Hi there!
This includes South Dakota state park campgrounds, South Dakota national park campgrounds, and South Dakota national forest campgrounds.
More about each of these types of South Dakota campgrounds below!
This will include some of the best places to visit in South Dakota!
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MAP: South Dakota camping route
To put it simply, this was my general South Dakota camping route:
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park ND to Custer State Park
- 1 night of camping in Custer State Park (this was to break up the drive and I didn’t do anything in Custer State Park at this time)
- Custer State Park to Wind Cave National Park
- 2 nights of camping in Wind Cave National Park with time in Wind Cave, Jewel Cave National Monument, the Mammoth Site National Natural Landmark
- Wind Cave National Park to Custer State Park
- 5 nights of camping in Custer State Park with time in Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills National Forest
- Custer State Park to Badlands National Park
- 3 nights of camping in Badlands National Park with all time spent in Badlands National Park!
All of the above is in western South Dakota. If you will be driving I-90 into or out of eastern South Dakota, you can also do 1 night of camping in Palisades State Park to break up your drive.
Explore the map.
You can read more about my 10 days in South Dakota itinerary which lists a little more about each day’s activities.
Below will be a bit about each of the South Dakota campgrounds.
Campground policies can change, so be sure to look into how it currently is before you go!
For example, maybe a campground was first-come first-serve with no way to make reservations last season, but next season it might be mandatory to make reservations.
And then of course, the cost of camping at the different South Dakota campgrounds can change.
I did most of the camping in South Dakota in August 2021. I also did stay at a South Dakota state park camping cabin in September 2021.
And speaking of South Dakota camping cabins…
Camping cabins at South Dakota state park campgrounds
As a tent camper, I loved the camping cabins of South Dakota state parks.
Similar to tent camping, it is basically bring your own everything, but you don’t need to worry about the weather elements.
There are bunk beds with mattresses inside the cabin so you need to bring your own pillow and bedding.
There is electricity to plug in your electronics, along with air conditioning and heat.
The cost in 2021 for South Dakota state park camping cabins was around $65 a night, and that includes taxes and the out-of-state resident fee.
You separately also do need to pay the entry fee for the South Dakota state park you will be staying at.
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Now…
5+ South Dakota campgrounds to stay at to see the best of South Dakota
1. Cedar Pass Campground (Badlands National Park campground)
Badlands National Park is the best national park in South Dakota.
There are 2 campgrounds in Badlands National Park.
If you want to go camping with the classic views of the Badlands, then you want to stay at Cedar Pass Campground.
The Cedar Pass campground is for tent camping and RV camping.
This is a modern campground. It has regular bathrooms and drinking water available. You can get a campsite with electricity. There are hot water showers, although you have to pay for that so bring coins.
The Cedar Pass Campground is located in a very convenient area of Badlands National Park.
By staying at Cedar Pass Campground, you will be minutes away by car from Badlands Loop Road, which is the main road in the park from which you can access all of the best views in Badlands National Park.
The Cedar Pass area is also where you can find a bunch of shorter Badlands National Park hikes that yes come with amazing views!
I paid $25 per night to stay at this South Dakota campground, including taxes and fees.
While this campground is in fact in Badlands National Park, it is not operated by the National Park Service.
You make Cedar Pass Campground reservations through Cedar Pass Lodge.
See more about camping at this South Dakota campground: Cedar Pass Campground
2. Sage Creek campground (Badlands National Park campground)
If you want to go camping with a good chance of seeing wildlife then you want to stay at Sage Creek Campground!
This is the other campground in Badlands National Park.
The Sage Creek Campground is located in a remote area of Badlands National Park.
And it was such a FUN campground!
If you want to see wildlife in South Dakota, then you will very likely think it’s a fun campground too!
The campground is quite literally a prairie dog town! You will be setting up your tent right next to prairie dog holes. (Watch your step!!)
This means that you have tons of chances to see prairie dogs!
Sage Creek is also an area that buffalo frequent.
So, there is also a chance to see buffalo when you are camping!
You might see buffalo walk right through the campground!
It seems like they regularly use the campground as their walking path in the early morning, like 6am.
This is a rustic campground. There is a basic no-flush toilet. There is no electricity. There are no showers. There is no water.
Be sure to bring TONS of water! Summer days can regularly be in the 90s and can reach 100 degrees. (Although it is a dry heat.) The evenings are cooler though and can be in the 50s so you’ll also want to make sure you have layers.
Being in a remote area of Badlands National Park, it’s not near the best views of Badlands National Park. For example, Sage Creek to Cedar Pass is about a 1.5 hour drive through the park, although you will start to see classic views of the Badlands rock formations before that.
The Sage Creek campground is for tent camping and small RV camping.
Sage Creek Campground is a FREE camping stop in Badlands National Park. It is also first-come first-serve. It is not possible to make reservations. Confirm current camping details.
I am always afraid of first-come first-serve campgrounds, so I try to arrive early. I arrived around noon and the campground was pretty empty. I guess in the evening it was pretty full.
But even if you arrive to a full campground, if you’re desperate, the layout of the campground is such that it seems that you could find a spot to pitch a tent… Just be considerate of fellow campers…
See more about camping at this South Dakota campground: Sage Creek Campground
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3. Elk Mountain Campground (Wind Cave National Park campground)
There are 2 national parks in South Dakota, and Wind Cave National Park is the other.
