For those who want to experience Dakota Prairie National Grasslands, but still want the creature comforts of home, consider glamping for your trip. Glamping near Dakota Prairie National Grasslands is a great way to travel off the beaten path. Find the right glamping site for you with our user-submitted photos, reviews, and tips. You're sure to find glamping for your North Dakota camping excursion.
For people visiting the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Cottonwood Campground is a great place to stay. Located five miles (8 km) from the entrance to the South Unit of the park, the campground is open year-round. To make a reservation for the group site please visit this the Cottonwood Group Site (ND ) page.
Hikers can access the estimated 70 miles (21 km) of trails within a short distance of the campground. Visit the Hiking and Trail Information page on the park website or stop at a Visitor Center for more details. Located immediately adjacent to the Little Missouri River and filled with Cottonwood trees bird watching in the campground can be a rewarding experience. Watch for Bison that can be seen traveling through the campground on their way to a stop at the river. Just a few miles from the campground is the Peaceful Valley Ranch. A former ranch from Theodore Roosevelt's time, the location also serves as one of the best sites in the park for outstanding night sky viewing.
The Little Missouri River is the central, unifying feature of this wild and broken land where, as a young man, Theodore Roosevelt ranched and hunted in the 1880s. The park is part of both the Northern Great Plains and the West, blending a rich natural beauty with diverse human history. The rugged topography, with its flora and fauna, also provides an opportunity to discover the badlands environment as Roosevelt once did. It is a place to experience a land and way of life that helped shape Theodore Roosevelt's attitudes and philosophy regarding conservation. Cottonwood trees surrounding the campsite turn golden in the fall. Although the campground is moderately forested, most of the campsites are in partial to full sun but visitors can cool off in the cold river when temperatures peak during summer.
The town of Medora has shopping, restaurants, amenities and the Medora Musical is located approximately five miles (8 km) to the south. The Little Missouri National Grassland is the largest National Grassland in the nation at 1.03 million acres (416,826 ha). It is located in western North Dakota and is managed by the Medora Ranger District in Dickinson, ND and the McKenzie Ranger District in Watford City, ND. The National Grassland provides additional recreation opportunities in the area.
$30 / night
If you're looking for campgrounds in Medora, ND, consider Medora Campground. Conveniently located on the west side of Medora, the Medora Campground is the perfect place to set up your basecamp for adventure in the Badlands. You can choose between our hook-up spaces or our primitive camping area, whichever makes your Medora experience perfect. Facility amenities include: -150 campsites of varying sizes. -FREE Wi-Fi -Access to bathroom and shower facilities -RV waste station -Playground for the kids -And a new General Store with many of the provisions you might need -- plus a laundry facility to help clean up your gear after a day in the Badlands.
$30 - $60 / night
Just south of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and a couple miles from the town of Medora, Sully Creek State Park is located in the heart of North Dakota’s Badlands. This small park provides easy access to the Little Missouri River for paddlers and anglers, and serves as a launch point for the 170-mile Maah Daah Hey and the 50-mile Maah Daah Hey II trails. These two scenic trails invite hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders to discover the Badlands’ peaks, plateaus, prairies, and wetlands—just as Roosevelt saw them more than a century ago. Sully Creek also makes an ideal basecamp for exploring the nearby national park in a quieter setting, or if the park’s facilities are full.
Sully Creek offers 41 spacious campsites in three open, grassy areas: Whitetail Flats, Cedar, and Little Muddy Breaks. Whitetail Flats offers open, grassy, pull-through sites that can accommodate large RVs; Cedar is a wooded loop with pull-through and back-in sites for smaller RVs and tent campers; Little Muddy Breaks is an open area designated for horse campers, and features corrals and a round pen. All sites are equipped with picnic tables, and there are vault toilets, a shower house, drinking water, and a dump station available; hookups are not available at this location. Dogs are permitted in the park, but must remain leashed. Camping is available from April through November. Campsites are $12/night; reservations accepted.
