Best Campgrounds near Sentinel Butte, ND

Close to Teddy Roosevelt National Park! The grounds are nice and the office has a small store with some souvenirs and camp essentials. Bathrooms were clean and the campground was overall pretty quiet. We don’t have the biggest camper, but it was big rig friendly for sure. Highly recommend the nearby pitchfork steak fondue place for dinner! I believe that you can rent covered wagons here to sleep in as well if you are looking for a truly unique and western experience. Maybe not authentic to the Oregon trail days since you will have a real house door, but still super neat that they offer this! Campground close enough I was able to walk into the national park one morning. I would compare this place to like a KOA or something of that sort. It has more of that RV park kind of feel to it. You can see in the last photo the empty site next to mine with another small camper on the other side of that. The photo of the map can also give you an idea of how packed the sites are. If you are looking for some space and privacy, look into other options. If you are looking for convenience to the national park, stay here!

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.

General: 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).

We checked in today and were met by rude registration staff followed by a deranged woman employee who screamed commands laced with sarcasm and condescension as I tried to back the camper into our site. When I tried to politely explain that I had backed the camper successfully for years, she suggested I go camp somewhere else. We did leave and landed happily at a much nicer and kinder campground that wasnt covered in fleas. They also made it quite clear that there would be no refund. We visited North Park Campground, no overnight stay.

Interesting pond spot. There are three roads from Camel Hump Rd that go into lake area loops. Chose the second right turn 1st, so you can scope out the areas down the first and third roads from across the pond, because those are tight and if someone is already there then theres no use driving down. Theres about two private spots down the 1st and 3rd right turns. The second turn though has tables and is more open and recreational for swimming and fishing. The best spot at 2nd right turn (middle of pond) is first loop on left with table and pit. It has a clear swim spot. Its a bit deep there but nice. No toilet or water but nice area to chill on a hot day.

This campground is perfectly located for visiting the TRNP, Painted Canyon and the town of Medora has nice offerings for entertainment and western history and way of life. The campground is decent with a small store, nice laundry machines and the restrooms are decent and clean but could use a little sprucing up.

We did not personally camp here but we cruised through on a motorcycle. 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 with it. The sign seemed to say $10 a night, pay with cash in an envelope. We passed a forest ranger coming out to check on the campground while we were there. The short road in was in need of a bit of repair, but most vehicles could get through it, just a bit of a rut from people getting stuck in mud. Rather narrow as well, could definitely only accommodate one way traffic as a time.

The 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.

This was an excellent spot for jeeps/off road vehicles. Very private, lots of fun if you have dirt bikes or four wheelers with you to explore. It’s just off the road so we heard cars going by every once in awhile, but for the most part had the area to ourselves. Only bugs were grasshoppers. Pit toilet was clean and unlocked. There was a map of the entire park as well. Probably one of my favorite spots

Overall a nice campsite. Many sites for tents, some for campers and trailers. Each had a picnic table and a fire ring. Pretty loud road noise from the highway but a good spot to stop for a night.