Hi there!
So you’re planning a South Dakota camping trip to Custer State Park in the Black Hills!
👆 Yes, you have a chance to see buffalo if you stay at one of the Custer State Park campgrounds! You have a better chance if you wake up early! This was at 6:15am! This was in front of the Game Lodge campground camping cabins, which is in the same area for tent camping and RV camping.
Well, Custer State Park is a rather big state park.
You have 8 regular campgrounds in Custer State Park to choose from!
The regular Custer State Park campgrounds:
- Blue Bell Campground
- Center Lake Campground
- Game Lodge Campground
- Grace Coolidge Campground
- Legion Lake Campground
- Stockade North Campground
- Stockade South Campground
- Sylvan Lake Campground
😱
How to choose?!
Which campground is the BEST Custer State Park campground?!
Well… it depends… 😜
Actually, you really can’t go too wrong with any of the campgrounds.
No matter which campground you choose, there’s a good chance there will be a thing or 2 (or more!) that will have you happy that you chose the Custer State Park campground you end up at.
That said, I have stayed at 3 campgrounds in Custer State Park, and also passed by other campgrounds that I didn’t stay at.
So I can tell you about what makes a few of them GREAT to get you started in thinking about which Custer State Park campground you might want to stay at!
And, if you’re waiting until the last few weeks before your trip to make your Custer State Park camping reservation… well, your decision might be made easier because you may have less choices! aka the earlier you book, the better!
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Custer State Park campgrounds are “modern” campgrounds
Custer State Park campgrounds are for tent camping and RV camping.
You can consider the Custer State Park campgrounds to be modern campgrounds.
This means that you can mostly expect that you can get electricity at your campsite.
You can find faucets for drinking water around the campground.
There are regular bathrooms. There may be a basic no-flush toilet that is located closer to your campsite.
There are showers at Custer State Park campgrounds.
Camping cabins at Custer State Park campgrounds
“Camping cabins” are a thing in South Dakota state parks, and you can also stay at a camping cabin in Custer State Park!
Some of the campgrounds in Custer State Park have these camping cabins.
These are basic cabins that give you the comfort of not having to set up your own campsite.
Other than that, it’s bring your own everything, similar to regular camping!
Custer State Park camping cabins are basically minimalist shelters without a whole lot of amenities inside the cabin.
You can think of it as a simple place to sleep without having to go through the effort of putting up a tent yourself!
The camping cabins are not to be confused with the Custer State Park Lodge cabins! (aka the difference between camping cabins and luxury cabins!)
See more for your Custer State Park camping trip: Custer State Park camping cabins
More for your South Dakota road trip beyond Custer State Park campgrounds
If you’re interested in camping in Custer State Park, you may also be interested in these things around South Dakota:
- Badlands National Park (yes camping, including a campground with buffalo and prairie dogs!)
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial (no camping – nearby is Horsethief Lake campground in Black Hills National Park)
- Wind Cave National Park (yes camping)
- Black Hills National Forest (yes camping)
- Jewel Cave National Monument (no camping – you can stay at Wind Cave or Custer State Park)
- Things to do in Custer State Park
- Best places to visit in South Dakota (for views!)
A little bit more below about some of the campgrounds in Custer State Park!
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What are the best campgrounds in Custer State Park?
What campground might YOU think is the best Custer State Park campground?!
1. Sylvan Lake campground
The Sylvan Lake campground is THE most popular campground in Custer State Park.
Some of the best things to do in Custer State Park are pretty near the Sylvan Lake campground.
One of the main things that makes this very popular is likely because Sylvan Lake is the most popular lake in Custer State Park.
The Sylvan Lake campground is near Sylvan Lake, not at it. It’s just down the road from Sylvan Lake. (So it’s not possible to get a campsite by the lake or anything like that.)
The Sylvan Lake campground also has easy access to one of the famous drives of Custer State Park, the Needles Highway drive that has the iconic Needles Eye Tunnel.
By staying at Sylvan Lake campground, you will also be a few minutes away from the start of some of the best hikes in Custer State Park, including the Little Devils Tower trailhead and Cathedral Spires trailhead.
If you want to stay at the Sylvan Lake campground, you are better off making your camping reservation sooner rather than later!
That thing about it being a popular campground in Custer State Park!
I did not stay here. Sylvan Lake was completely booked during my dates, and it wasn’t even possible to find 1 night at this campground.
