The Badlands & Buffalo Gap National Grassland

It has been a bucket list item to boondock at Buffalo Gap for too long. I think I first heard about it in 1998, on my first trip "out west" with my boyfriend (now husband). I could see a few vehicles seemingly randomly parked along a very "badlands" cliff. But, this little excursion was my first camping trip ever, I thought it was cool but not for me.

Turns out, my 3 week adventure-filled graduation gift from my parents would teach me that those experiences were, in fact, very much me. And today, they are very much me and my dogs.

So fast forward a bunch of years and WE DID IT. We found the little dirt road, by the cellphone towers, just before the entrance to the Badlands, and navigated our way down the bumpy, dirt road to the place you can camp. FOR FREE. No services or utilities, but at this point in life, that isn't an issue for us. We snatched a spot among maybe 10-12 other folks. Everyone was dispersed and you really felt like you had a little slice of the place to yourself. Well, to yourself with 40 mph wind gusts. We lost the tent view I wanted to wake up to, but the hard shell of our Ikamper did a bang up job taking the all night brutal hits of the high winds and eventual storm.

This was day 2 of our trip and the dogs did an awesome job settling in once we got the tent set up. They've spent so many nights camping. Thea has always enjoyed it and once we got the RTT, Ojai was far more relaxed. There's just so much excitement on the ground in a traditional tent for him.

We brought traditional 6 ft leashed and the dogs' 12 footers, knowing that our trip would almost entirely be in places where we'd have space to long line. We hiked a long the dirt road at Buffalo Gap for a quite a while and only ran into one other camper and lots of bison poop. The wind was definitely intense, but didn't prevent us from having a great time.

Check. This. Out. The high winds and sleeping through a thunderstorm were so worth waking up to sip coffee and watch this. Yes, I lost the snuggly comfort of the tent and needed to climb down the ladder and bundle up. I feel like the pic doesn't even do remote justice to this view.

What to Know if You Go:

• Bring everything you need, including a plan for going to the bathroom responsibly and plenty of water.

• Dress warm. We went in May and needed hats, layers, etc.

• You'll need to batton down your tents, like for realsies. They will blow away, possibly with you in it. The winds are real. They are always happening. The noise created by the wind hitting a tent is really loud - consider who you're traveling with and if that will be ok or not. I have one dog who would not have been remotely comfortable with the noise, so he didn't come on this trip.

• There's a cliff. Be a responsible human being for your own well-being and your dogs.

• Stay out late. If there hadn't been storms and clouds, I bet the night sky was amazing.

• Get up early.

• Be safe with animals. It was clear that bison were recently around. There are deer, sheep, prairie dogs, etc. Keep a responsible (extra responsible distance if you have dogs with you). Just don't be that guy that ruins it for everyone.

And finally, though The Badlands do not have dog-friendly hiking options, the ol' car safari is a great way to experience the beauty of this National Park and follow the rules. There are tons of great vistas and pullovers to snap photos. My dogs loved a windows down, sniff the sniffs drive through the park. Of course, they can pose with the sign!

Yes, I trained them to pose like this.