6 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Tent camping near Dickinson, North Dakota spans primitive and semi-developed campsites spread across the surrounding grasslands and badlands terrain. BLM Schnell Recreation Area near Richardton offers tent sites with basic amenities, while Burning Coal Vein Campground near Amidon provides a more remote tent camping experience in the Little Missouri National Grassland. Both locations accommodate tent campers year-round with varying levels of facilities and natural settings.
Most tent sites in the Dickinson area feature basic amenities with picnic tables and fire rings, though facilities vary significantly between locations. Schnell Recreation Area provides drinking water and vault toilets, but recent reviews indicate maintenance issues with trails and facilities. Burning Coal Vein Campground offers more reliable facilities with drinking water from a manual pump, vault toilets, and well-spaced campsites for $10 per night, payable by cash in an envelope system. Many of these primitive tent campgrounds require visitors to pack in their own water, as pumps may be unreliable or produce discolored water that campers prefer not to drink.
The tent camping near Dickinson offers remarkable prairie landscapes and badlands views with varying degrees of privacy. Tent sites at Burning Coal Vein are particularly well-regarded for their spacing and location in a protected valley with good shade. These primitive campgrounds connect to hiking trails including the Maah Da Hey Trail and routes to scenic buttes and overlooks. West River Road dispersed camping areas provide more isolated tent camping options but may require high-clearance vehicles and careful navigation. A visitor commented that "the sites are in a protected shallow valley with good shade and are fairly private, with great access to the Columnar Junipers hike and bluffs for beautiful overlooks of this part of the Little Missouri National Grassland."
"Nice picnic table, fire ring, and grill. Pit toilets that look nice from afar. I didn't use them. Beautiful sunset with lots of birds and cow bellering in the distance."
"Lovely place to stay, clean with trash cans and vault toilets. Unfortunately we had 5 hail storms that night."
from $5 / night
Check Availability"No hookups - one vault toilet - picnic tables and fire rings at each site. Boondocking only. National Forest land - part of the Little Missouri River Grasslands. Hiking from park."
"The sites looked to be spaced out fairly well, many of them had a picnic table, there is a bathroom on site and also a water pump that did not seem accessible by vehicle, so I doubt you could fill an rv"
"We were in a spot with some shade for our tent. Close to clean pit toilet."
"There are some nice long hiking trails, bison and other prairie critters. This is wide open country with no real facilities (no trash either). Yay: simple camping and lovely scenery, wildlife."
"This site has a water pump, fire rings, and tables. In the day time the temperature gets really hot and the restroom has a smell come out. This site was very big and could hols a couple tents."
TravelerNo hookups - one vault toilet - picnic tables and fire rings at each site. Boondocking only. National Forest land - part of the Little Missouri River Grasslands. Hiking from park. Outstanding views - BIG lots - peaceful. Love it!
LegendGeneral: Small (37-site) forest service campground in two loops near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. No hookups or cell service (despite proximity to the highway). We arrived on a Thursday afternoon in late August with no reservation and had no problem securing a site, although it filled almost to capacity by evening.
Site Quality: Many are in direct sun, but we found one that had some afternoon shade. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. All camper pads are paved.
Bath/Shower house: There were six vault toilets (two by the entrance and two in each loop) that had sinks but no soap; they were reasonably clean. Two showers were in the other loop from where we stayed, and we did not use them.
Activities: There is access to the Buffalo Gap Trail, but we did not hike it as this was an overnight stop for us and quite hot. It is not far from the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
It was hot when we were there (high 80s) so we just kind of collapsed upon arrival and took off the next day. The good news is you are close to the highway, but you will hear some road noise. $20 or$10 with the senior pass makes it a good deal. Cash or check if you cannot register online (no service with Verizon).
LegendAll the sites were the same but I got to stay at site 15. The site is huge and is made for group camping not solo. There's a picnic table and fire ring. The park cost about 20 dollars to get into. There are restrooms that are pretty well maintained but had no showers. I went on a hot day so they prohibited fires for that day to prevent wildfires. There are a lot of animals and you may notice small animal droppings on the campground. The droppings are dried out so it doesn't have a strong odor. They don't let you collect firewood to prevent damaging the wildlife so I recommend bringing your own supply of wood. There are a lot of trails in this park. I took the Wind Canyon trail which offered the view of the Missouri river. There is also a lot of prairie dogs and buffalo. You are exposed to the sun and there are no trees for shade. This is also the same for the campsite. It is really hot. The visitor center is really friendly and they suggest places in the park you should visit.
