Picnic Spring Campground

Free campground in SD, not WY. Most sites are well separated. Most have picnic tables. Came over 4th of July and there were only 5 other campers when I left. Several piles of wood available for firewood (resulted from clearing trees); you will need to split it, however. Sites has been mowed for fire mitigation which also resulted in nice "lawns". I stayed in 1st on the right. It was more exposed to wind and rain, but I preferred the layout. Other sites are more protected.

Wonderful area with sites far enough apart you don't have to see your neighbors. Most sites are taken as of a Friday afternoon in July but we still found a few available. Wonderful views!

I stayed there in mid-September for 2 nights. This is first come-first served. You can not reserve a site. With this in mind, I made the trip from Medora on a Tuesday morning and I arrived around noon. I gambled that the people who came in for the week-end would be gone and the ones who were coming for the next week-end would not be there for another day or two.

The 10 sites are spacious: it’s hard to see any other campers from your site. There are no amenities here except for very clean pit toilets. No water, no electricity, no dump stations and no dumpsters for trash. Every site has a cooking style fire ring, picnic table and ample room to park more than one vehicle.

But there is an abundance of solitude, beauty and a deer and elk. As they say in Texas . . . “The stars shine bright at night”.

We absolutely loved our stay at this campground! We arrived on Saturday, July 3rd and were very surprised to find most of the sites empty!

Good place to get away from fireworks, if you have an anxious dog.

Limited shade during those hot summer days.

The scenery is spectacular and offers cross country hiking for the adventurous. Awesome sunrise if you take a 10 minute walk.

Coming in from the north on Cox Road, it's a 3 mile drive on well maintained gravel road. Easily feasible with our 26 ft RV.

4th of July weekend and I can't see or hear my neighbors. Beautiful pines and sandstone cliffs surround the campsite

I loved the calm peacefulness of this campground. Only thing missing on our site was a picnic table. Enjoy the walks and hikes around the area.

Using this app I came across this Campground. I cannot believe it was not when we got here at 1:30. We had our pick of a dozen sites. There is no one else within 1/3 of a mile.

There is around 7 miles of gravel road to go up. But we were on street motorcycles and had no problem.

Note the nearest groceries or any store for that mater is 25 miles away in either direction on Route 85. There is no potable water but there is a spring where you can water to boil. They don’t test it so you are using it at your own risk.

Dead quiet. Beautiful surroundings. Clean. Pit toilets are not smelly.

Very Nice Primitive Campground!

This is one of the best National Forest campgrounds that we have been to. All of the 8 sites are very spread out and unique on their own. There is an abundance of wild life along with some great bluff views. The campground is very well maintained and well cared for. There are 2 vault toilets and now other extra amenities near the campsites. There is a water supply you can use but the water must be treated. You can stay a max of 14 days. We highly recommend this campground!

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Pretty sketchy to find but very nice and the forest around is sweet. While I was here in May I saw deer and elk. Stayed here twice, once in May when there were no other visitors and once in August when there were only a few others.

Great place to stay. Very quiet. Sites were large and not many people around.

Even more remote than its buddy, Reva Gap campground over in the Slim Buttes of Harding County, Picnic Spring Campground in the Cave Hills offers its own experience. Its a short drive from Highway 85 over to the hills, then up and into the Ponderosa pine forest capped butte that the campground is situated on. Small canyons border most of the campground as its surrounded by other buttes in this ancient place that is the Cave Hills, one of the oldest geological formations in North America.

There's plenty of 'trails' in the area, just check the Forest Service provided map to make sure you're still on public land. Some areas are leased out to ranchers and have cattle on them during different times of the year, so be mindful of any gates you pass through.

Different roads and trails through the Cave Hills can offer up a bunch of different sights and views from the expansive prairie stretching away from it, the little hillsides and meadows between buttes and all the wildlife that occupies it. The history of the place is fascinating as well and worth looking into.