Turn west on Road #712 at the Magpie Camp sign, located 1.5 miles north of Fairfield on Highway 85; travel 15.5 miles on gravel road #712. The campground is located ¼ mile northeast off road # 712. A day use parking lot right adjacent to the MDH trail is located ½ mile south of the campground. This fenced camp features 11 camp spurs. A handicap accessible vault toilet and a potable water well are available during the summer months. A convenient meeting area for those traveling to Devil's Pass or the Ice Caves. A great shaded area in the summer!
$6 / night
Little Missouri National Grassland is located in western North Dakota, USA. At 1,033,271 acres (418,150 ha), it is the largest grassland in the country.[1] Enclaved within its borders is Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is managed by the National Park Service (and therefore not included in the preceding statistics). The Little Missouri National Grassland was once a part of the Custer National Forest, but is now a part of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, a National Forest unit consisting entirely of National Grasslands. A predominant feature of the grassland is colorful and beautiful badlands and rugged terrain extensively eroded by wind and water. It is a mixed grass prairie, meaning it has both long and short grass. The boundaries of the grasslands on certain maps can be misleading. Within the boundaries of the national grassland are significant portions of state-owned and privately owned land, much of it leased by cattle ranchers for grazing. Overall, in descending order of land area, it is located in parts of McKenzie, Billings, Slope, and Golden Valley counties. White Butte, North Dakota's highest point, is located in the extreme southeast corner of the grassland, south of the town of Amidon. The grassland is administered by the Forest Service as part of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands from offices in Bismarck, North Dakota. There are local ranger district offices in Dickinson and Watford City.
Ranger
Medora Campground boasts a prime location near Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the charming town of Medora. With spacious sites along the Little Missouri River, it’s a tranquil spot with easy access to hiking, wildlife viewing, and the Medora Musical. Amenities are basic but sufficient, and the views of the surrounding badlands make it a picturesque choice for nature enthusiasts.
A little pricey for our taste, but the hook ups in the August heat were worth it.
Legend
Small campground with vault toilets, and drinking water. a mile away from the campground are standalone sites you can drive into and park one vehicle you’re champion if you get site #22.
LegendA tidy easy in and out campground right in town and next to the NP. Super easy to walk over to the np or into Thiel for coffee, breakfast, dinner. Feeling adventurous go check out the Medora musical and steak fondue dinner. Totally worth it. There’s a community pool right at the campground too. Bonus!
TravelerThe price for all the amenities provided was excellent! There was plenty of room for our tent and cooking set up!
The access to Theodore Roosevelt National Park is ideal as well as being able to explore the town of Medora!
It was hot during the day but the campground had plenty of shade to provide a cool place to hangout.
Guide
I’ve stayed here multiple times. The sites are relatively spread out, though I like to stay towards the back of the site where it’s even more secluded. Every time I’ve been here, the camp is never over 1/2 full. The part I like most about this campground is the easy access to the world renowned Maah Daah Hey Trail: >100 miles of trail open to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. Either head south on Magpie road to Magpie trailhead, or follow the campground road away from the main road past the cattleguard and find the connecting trail there. From there, either head west towards Devil’s Pass or east towards the ice caves. At dusk, be sure to listen for coyotes barking in the distance
Guide
Lots of trees and plenty of space between most sites. Clean toilets with running water. Drinking water spikets throughout with a camper water fill Station at entrance... no dump station. Seemed odd numbers were reservation and even numbered sites were first come. We reserved site 3 but were very disappointed, it was not an accommodating site for our truck and small 23' camper... BUT the campground host allowed us to switch to another site that was available!! Awesome!!!Our stay was 6/10,11/2024
RangerAmazing views all around, definitely worth the stop. Scenic drives & hikes. Absolutely loved this area.
Dry camping with potable water. You might get some generator noise, but during our 3 night stay only 1 camper violated the 8pm-8am quiet rule.
