Best Tent Camping near Watford City, ND

We were lucky as we camped here in late August 2018, the week prior they had record highs of 109! We had our choice of tent sites, and were right on lake front. Facilities were acceptable. Lots of bugs and flies, but we managed!

Beautiful, well maintained campground. Lots of different site to include pull thru, back in, walk in tent sites and a group site. New bathroom on site. Walking distance to the cannonball creations. There is also a dump station here unlike Cottonwood Camp in the South unit.

This is one of our favorite places to camp because fishing is awesome out there. Usually a pretty busy place, so if you are looking for seclusion you won’t find it here. We tent camp so we aren’t as packed as the rvs but still a great place to be & fish for all the species that the lake has to offer

It's more RV and equestrian focused but you can tent camp as well. Large grassy areas to set up camp. Fire pits, showers, bathrooms. Seems popular as well. Making reservations would be a good idea. I stayed at spot 31. It's at the end of the road that goes downhill. There are lots of flies because it has horse corrals and the mosquitos are vicious. They may be different at other spots. Nice spot for views and hiking. I would come back here.

Nice campground, with restrooms/showers, playground, amphitheater, picnic tables. Pull through sites, tents sites, cabins. Close access to Lake Sakakawea, within walking distance.

First time we ever boondocked in our 5th wheel. This place is nice & peaceful, well except for the 2 steer that went through our site lol.

Trey have one modern restroom, no showers. Excellent basecamp for the north unit. Plenty of wildlife & scenery to find.

When this place was built, they never envisioned large rigs. So if you have one over 30 feet, just be aware you might have to wiggle your way into a site. Camphost was great. Watford City about 20 minutes away for groceries & gas.

The National Park North Unit and Campground(CG) is easy to find off US-85. We showed our Access Passes to get into the park and then proceeded to mile marker 5, where the CG is located. We pulled up to the information and sign-in board for this first come, first serve CG at about 11:30 AM Mountain Time(interesting that when we got to the north unit area, our phones went back to central time, and after a quick Google search, we found out that the north unit runs on central time). A gentleman let us know that he had just pulled in and grabbed a campsite near the entrance/exit and that we’d probably only fit in site 8(this CG is all dry camping) as the perimeter campsites, both back-ins and pull-throughs, were too short for us. The other longer sites were already taken. We proceeded to pull through site 8, which is a long, quarter moon-shaped asphalt site. We maneuvered around to stay away from tree branches and stay on the pad. The picnic table and stand-up barbecue were on the driver’s side, but since the sites are nicely spaced out, this was not a problem. We then filled out our registration envelope, placed $14 cash(Access Pass discount) in the folder, put the tab on our post, and deposited the envelope in the registration area. We could have also written a check or used a credit card to pay. We got on and off 1 bar on Verizon. We did have a good shot north for Starlink. They have a vaulted toilet and flush toilet building along with potable water at the dump station. There are about a half dozen sites for longer rigs, such as 32, 42, and 43, 49, with 5 being the best site. We had our two dogs with us, and there was plenty of room to walk them around the CG. There was plenty of bison poop in the CG, but we didn't see any during our two-night stay. Watford City is 17 miles north and has your major amenities. We enjoyed using this CG as a base to explore the North Unit.

Lewis and Clark didn’t seem like much, but as soon as we got settled in the Park rangers checked on us. They did patrols all the time around and were super friendly! We had one storm while we were there and they gave us the emergency plan as fast as they could. Most campgrounds could care less, they assume you know the deal. I commend the staff at this place, it’s what true North Dakota’s do for each other.

We also had plenty of space in our campsites and the area is super clean. The trails and the beach were quite exciting as the nights that were clear had the Aurora borealis in the background. So beautiful.

We stayed at this park because the Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park North Unit campgrounds were closed for renovations. I mistakenly thought this park was close to the park, but it is actually a 90 minute drive. We had a reservation for 2 nights but only stayed one and moved to the CCC Campground to be closer to the park. The only real sites with a view are those that back-up to the Little Missouri River. All others are just looking at a prairie. This is also primarily a campground for horse people, which we are not. You do need to pay the additional North Dakota State Park fee if camping here.

I have already posted my review for the Theodore Roosevelt South campground - Cottonwood. I won't repeat myself too much. Believe it or not, but I would put the North unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park even ahead of Yosemite.

The trees and the canopy in the Juniper campground is really cool. Especially against the terrain that surrounds it. The campground is low on amenities but high on scenery, and it is very clean.