See more for your Custer State Park camping trip:
2. Game Lodge Campground
The Game Lodge campground was awesome because of a little bit of luck!
If you want a chance to see buffalo from your campsite, then Game Lodge Campground is the Custer State Park campground you want to stay at!
And emphasis on FROM your campsite. The buffalo won’t actually walk THROUGH the campground because of gates and fences surrounding the campground.
So the buffalo will never come walking through the actual campground.
But it’s possible that you can see buffalo on the other side of the fence.
I saw a buffalo walking right in front of the Game Lodge campground!
👆 Spot the buffalo!
There is never a guarantee that you’ll see buffalo near the Game Lodge Campground, but it seems like you might be able to get lucky quite a bit!
The Game Lodge campground host seemed to indicate that in front of the Game Lodge campground is a regular walking path for buffalo.
Also, it was 6:15am when I saw the buffalo!
The Game Lodge campground is also convenient because it is right near access for Wildlife Loop Road… and yes this is where you have a chance to see wildlife!
The campground is also near the Custer State Park Visitor Center.
If seeing buffalo in Custer State Park is very important to you, then you should head to the visitor center. They have a little map of the location of the most recent buffalo sightings.
Game Lodge Campground is also near the Norbeck Outdoor Education Center.
Because of its proximity to the main road (you can literally see the campground from a main road that goes through Custer State Park), Game Lodge Campground felt a little bit more open and less “wild” and less “in nature” compared to other Custer State Park campgrounds.
See more for your Custer State Park camping trip: Game Lodge campground camping cabins
More campgrounds in the Dakotas where you can (maybe!) see buffalo while camping:
3. Blue Bell Campground
The Blue Bell campground feels like a quieter campground and you get more of a feeling that you’re in nature.
There are pine trees that surround campsites.
The Blue Bell campground is located on the southern side of Custer State Park.
This can be convenient for making day trips from Custer State Park to places like Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and the Mammoth Site National Natural Landmark.
See more for your Custer State Park camping trip: Blue Bell campground camping cabins
4. Stockade Lake campgrounds
There is the Stockade Lake South Campground, and there is the Stockade Lake North Campground.
Stockade Lake is another one of the Custer State Park lakes.
Both of the Stockade Lake campgrounds are a few minutes drive from Stockade Lake, not at the lake. So it’s not possible to get a lakefront campsite.
The Stockade Lake campground was convenient because it was a 10 minute drive from “town” and a grocery store!
It’s a 10 minute drive to Custer SD from the Stockade Lake campgrounds. You can go to Lynn’s Dakotamart for a pretty well-stocked grocery store. (map)
I stayed at Stockade Lake South Campground, and it felt like a quieter campground.
See more for your Custer State Park camping trip: Stockade Lake South campground camping cabins
5. Center Lake campground
And Center Lake is another lake in Custer State Park!
This is one of the more remote lakes of Custer State Park.
The Center Lake campground is a mostly rustic campground in Custer State Park, without water or electricity at your campsite.
There is a swimming beach at Center Lake, and you can also go for a walk around the lake along the Center Lake trail.
If you stay at the Custer Lake campground, it actually is possible to get a campsite with lake views!
In addition to tent camping, Center Lake Campground is for small RV camping.
Center Lake Campground only did same-day reservations in 2021. Confirm this for 2022.
See more for your Custer State Park camping trip: Center Lake
Custer State Park campground stores
There are a number of “general stores” located throughout Custer State Park.
The offerings vary based on which Custer State Park store you go to, but you can consider them to be well-stocked campground stores.
They also serve as gift shops so you can get your Custer State Park souvenirs from them too.
Custer State Park laundry
There is a laundry room at the Game Lodge Campground.
There is also a laundry room at the Coolidge General Store, which seems to be available to all. (I saw it.)
South Dakota state parks also notes that there is a laundry room at Blue Bell Lodge, but I’m not sure if that’s just available for Blue Bell Lodge guests. If you are staying near there (like at the Blue Bell campground), then you may want to inquire.
Cost of camping in Custer State Park
I paid $35 per night for tent camping at these South Dakota campgrounds, including taxes and fees.
For camping cabins at the Custer State Park campgrounds, I paid around $65 a night, including taxes and fees.
You also do need to pay the Custer State Park entry fee if you’re camping.