Groceries & gas a couple miles away. Like others noted, the road coming in is real rough, take it slow.
GuideCampsites in the main campground were lovely! They had a nice amount of privacy. Verizon service but only 2 bars, only good enough to send texts.
GuideAmazing trails, stunning scenery, very cool disc golf course. Would absolutely go back.
RangerWhat an amazing place! We arrived in the dark and woke up to the most amazing sunrise! Toilets. No electricity. Only $24 for non-residents
RangerBeautiful, quiet campground right on a river. First come first serve, grills, has water spickets and bathrooms. Located right off on the main park road, and an easy drive to other overlooks and hikes.
RangerThis is on of the coolest state parks this side of the Cenozoic Period! They found dinosaur fossils in this park. and you never know you just might find some too! Our campsites butted right up to a cool mountain and the peaks are small enough for you to scamper around on. PLUS the have the coolest frisbee golf course this side of the jurassic Period with embedded holes spread over the ancient cretaceous landscape! How cool is that.
Astronomy wise this is a Bortle Class 4 site SQM: 21.62 mag./arc sec2. I did not get to observe due to smoke and poor weather.
All sites are primitive but there is fresh water in each of the two campgrounds and vault toilets are nearby. Trash pickup id also available. There is no dump-station but one is close by at: Glendive Landfill City government office 801 E Brennan St. (406) 377-9839
Hiking at the park contains easy and tough trails but each one is sure to delight with wonder and discovery on each one.
ScoutBrother and I crashed here late so we drove in in the dark. We were delighted in the morning to find a beautiful park and a super lucky campsite with a bathroom and some trees for hammocking and two tent pads! Would love to stay here again. The out of state fee is $28/night
Ranger
Wide open spaces in the Whitetail Flats section, so no shade but the views are great. Spacious sites, very quiet. There are 3 loops, one a horsemen's camp but I think I saw a few travel trailers in there without horses. The other loop has height restrictions (10' max) so good options for the smaller trailers or tents. Shower house was always clean. If you plan on visiting TRNP south unit, this is a great option.
GuideChoose your tent only walk in site carefully. Most (esp those next to river) have no shade. This means it’s hot in the sun and exposed in thunderstorms. Most sites are on top of each other with nothing to block sounds or sites.
Bathrooms are a distance off from walk in sites. You must use (as of late July 2023) the bath near the amphitheater. The facilities next to walk-in camp are just a pad at the moment with no signs of construction happening anytime soon.
Trail to sites is narrow and uneven and prone to flooding with rain.
Someone noted this earlier that it is close to the road and if you are in a walk in site you can hear I-94 and the main park road. Yes, you can hear the main park road easily and when the breeze dies down you can here the interstate. Bring earplugs and your fine.
No campfire pits.
LegendWhat a great spot! We came on a cooler day. The camp host suggested spot 52 and we couldn't be happy...you can walk right to the river, it's private. We raced to get here this am as we were told it fills up fast, but at 9am we still had plenty of spots to pick from. Everyone favors the south side campground and park, but we really enjoyed both of them! We saw a ton of buffalo on the north side and we have already spotted buffalo, seen prairie dogs and wild horses from the road. Great overlooks!
We have cell service at our spot. Not a ton of bars but can text etc and again bathrooms are super clean, no showers.
Spot wasn't overly level so we used our blocks and we got perfectly level after that. Highly recommend this campground!
Guide
Nice fair size camp, nice shop for necessities, decent shower, 43$ with electric,
LegendWe did not stay here, but they allowed us to use their dump station for a $5 fee so we had the chance to take a look around. This is a great option if you cannot get a site inside the park or if you want hook ups. They have several different styles of sites from tent sites to full hook ups and cabins. Some sites were in the sun, but lots of sites had shade trees.
