservations as Goliad State Park. We LOVED it. We had full hookups for only $12 a night.

The park is located on a bike / walking trail. The trail has signs about the city's history... AND we scanned a QR code on one of the signs and got free shirts! There is also disc gold in the park the trail goes through.

However, there is NO shade and it would be sweltering in the summer.

Check out our video about this park: https://youtu.be/exwmfSz95l4

Yes, I would stay here again.

You are paying for a numbered place to park and watch gliders, not a 'campsite.' There is a dumpster & vault toilets.

I recommend backing into the dunes, NOT parallel. When we arrived most rv's were backed in so that is what we did, but the people on each side of us (Class A on our left & Class C on our right) each parked parallel so they could watch the gliders. When the wind picked up over the dunes it was hitting the back of our RV (hard enough we hitched to get more stability.) We watched to Class A & C rock side to side.

We have a video of our time here (prior to the strongest winds.)

A perfect overnight stop after a very long drive day! It is in the tip of the panhandle of Texas. You are just on a good gravel road for 1/2 mile so no concerns about road conditions.

For more info about our stay please check out our video:
https://youtu.be/C5mZiCJditc

We had planned to stay here the beginning of Oct. 2022 but decided to leave. The ants, bees and over growth made the decision for us. As stated in previous reviews each person 17 and older do need a permit to stay. You get the permit at the hardware store in Alpine 17 miles away. Thankfully we drove out here to check it out before we purchased them.

I am thankful others had good experiences here. Perhaps it is the time of year. We did make a video of our stay.