Best Tent Camping near Killdeer, ND

Tent Camping Reviews near Killdeer, ND

349 Reviews of 6 Killdeer Campgrounds

• 

  phillip L.

  Legend

  Jul. 27, 2016

  Cottonwood Campground — Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  so much Buffalo

  All 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.

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• 

  Mary S.

  Legend

  Aug. 7, 2018

  Cottonwood Campground — Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  Peaceful camping in Theodore Roosevelt NP

  This 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.

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• 

  Abby M.

  Legend

  May. 17, 2021

  Sully Creek State Park — Sully Creek State Recreation Area

  Stayed 1 night

  Place had everything I needed, including a shower. Website states they are coin showers but mine was free so unsure if they just updated to free showers. Primitive sites are $17/night but you also have to pay the $7 state park fee. All sites had a fire ring and picnic table and had distance between neighbors. Trash available, nice vault toilets and a dump station. No ATT service but would definitely stay again on a weekend. About 80% full on a Saturday night mid may. Only 5 minutes to get to medora and the national park.

• 

  Morgan Y.

  Ranger

  Nov. 6, 2020

  Cottonwood Campground — Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  It's all about the park

  The campsites are perfectly fine. The park is stunning. 

  Leave no trace.

• E

  Eric G.

  Legend

  Jul. 15, 2022

  Dispersed Site - Grassland Boondocking

  Awesome spot beautiful views close to park

  We 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.

• 

  Stephanie B.

  Guide

  Jul. 13, 2018

  Medora Campground

  Good Campground

  We 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.

• 

  Stephanie Z.

  Legend

  Aug. 18, 2016

  Cottonwood Campground — Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  Nice NP Campground Convenient to I-94

  I visited this campground for 1 night while driving across North Dakota. It's super easy to access from I-94, but you feel like you're a million miles away from the interstate. Arriving at the Teddy Roosevelt NP main entrance late in the day, the booth was closed and the "Campground Full" sign was up. I decided to check for myself and I'm glad I did. They sometimes put the campground full site up when the ranger leaves for the night- always check for yourself.

  The campsites were basic- picnic table, fire ring, and close proximity to some basic bathrooms. My site was grassy and easy for a tent. The campground didn't allow hammocks or anything attached to trees. The rangers were very friendly and actively patroling the campground. There were NP events at the campground each night.

  The cost for a site was $16 (and 20$ to enter the park if you don't have a pass). You cannot get change from the ranger and you cannot use a credit card to register. The closest place to get change, firewood, gas, etc. is Medora which is about 7 miles away. The convenience store there has anything you might want.

  There are lots of great hikes accessible in the park, but the park is not crowded like other National Parks, so be sure to get a trail map and directions for hiking as all trails are not well marked.

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• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Jul. 25, 2019

  Cottonwood Campground — Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  Convenient base to explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  Two loops; the north loop is open year-round. The south loop is open mid-May through September. There are also walk-in sites and a group site, off the south loop. The campground fills up almost every day in the summer, even during the week. Odd-numbered sites are reservable while even number sites are first-come, first-served. We were not able to get into the site we had reserved (a nice pull-through with views of the bluffs and the river) because the people staying there the night before were having difficulty with their RV and not able to move it. We had been re-assigned to Site 38, a much larger site, but among the trees with no view. We were bummed but had no choice as the campground was full. We thought we might try to move the next day, but it turns out friends were able to join us, so our large site ended up being to our advantage. The pull-through in Site 38 was so large that it could have easily accommodated three large Class A motorhomes with room to spare! Large picnic table that was pushed up against the trees; we discovered the next afternoon that it was to take advantage of as much shade as possible. No fire ring; campfires are permitted in charcoal bbq grates or fully contained fire pans. Wood was not available to purchase at the campground; you must go to Medora(about five miles away) to purchase or you can collect dead and down firewood. Bathroom was clean enough with flush toilets but NO SOAP! No showers but we didn’t expect them in a National Park campground. Several very short trails in the park but the most popular Petrified Forest Trail is accessible from outside the park. Saw bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn antelope, wild horses.

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• B

  Bryan P.

  Guide

  Aug. 2, 2023

  Cottonwood Campground — Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  Choose carefully

  Choose 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.

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