Wall Drug Store has attracted visitors the world over since opening in 1931. Located roughly 55 miles east of Rapid City, South Dakota and 75 miles east of Mount Rushmore, the tiny town of Wall was once known by locals as “the geographical center of nowhere”. Not so today.
Wall Drug Store
Though Wall Drug Store commands most of the attention, the Wall Community Golf Course and Arrow Campground are good choices when visiting the area. Featuring 72 camp sites, Arrow Campground is just two blocks from the famed Wall Drug Store, which has been featured on Good Morning America. It’s reported that annual visitors at Wall Drug total more than a million; it’s something you just have to see. Nearby Arrow Campground is a good home base for exploring the drug store and other attractions in the area.
All sites at Arrow Campground are pull throughs. Other amenities include full hookups, 20/30/50 amps, dump station, outdoor pool, free wireless Internet, and laundry & shower facilities.
Opened in 2002, Wall Community Golf Course is a nine hole, par 36 track that measures 3,861 yards. The course offers terrific views and challenging play for golfers of all skill levels. Well-groomed fairways and greens keep Wall Community Golf Course difficult yet friendly. This prairie golf course also features an excellent driving range.
Located eight miles from Wall is the scenic Badlands National Park. Many good times can be found in the Badlands. The rugged beauty of the Badlands draws visitors from around the world. These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as the rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat once roamed here. The park’s 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today.
Badlands National Park
Close to the entrance of Badlands and worth a visit is the Delta-09 Missile Silo. From 1963 until the early 1990s, the missile silo at Delta-09 contained a fully operational Minuteman Missile, bearing a 1.2 megaton nuclear warhead.
The Delta-09 missile silo was one of 150 across western South Dakota. In all, there were a thousand Minuteman Missiles deployed. Visitors can now tour the site on their own. A self-guided cell phone tour is also available year-round.
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Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
Wall, SD. A fun place to stop though close by RV parking (all parking that is!) is at a premium. If you are traveling with kids, be prepared to spend a few bucks on ‘things’.
Wall, when I was a kid, was a really neat place to stop. Now, it is a very overpriced tourist trap. There is little left of the original feeling and prices, including fuel, in Wall are crazy. Stop somewhere else.