That is $20 for a 1 week pass. That is the minimum pass available. There is no one-day pass.
If you’ll be visiting more South Dakota state parks, then there is also an annual South Dakota state park pass for around $36. See current fees.
You can buy the annual pass when you go to Custer State Park.
The “year” runs from June to May. Confirm this with the park staff!
Camping in South Dakota state parks: How to make Custer State Park camping reservations
Most campgrounds require a reservation in advance.
Center Lake Campground only did same-day reservations in 2021. Confirm this for 2022. On the August day I went to Center Lake, the campground was very empty.
You make Custer State Park camping reservations through the South Dakota state parks camping reservations website.
How early do you need to make a camping reservation for a Custer State Park campground?
Well, this may sound lame, but…
The earlier you book your campsite at a Custer State Park campground, the better!
You will have more choices the earlier you start your search.
Most importantly, if you want to stay in Custer State Park for 5 days for example, and you only want to stay at one campground. The longer you wait, the less choices (if any) you’ll have to find a single campsite that’s available for 5 days.
My Custer State Park camping trip was in August 2021. I did most of my camping reservations 5 to 6 weeks prior to arriving at Custer State Park and there were few choices.
Part of the reason I ended up camping at so many campgrounds in Custer State Park is because I could only find 1-2 night openings here and there, so I ended up booking a number of 1 night stays. Although part of that was also because I wanted to stay at a Custer State Park campground camping cabin.
There was also one night where rain was in the forecast and I did not want to be tent camping in the rain so I called South Dakota state parks to see if there was any availability for a camping cabin.
I’m guessing there must have been a cancellation, because there was a camping cabin available.
But for the most part, as it goes with popular state park campgrounds, the earlier you book the more choices you’ll have, and the better chances you’ll have have finding consecutive nights of a campsite available!
To see if you need to make your Custer State Park camping reservation NOW, you can take a look at the campground availability chart right now.
You can do a search as if you’re going to make a booking, and you have the option to see the calendar view of availability for the individual campgrounds.
This way, you can see how many campsites have 5 straight days available for example. If there don’t seem to be too many campsites that have 5 days available, it might be time to book soon!
Out of all the campgrounds, I think the Sylvan Lake campground is the only Custer State Park campground that had no availability for any of my dates, not even for 1 night.
So again, if you want to stay at Sylvan Lake campground, then book soon!
But, don’t be too disappointed if there’s no availability, because you probably will find something you like about other Custer State Park campgrounds!
Custer State Park camping dates to keep in mind
In early August, there is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
There are reports that this event has attracted nearly half a million people to the region.
Many of these people also go camping. This means that campgrounds could fill up more quickly.
This especially affects the areas surrounding Sturgis SD, and that notably includes Custer State Park, even though it’s an hour away.
As the people at South Dakota state parks say, either join them or avoid them!
In 2022, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is August 5 to 14.
At the end of September there is the buffalo round-up within Custer State Park.
Once again, this will create crowds, and you can choose to go to it because you want to see the buffalo rounded up (book your campsite early!), or you can choose to avoid this time!
In 2022, the Custer State Park buffalo roundup is September 29 to October 1.
And finally…
Prepare for all weather for summer camping in Custer State Park!
Custer State Park is in the Black Hills.
Unlike for a Badlands National Park camping trip where you can count on consistently HOT weather in the summer during the day and cooler temps at night, you need to be ready for hot and cold in the Black Hills!
The Black Hills are not as hot as the Badlands, but it’s still summer weather so you want to prepare for the heat.
On top of that, it can also get on the cooler side.
When I was staying at the camping cabins in Custer State Park, I used both AC and heat in August!
And that’s a bit about some of the best campgrounds in Custer State Park!
Plan more for your trip to Custer State Park, the Black Hills, and beyond:
- Best South Dakota campgrounds for a South Dakota road trip
- Things to do in Custer State Park
- Driving from Custer State Park to Yellowstone National Park
- Best hikes in Custer State Park
- Lakes in Custer State Park
- Things to do in Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Driving from Mount Rushmore to Devils Tower
- Things to do in Devils Tower National Monument
- Things to do in Badlands National Park
- Best places to visit in South Dakota
- Best campgrounds in South Dakota
- Campgrounds in Badlands National Park
- What is up with Wall Drug in South Dakota?
- Things to do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
HAPPY CAMPING IN CUSTER STATE PARK!
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