To make the most out of your time in Wind Cave National Park, you will want to do a cave tour. You cannot go inside the cave without a tour.
Wind Cave tours do sell out, so you’ll want to plan your day accordingly. In 2021, it was not possible to sign up for cave tours in advance, and you had to go to the visitor center in order to buy a cave tour ticket for that day. But it could change in 2022, so be sure to check the Wind Cave National Park website as your South Dakota camping trip gets closer.
There is one campground in Wind Cave National Park, and that is Elk Mountain Campground.
This is a mostly rustic campground. There are regular bathrooms at this campground, but there are no showers. There is drinking water, but there is no electricity.
It is a simple campground.
I paid $18 per night to stay at this South Dakota campground, including taxes and fees.
Elk Mountain Campground is also first-come first-serve. It is not possible to make reservations. Confirm current camping details.
You will make payment through the self-pay station. Be sure to bring cash in exact change.
Once again, I arrived around noon and it was a mostly empty campground. It stayed that way the entire time I was there.
While you are staying at the Wind Cave National Park campground, it’s reasonable to also go to Jewel Cave National Monument. This is another cave that you’ll want to do a cave tour in order to make the most of your time. Look into doing the historic lantern cave tour! You will be walking inside a dark cave with only a lantern to light your way!
Another place you can spend a few hours is the Mammoth Site. This is designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
It can also be reasonable to do a day trip to Custer State Park from Wind Cave.
4. Custer State Park campgrounds
Custer State Park is rather big for a state park.
And there are 8 standard campgrounds in Custer State Park.
So which is the best campground in Custer State Park?!
Well, the most popular campground in Custer State Park is the Sylvan Lake campground.
That’s probably because Sylvan Lake is the most popular lake in Custer State Park. (There are many lakes in Custer State Park.)
The Center Lake campground is in a quieter area of Custer State Park. It’s possible to get a campsite with views of Center Lake.
The Blue Bell campground was convenient because it was the one on the far south side of Custer State Park, which can be best for making day trips from Custer State Park to places like Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and the Mammoth Site.
I chose the Blue Bell campground camping cabins since the next day I would be driving from Custer State Park to Wind Cave National Park. (The camping cabins are at the same campground as tent camping and RV camping.)
The Stockade Lake campgrounds are convenient because it was a 10 minute drive from “town” and a grocery store! It also felt like a quieter campground. There is actually a Stockade North campground and Stockade South campground. I stayed at Stockade Lake South. There are also Stockade Lake camping cabins.
The Game Lodge campground was awesome because of a little bit of luck! I saw a buffalo walking right in front of the Game Lodge campground camping cabins! (The camping cabins are at the same campground as tent camping and RV camping.)
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 fenced off so the buffalo will never come walking through the actual campground.
This 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.
So the best campground in Custer State Park can really depend on what you’re looking for.
I made my camping reservation a few weeks before arrival and there were few choices, so I ended up booking some 1 night stays. Part of that was also because I wanted to stay in a 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!
I paid $35 per night for tent camping at these South Dakota campgrounds, including taxes and fees.
Many of the Custer State Park campgrounds also have South Dakota state park camping cabins, and this was 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!
You make Custer State Park camping reservations through the South Dakota state parks camping reservations website. 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.
Custer State Park is in the Black Hills. Unlike the Badlands where you can count on consistently HOT weather in the summer, 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!
See more about planning a trip to this South Dakota state park:
- Best things to do in Custer State Park for views of the Black Hills
- Camping in Custer State Park
- Custer State Park camping cabins
- Sylvan Lake (there’s the popular Sylvan Lake campground down the road from the lake)
- Game Lodge Campground with camping cabins (buffalo)
- Blue Bell Campground with camping cabins
- Stockade Lake Campground with camping cabins
- Center Lake (there’s the Center Lake campground right along the lake)
- Legion Lake (there’s the Legion Lake campground that’s across the road from the lake)
- Best hikes in Custer State Park
- Custer State Park lakes
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5. Black Hills National Forest campgrounds
There are also a bunch of campgrounds in Black Hills National Forest. These are rustic campgrounds.
In terms of the best campground to see the best of South Dakota, you could say that the best campground in Black Hills National Forest is the Horsethief Lake Campground. This is the campground that is closest to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
By staying at Horsethief Lake Campground, you will be minutes away by car from entering Mount Rushmore National Memorial to be able to see the Mount Rushmore presidents.
You can get a campsite that’s right on the lake.
The Horsethief Lake Campground is around $26 a night. You can make a campsite reservation through recreation.gov.
6. Palisades State Park campground
The Palisades State Park campground is the campground that’s in eastern South Dakota.
It’s the one that can be good if you’re looking for a spot to break up the drive if you’re driving along I-90 through South Dakota.
The Palisades State Park campground is for tent camping and RV camping.
There are also camping cabins at Palisades State Park, with most that have access to a trail that is right along a creek.
South Dakota 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 that’s a little bit about planning a South Dakota camping trip!
See about how to spend 10 days in South Dakota!
More for your camping trip beyond South Dakota:
- Driving from Mount Rushmore to Wyoming
- Camping in Devils Tower National Monument
- 7 days in Wyoming
- Best things to do in Grand Teton National Park
- Best things to do in Yellowstone National Park
- Things to do in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park
HAPPY CAMPING IN SOUTH DAKOTA!
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