LegendThis campground in Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora ND has 76 sites. Half of the sites, the even-numbered ones, are not reservable. Sites 55-66 are walk in tent sites; parking spots and grills for these sites are numbered so you have a specific site.
We arrived before 10:30 am on a Sunday and sites were being claimed quickly. There were 7 of us choosing sites at that time. The hosts had a whiteboard that listed available sites; we took a photo of the list and chose quickly as we drove around because sites that were listed as available were already being claimed. We ended up on a reservable site that was open for the next several nights. The host couple was really on the ball and their attention helped keep the site selection process orderly. After you put your tag up, they fold it over later in the day and mark your departure date. This is a practice that is used in many campgrounds.
Cottonwood has been full every day since Memorial Day so you can't show up in the evening or possibly even mid-afternoon and expect to find an open site.
This campground has no hookups but has flush toilets, sinks, potable water spigots, a sink for washing dishes/disposing of grey water, a place for filling water tanks, trash disposal and firewood for sale. There are charcoal grates for cooking that can also be use for campfires, but there are no fire rings; your campfire will be a few feet off the ground in something that I think of as a grill!
Showers? No, but there area couple campgrounds in Medora that have showers for $5.
If you stay here, you're obviously here to see Theodore Roosevelt NP. Both the campground and park are worth a visit. The scenery is incredible and gave us a new view of North Dakota. There is a hike near Pleasant Valley Ranch where you can use a few trails to make a 5+ mile loop that will show you everything the park has to offer - Little Missouri River (and you have to cross it at the beginning and end), prairie dog towns, bison herds and beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this as a way to see the park from a better vantage point than the highway.
One complaint - the position of our site (#19) had some people think it was acceptable to cut through our site on their way to the bathroom. Do you walk through someone's home to shorten your walk? Didn't think so but 3 people did within 30 minutes.
RangerThe campsites are perfectly fine. The park is stunning.
Leave no trace.
LegendThis is a nice camping spot. Close to interstate. Which you can hear. Heard a train go by a few times. Lake gets a few fisherman throughout the day. Only 4 spots which filled up before dark. No water or dump. Campsites are right on edge of lake.
LegendWe had an amazing spot on top of hill. Could see for miles. Saw nice mule deer buck. Lots of camping spots. Empty during the day gets close to full an hour or so before dark. 10 min from National park entrance. No water or dump. Can be very windy. Very close to petrified forest.
GuideWe stayed in a tent with electricity. The tent site was on the back stretch with the badlands as a backdrop. There was not a fire ring at the campsite but we didn’t feel like we were missing anything. Our site was extremely small wIth no room for our camp chairs. Alao, there was some inconsistency in sizes of the tent area sites. Bathrooms were clean. Showers were alright, they could use some work on the ventilation.
TravelerCampground was clean and well maintained, camp hosts were friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Easy access, nice parking pads, have picnic tables and fire rings at each camp site. Offers RV dump and potable water in campground. Does not have hook ups and have limited times to run a generator. Great option close to Medora (7 miles) without the hustle and bustle of town. Very beautiful views of the badlands. Easy access to trails for hiking and biking.
Tent camping opportunities near Dickinson, North Dakota extend across the badlands and grasslands terrain with multiple primitive campgrounds offering basic facilities. Campers should be prepared for variable weather conditions, including summer thunderstorms and strong winds. Water availability is inconsistent at most sites, with many hand pumps producing discolored water that requires filtering or supplementation with brought supplies.
Hiking trails access: Several campgrounds connect to notable hiking paths. At Elkhorn Campground, campers can access the Elkhorn Ranch Unit trail leading to Theodore Roosevelt's historic ranch site. According to Jim M., "Nearby is Elkhorn Ranch Unit trail leading to Theodore Roosevelt Ranch site. No buildings but interpretive signage."
