Best Equestrian Camping near Sentinel Butte, ND

This site was massive and would've had room for 5 or 6 tents (not sure on limits though).

It was right next to an equestrian area, so some horses being trained and whinnying just next door.

No cell service (AT&T at least) but quick proximity to Medora and Teddy Roosevely National Park!

The road coming in has some pretty steep hills. Our site was good for hammocks. Nice that the horse area was separated from the non-horse area. The showers appear to be coin-op but were free when we were there.

A perfect campground for equestrian campers or those visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Just 3-4 miles from Medora ND and park entrance. Open views, good trails, great birding. The sites have electric, accessible water and dump site. Showers snd vault toilets kept very clean.

Campgrounds in Teddy were closed due to Covid so had to find an alternative. This did the trick nicely. Much of the campground seems geared toward the horse crowd, but the small non horse tent loop was nicely set in a wooded area by a creek. Neat views of the bluffs all around.

Gorgeous park. Very small with limited camping spots. The Little Missouri River is right here and the trailheads for the Maah Daah Hey Trail and Maah Daah Hey II (The Deuce) are in this tiny park as well. Great views of the surrounding badlands, exceptional horse and hiking trails. A variety of amenities are offered incuding some electrical, water, pay showers and vaulted toilets and horse corrals. No paved roads. Very close to Medora.

Nice little spot only ten minutes from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Lots of RV traffic which comes with lots of generator noise.

Pit toilets, and a shower house that gives you eight minutes for $1. Sites are reservable and cost $12 a night but there is a day use fee of $7 that is not included in the site fee. $19 a night unless you have a ND state parks pass. Tent sites have lots of shade and the RV and equestrian areas are pretty exposed.

I 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!

Came in as the sun began to set and it had great views driving into Medora. Half of the sites are equestrian half standard rv with power only, remaining few are tent style that are off a little from the rest. Great space between sites. Showers require quarters :) Bathrooms are a little more rustic and only a male and female. No flushing here, just a compost vault. Water is between sites to fill up and take back to your site. I'd come here again for sure. Very quiet.

Perfect for the horse enthusiast, with corrals available for every site. It was full the day I got there, but stayed for breakfast before the check ins started (I asked first). Right on the MDH Trail, for us MTB peeps.

We stayed at this campground. We tented and found a great place in the Horse stable area. Normally this is not allowed but they were full and we arrived very late. they were nice and let us stay there. bathrooms were nice and clean. Water was good.

Primitive campsites were secluded and surrounded by the trees. The trees were needed as there was a ton of wind that day. We were close to some of the horse corrals which was an added bonus as we don’t typically see that sort of things. Clean toilet/shower facilities.

We 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.

I think I have found my favorite campground. Has 3 section one I think is for larger campers though there are only about 10 sites. Another is for horses and has corrals with the sites. The one I stayed in is for smaller campers. Quiet and primative with others that wanted to get back to nature. Not one single generator!! Sites are shaded and private.

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.

We 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.

A wonderful little USFS campground about 10 miles south of Medora and the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The road turns to dirt/gravel just after leaving town, but is smooth and well maintained for the oil/gas companies. The campgrounds in the NP were full so we were worried people would spill out into this spot, but there was nobody here when we got in on a Sunday morning in early June, and only a handful of other campers came and went during our weeklong stay. Road nearby is very quite, with only the occasional oil/gas work truck basically. The trailhead had a few people in and out. Almost every site has a good view of the surrounding colorful North Dakota badlands, but the sites on top of the hill (5-10) have a better vantage point. Overall a great peaceful spot to detox, relax, and serve as a basecamp for the south unit of Teddy Roosevelt. Definitely adding this to our go to places when visiting TRNP or even just passing through NoDak.

Facilities: Pair of vault toilets near the check-in kiosk, clean and well stocked; spur to access the Maah Dah Hey trail from the campground; campground is fully fenced with cattle guard at entrance to keep out larger animals

Cell Service: Surprisingly great for both Verizon and T-mobile, more than enough to work with

Starlink: While we didn't need to use it, every site has a good open view of the sky

Solar: Every site has a good open view of the sky to rake in the rays

Great campsites.  Stayed in the non-electric sites (Cedar Campground) that are among the trees.  Secluded, well spaced apart from other sites.  Perfect view of the mountains.    Note-Electric sites (Whitetail Flats) are all out in a large open field.   Also, the back group of sites were all reserved for horse camping.  Easy 10 minute drive to TRNP for great hiking.  Also had local trails right at the campground.  In between Sully Creek and Little Missouri River, so kayaking/canoeing/fishing all right there.   Showers and toilets were always clean.  Rangers and on-site host were friendly and helpful.  I will go again.

I didn’t have a spot in the National Park so this was next. The park is right on the horse and hiking trail so I thought we could take advantage. 

The sign in was confusing. Be sure to stop at the ranger station before entering the campground. The ranger set me up with a site that was out in the open. There are some shaded sites but they fill up. Another camper told me that many didn’t show up because of the rain storms. 

There is plenty of space between sites even if it’s in the open. Water is available throughout the campground. Vault toilets are in three spots but it’s quite a long walk to get to them. There is a shower house near the front. I didn’t expect to pay for showers but the site is only $12 so another $1 is fine. 

This was an ok spot for us. I would try some of the other primitive campgrounds next time. We loved being close the the NP and the town of Medora.

I was so disappointed with our site. We came to kayak and camp because the reviews were so high and we are going to be exploring the national park and town of Medora. We had to pay an addition 21$ upon arrival for a vehicle fee. That, combined with our 56$ space fee equaled about 25$ a night for 3 nights. Which is a great deal for the area. Warning... the river is about 2 inches deep in the summer. Apparently that is the norm and I did not do my homework as well as I thought I had. It does say on the website that the river is high in early spring. Getting to our site, 22, it was too small for our large tent and carpeted in cottonwood which is not the fault of the camp rangers but allowing so much poison ivy in a space is. Everyone says this is great for horse camping, but if you are tent camping in summer with young kiddos, I would highly reconsider. Also be aware that there are not many hotels below 180$ a night for a single available in the town of Medora, and if you are looking for an alternative to camping the best options are 40 minutes away in Dickinson. Another little tidbit is that even though we are pretty high in the continental US, it is still in the 90s during summer. So, not too much at fault of the camp but definitely not the best summer camping experience I have had.

This was a real gem.  Very close to the entrance to Teddy Roosevelt NP, it was perfect for our camper.  Big rigs would be fine there, but I did not see any drive through sites.

First we were amazed that it was open when nearly all state, local, and federal campgrounds were closed. Next we were impressed by the quality of the sites: clean, mowed, fire pits, nice picnic tables, paved road (and I think the slabs were paved?), but the OMG was the individual shower rooms with radiant heat that was motion activated.

There are no hookups, despite what other sites may claim.  But hydrants were plentiful and the clean flush toilets and hot free showers made this a perfect place for you if you don't need to be hooked up to water and power.  It was only $6 a night and that was not a discount, that was full price!!!

The interstate was just over the ridge, out of site but you knew it was there.  This is I-90 in Western ND, so traffic noise was not an issue at all.  The first night I was woke by a plane flying overhead, so you know that the Interstate was truly not an issue at all.

Actually, being close to the interstate meant being close to the park, which is fabulous.  We loved the Grand Canyon a few years ago, but meaning no disrespect, this was a far more enjoyable experience.  You have the color, the rugged creation, but you are going in it, and through it, and on top of it.  Buffalo, prairie dogs, Big Horn Sheep, 
wild horses, deer, eagles, warblers, jack rabbits, antelope, and that is just what we saw in a day and a half!

As 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.