LegendWe had what we (and the camp host) considers the best site in the whole campground! The views are incredible! We saw the wild horses from camp every single day. No bison, but saw plenty in the park. . This campground has very limited services. There is a water filling station across from the camp host and also several other water filling sites throughout the campground. There is no dump station for RV’s so we pod $5 to use the one at Medora Campground in town. There is a newer bathroom facility in the middle of the campground with several trails that lead to it, but I just can’t believe that they didn’t include a shower! So many people tent camping that I was extremely surprised by this. . Tip: use Google maps to “drive thru” this campground to see what your site looks like ahead of time if it is important to you.
RangerSpent a night here while on a road trip. Beautiful landscape and clean, quiet campgrounds. Great place to explore!
LegendThe scenery here is incredible! Beautiful views from the campground. Also there is a really awesome disc golf course. I don’t play, but I want to play here!
ScoutAccomodating
LegendAs of the end of September 2022, exit 27 off I 94 was closed so we followed the signage to exit 24 where we easily followed the signs to Sully Creek SP. We were early so no one was in the check-in trailer/office. We proceeded to fill fresh water near the dump station. The potable water pressure was low, about 10 psi so it took a long time to fill our tank. While we were filling the tank, the ranger came by and let us know we were good to go as we had purchased the ND state park pass at our last stop. We then proceeded to pull through site 8 with electric only(50/30/20 AMP) in the Whitetail Flats Campground(CG). There are three campground areas: Whitetail Flats with electric, Little Muddy Breaks(horse camping only with electric plus stalls), and Cedar(dry camping with very nice campsites in a wooded setting). Whitetail Flats is essentially a large field with sites periodically set about and not crowded together. The Cedar CG has a 10’ height restriction with sites set into the trees. We received no OTA channels and satellite connection was not an issue as there are only a few trees in Whitetail Flats. We received 1 bar on both Verizon and T-Mobile. We were impressed with the shower house. Though older, the shower house had been remodeled and the fixtures were in great shape. The shower rooms have a sink and regular house-type showers. We enjoyed great water pressure and hot showers. Pls note that there are no toilets in the shower house, but there’s a vaulted toilet adjacent near the office. We were here towards the end of September, and glad we had wasp spray. Bring several cans just in case as there is no place to purchase bug spray in Medora. If you like to golf, Bully Pulpit Golf Course is a great 18-hole course with some fantastic views and challenging, but fun holes. We enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to come back.
Traveler8 camp spaces, mostly hunters, no cell coverage
GuideThe area with electrical hookups is a wide open meadow; the sites are far apart. The Little Missouri runs right by the campground and there are bluffs on the other side.
Showers are clean and hot. Vault toilets are well maintained. Rangers we’re friendly.
Would give five stars except for lack of flush toilets.
We walked through the loop with tent sites. They are the place to be if it’s hot, all have plenty of shade.
We had to switch sites because we extended our stay and the original site was booked. Site 8 had almost zero Verizon coverage. Site 11 had great coverage.
RangerI booked a tent site in the Cedar area of the Sully Creek State Park Campground and it was so much better than the ones at TRNP! We had total privacy, a fire pit that you could see the bluff from, trees all around, and the only thing you heard were horses from the horse camp area. I was going to put up my hammock by the firepit but heard the hum of bees in a stump close by so I didn’t do it. This sites has room for 2 tents (one on each side of it). Bathrooms were a short walk and showers were coin-operated and clean. I loved this park!
RangerRoads are paved, some better than others, sites a mix of blacktop and gravel. Water hydrant and vault toilets. Badlands geography and fossils are the main draw. Wasn’t crowded in September and most folks were quiet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Dakota Prairie National Grasslands?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Dakota Prairie National Grasslands is Cottonwood Campground — Theodore Roosevelt National Park with a 4.6-star rating from 66 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Dakota Prairie National Grasslands?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 glamping camping locations near Dakota Prairie National Grasslands, with real photos and reviews from campers.
