Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Killdeer? Finding a place to stay in North Dakota while traveling with your horse is easy. The Dyrt can help you find the perfect equestrian sites that are scenic and easy to access.
Little Missouri State Park is situated along the Little Missouri River, just a short distance west of where it empties into Lake Sakakawea. The park can be accessed by way of Killdeer, 20 miles to the south, or New Town, 45 miles to the northeast. This 4,600-acre park consisting of rugged Badland terrain and river wetlands was established in 1971, however has been increasingly encroached upon by oil drilling operations since 2011. Despite this, there’s still plenty of opportunity to get out and enjoy the scenery on more than 45 miles of hiking and riding trails throughout the park. The park offers 35 drive-in campsites, including primitive tent sites, modern RV sites with electricity, and large group shelter sites. Most sites are in open, grassy areas and are equipped with picnic tables and fire pits. The campground features vault toilets, a shower house, picnic shelters, and a dump station. As a popular equestrian park, there are horse corral, a round pen, and hay is available for purchase. Dogs are permitted in the park, but must remain leashed. Camping is available from May through October. Individual sites are $12–$15/night; group sites are $60–$100/night; reservations accepted. From the campground at Little Missouri State Park, hikers and horseback riders have access to more than 45 miles of trails for exploring the nearby badlands on the adjacent public and private lands. Visitors can download a trail map from the park’s website, or obtain one at the park. Trails are color-coded to show their ratings, from easy to difficult, and interconnected segments allow for short or long hikes and rides. Equestrians are required to remain on designated horse trails, and riders need to obtain horse passes at the park. Visitors should inquire about trail conditions before heading into the badlands area.
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
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
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.
$5 / night
A great meeting area for the north end of the Buffalo Gap Trail. The switchbacks located on the Maah Daah Hey Trail offer a sweeping vista of the region, including a scenic view of many large buttes.
Enjoy the breathtaking view of a scenic canyon from this campground.
For groups with or without horses visiting the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Roundup Horse Campground is a great place to stay. Located 12 miles (19 km) from the entrance to the South Unit of the park, the campground is open from May 1 to October 31.
Hikers and horseback riders can access the estimated 70 miles (113 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.
Hikers and horseback riders can access the estimated 70 miles (113 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.
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.
The town of Medora has shopping, restaurants, amenities and the Medora Musical is located approximately 12 miles to the south. The Little Missouri National Grasslands is the largest National Grassland in the nation at 1.03 million acres. 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.
$40 / night
Boots RV and Cabin Campground is located one mile outside of Historic Medora, ND. We have 16 RV spots with full electrical and water hookups, as well as 3 cabins for daily VRBO/Airbnb rentals. This is the perfect campground if you’re looking for a spacious place to stay with beautiful views of the badlands outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Indulge yourself in Medora’s activities full of history, incredible scenery, inspiring hikes, and camping! We can accommodate RVs up to 60 ft with 30/50 amp, full hookups, pull-throughs and back-ins. WiFi available!
$40 / night
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.
Traveler
Traveled about 35 miles on unpaved road in RAV4 AWD. Campsite was empty, so we had different sites to choose from. We were in a spot with some shade for our tent. Close to clean pit toilet. 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. Site had large picnic table and fire ring. Nice view of landscape and Trailhead nearby. Nearby is Elkhorn Ranch Unit trail leading to Theodore Roosevelt Ranch site. No buildings but interpretive signage.
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
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.
Traveler
Lovely place to stay, clean with trash cans and vault toilets. Unfortunately we had 5 hail storms that night.
ScoutTen years ago the campground was clean, weed free, well maintained and now it is an embarrassment of what it once was. Once having the American flag flying, no more. Once practically weed free, no more. Ten years ago it offered information of the region now that is gone. Stand by the Register and enjoy the Canada Thistle growing at your feet. Walk to Slater pond and work your way through the unkept, weed infested trail of Canada Thistle and Leafy Spurge. What a disappointment in such a short period of time. I can see my money is not well spent.
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.
LegendOnly a handful of spots but they are nicely separated with some privacy. Small maintained trails and really pretty. It is a wet year and everything is very green and yes you need to be prepared for ticks to hike in the tall grass. The trails are well marked and easy to follow. Not sure what more to expect from it.