Wildlife viewing: The prairie landscape hosts diverse wildlife including bison and wild horses. Near West River Rd Medora ND Dispersed camping area, visitors have spotted free-roaming horses. Maddy T. reports being "awoken to the mooing of cows bright and early," while another camper noted "a large beautiful herd of feral horses bedding down with their little ones here in the evening."
Photography opportunities: The badlands terrain creates unique lighting conditions for photography. At Bennett campground, Lynn G. describes "thunderstorms rolling over the prairie is something you'll never forget!" The wide-open spaces and dramatic weather patterns provide distinctive photographic conditions throughout the seasons.
Well-spaced campsites: Many campers appreciate the privacy at Burning Coal Vein Campground. Cora H. describes it as a "nice, cheap, quiet and well spaced campground," while Erin G. notes "the sites looked to be spaced out fairly well, many of them had a picnic table."
Quiet, uncrowded atmosphere: The remote locations create peaceful camping experiences. At BLM Schnell Recreation Area, Teresa T. found "only a handful of spots but they are nicely separated with some privacy," adding that "small maintained trails and really pretty" surroundings enhance the camping experience.
Natural landscape variety: The best tent camping near Dickinson, North Dakota showcases diverse prairie ecosystems. Brenda R. calls Burning Coal Vein "a fun little place to camp" with "fun little hike to the Butte, or hop on the Maah Da Hey Trail and hike for miles." The combination of buttes, grasslands, and valleys creates varied terrain for exploration.
Water concerns: Most campgrounds have unreliable or questionable water sources. Jim M. at Elkhorn Campground reported "Hand pump was hard to pump which produced light brown water which wasn't something we wanted to drink, so bring in your own water." Similarly, at Burning Coal Vein Campground, Erin G. noted "a water pump that did not seem accessible by vehicle, so I doubt you could fill an rv with it."
Road conditions: Access roads to many sites require careful navigation. Regarding West River Rd dispersed camping, Maddy T. warned "when I pulled into what I thought would be a spot, the road was deserving a 4WD." Even established campgrounds may have challenging access, as Erin G. observed at Burning Coal Vein: "The short road in was in need of a bit of repair... just a bit of a rut from people getting stuck in mud. Rather narrow as well."
Insect preparation: Ticks are prevalent, particularly in spring and early summer. At Schnell Recreation Area, Moonyen S. reported "There were a lot of TICKS! But I found the few that were on me before they latched. My friend had at least twenty on her." Teresa T. confirmed that "you need to be prepared for ticks to hike in the tall grass."
Simpler sites for beginners: Some campgrounds offer more user-friendly experiences for families with children. Rhonda M. describes Burning Coal Vein as having "No hookups - one vault toilet - picnic tables and fire rings at each site. Boondocking only... Outstanding views - BIG lots - peaceful."
Weather preparation: Sudden storms are common in this region, requiring family campers to prepare accordingly. Bill P. at Schnell Recreation Area experienced "5 hail storms" in a single night, despite it being a "lovely place to stay, clean with trash cans and vault toilets."
Educational opportunities: Several sites offer learning experiences about local ecosystems and history. At Bennett, Lynn G. notes "This is wide open country with no real facilities" but highlights opportunities to see "bison and other prairie critters" making it ideal for nature education.
Water limitations: RVers should plan to bring adequate water supplies. Steve D. at Elkhorn Campground summarizes the situation as "No power, no dumps, hand pump for water," making self-sufficiency essential for campers in larger vehicles.
Payment systems: Most campgrounds use honor-system payment methods. Brittany explains the process at Elkhorn: "$6 cash or check, put the money in the envelope and drop it in the box, clip the tag to your site #." Similarly, at Burning Coal Vein, Erin G. noted "The sign seemed to say $10 a night, pay with cash in an envelope."
Site access concerns: Many camping areas have limitations for larger vehicles. At Burning Coal Vein, Erin G. observed the access road was "Rather narrow as well, could definitely only accommodate one way traffic as a time," something RV drivers should consider before attempting entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Dickinson, ND?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Dickinson, ND is BLM Schnell Recreation Area with a 3.6-star rating from 5 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Dickinson, ND, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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