Guide
This place is a steal for the price they charge! I watched the sun rise over the ND badlands! The Campground was immaculate, the ranger on duty was super helpful, and I had the whole grounds to myself (it was on a Tuesday). 100% reccommend!!
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!
LegendTried to stay inside TRNP next door but learned quickly there weren’t any hookups. This place had some harsh reviews on Campendium app however we found it delightful. The biggest woe here is that the sites are extremely tight. Our site was a pull in from one road, and the neighbors sites was a pull in from the parallel road, leaving us to share space - literally two picnic tables next to one another. Other than that though, gorgeous scenery well maintained sidewalks that you can hike or bike right into town. A public dog park at the end of the street. And our section was brand new. The electric poles were new. The sewer hookup at our site seemed a bit big but we have an adapter. Overall would highly recommend if in Medora!
GuideFriendly staff, clean bathrooms and laundry. Hot shower. Power and water. The sites are tight.
LegendScenery can’t be beat. Trail makes for awesome hiking and biking. Sites are huge. If you want shade cedar campground unit is better than whitetail although can get shade on some whitetail units. Quiet when we were there.
RangerLarge campground with plenty of open spots when we got there. Nice showers and bathrooms, saw two while looking for our spot. Even can fill up your propane if needed. Cute like yurt like tents shaped like covered wagons. Free WiFi. $30 for tent spot.
GuideThis is fine for a couple night's stay passing through. For the price ($60 per night) it seems like it should be better. Feels run down (except for the really nice office building), but is a large RV park that's packed. Kind of cool area close to a lot of things - probably hence the price.
RangerWe would’ve stayed longer if the park ranger wasn’t so cranky. We called the states 800# and was on hold 30 minutes. In the meantime, I was trying to make reservations online. It was very confusing despite the nice camp hosts trying to help. A line was forming behind us and we had driven all day. We just wanted a place to land. Based on the host’s recommendation, we finally booked a site in the back under a large shade tree by the river. Apparently, this section is for horse people. The park ranger pulled up and yelled at us b/c we didn’t have a horse. I tried to soothe him and explain the situation. He grudgingly let us stay for the night and proceeded to collect another $7 for our vehicle. After park fee $25 + reservations fee $6 + vehicle fee $7 we paid $37 for electric hook up only and a crabby lecture. Thanks but no thanks -moving on.
LegendThis campground has about 1000 spots - and is pretty quiet given how many folks you're right next to! It's pricey, showers look nice and clean, bath house building is pretty new. Nice playground. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Sites are pretty close together, but not on top of each other. Beautiful setting right next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Near a neat town with lots of old west themed sites and activities. Most of the town and park are owned by the Medora Foundation. Looks like you can rent a cabin or a Calistoga Wagon to sleep in also. $60/nt for full hook ups.
GuideWe were headed to the north unit of TRNP and found this nice campground. Small and private, only one other group there who were visiting with their horses. They said they had good trails, but we didn’t have much time to explore. Beautiful views and very peaceful. Only downfall was the long drive on the rough/ unpaved roads. My Toyota Corolla isn’t the best “off roading” car, but we got there safely. Definitely would visit again!!! Paid $10 cash for the evening.
GuideWe really enjoyed this campground. We had a back-in site that had a little bit of shade. There are 30/50 amp electricity, but no water/sewer. There is a dump station with potable water when you first pull in. The sites are really spread out and it was very quiet at night. There is a river adjacent to the campground and the Maah Daah Hey trail runs through the campground. The town of Medora is a 5 minute drive, but there isn't too much there. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a 5 minute drive as well and the main reason to come to this area.
GuideImmediate access and walking distance to Theodore Roosevelt NP. Big open sites. Spacious. Camp store available. Had full hookups. Pretty views. We stayed early October so the buildings were closed. But we had full hookups.
GuideWe camped here two nights to visit the park. It was awful. Too close together. Couldn’t even relax outside. I have to say it was the worst campground of our two month trip. Wished we would have stayed at Cottonwood. You can use the showers here. The town itself was mostly closed up, tacky gift shops. Blah. The National park was wonderful. Do not stay here.
Horse camping in North Dakota offers a unique experience for equestrian enthusiasts, with several campgrounds providing excellent amenities and access to scenic trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Killdeer, ND?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Killdeer, ND is Little Missouri State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Killdeer, ND?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Killdeer, ND, with real photos and reviews from campers.