The hiking in the North unit is amazing. There is so much wildlife. Never have I been so close to so many animals in the wild. I saw a lot of wildlife in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, but not as much as I did here.

I never thought I would ever want to visit North Dakota. Honestly, I cant wait to go back. This place will blow your expectations, especially if you take an adventure on a hike or two. In the North unit, I highly suggest stopping at the River Bend Overlook and hiking down to the CCC shelter for some amazing views. Then drive to the end of the road and take a quick hike to Sperati Point.

This campground sits on the riverbank of the Little Missouri River. There is a resident bison herd that is very comfortable in the area. We woke up one morning to see one grazing 20 feet from our tent. No showers but makes up for it by having space available for a drop in on the 4 th of July weekend! Warning: mature cottonwood trees can drop a branch without warning. The unit next to us had a large limb come down on a windless night. Luckily it was a pull through and dropped on the opposite side of the tree from the tent trailer. Try for a unit with small cottonwood trees!

The campground was very nice, tent and rv sites available. The campground host, Bill, was very nice and informative. The bathrooms had clean toilets, and drinking water was also available.

The site was really small. It was slightly crowded being only me and my husband. The site could fit two tents but we would occasionally bump into each other. The site is really clean and is surrounded by grass. During the drive you can see buffalo on the side eating.

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.

Really beautiful site here with lots of easy and moderate trails to explore with lovely sunrise/sunset and wildlife! Similar feel to Badlands with some fewer crowds. You can’t choose a bad place to camp but be sure to drive through both the north and south areas. Pretty simple campground. Plan to stay at least two nights.

Yay: some of the sites are first come/first serve so if you don’t have a reservation you might get a spot (yay spontaneous adventures). Lots of different campsite configurations so you don’t have to be next to an RV in your tent.

Nay: pretty much guaranteed to fill up on summer/holiday weekends, trails were muddy when we were there in July.

Surprise: BISON EVERYWHERE!! If you have kids don’t let them wander around, the bison are close and plentiful!!

Really beautiful site here with lots of easy and moderate trails to explore with lovely sunrise/sunset and wildlife! Similar feel to Badlands with some fewer crowds. You can’t choose a bad place to camp but be sure to drive through both the north and south areas. Pretty simple campground. Plan to stay at least two nights.

Yay: some of the sites are first come/first serve so if you don’t have a reservation you might get a spot (yay spontaneous adventures). Lots of different campsite configurations so you don’t have to be next to an RV in your tent.

Nay: pretty much guaranteed to fill up on summer/holiday weekends, trails were muddy when we were there in July.

Surprise: BISON EVERYWHERE!! If you have kids don’t let them wander around, the bison are close and plentiful!!

I spent three nights at the juniper campground and explored the north unit of the park. The scenic drive is amazing and saw lots of bison. The campground is quiet and well maintained. There is water available and a free rv dump. The bathrooms were super clean and the camp host was friendly.

Very minimal shade and very hot in June but it’s definitely a good spot to stay. The spots aren’t that close to one another I’ve definitely had worse. It’s right at the beginning of the north side of Theodore Roosevelt and a good stop to stay at while visiting the park. We even saw a couple Buffalo in the campground! Big horn cows also come and visit often.

Spread our shaded spots close to the river front and away from regular traffic. First come first serve camping Things to know: No showers Seasonal host No hooks ups

Spread our shaded spots close to the river front and away from regular traffic. First come first serve camping. Fully functional flush toilet bathrooms. 

Things to know: No showers Seasonal host No hooks ups

50 total spots

https://www.nps.gov/thro/planyourvisit/juniper-campground.htm

We had a nice campsite and enjoyed our visit. Boathouse was well maintained. Enjoyed the views and the visit of a Buffalo one evening (he was close, but not too close).

This is a delightful place surrounded by wildlife. I was able to get really close to buffalo (safely from the truck). This campground is on the north side of the Little Missouri River across from the CCC Campground which I actually preferred even though it was more primitive. The sites here are denser, and it is more populated, but there were still a lot of sites available when I was there on 7/5. . There are no hookups. There are bathrooms and running water available and a sanitary dump….an advantage over the CCC. It looks like the recently built new bathrooms which are grade A. It is convenient to auto touring and hiking trails.  I am on a walk about to visit all the national parks and TRNP is one of my favorites so far.

We felt so fortunate to procure a site at this first come, first serve campground. Well-situated sites with gorgeous views. Clean restrooms with flush toilets and running water!

First come first serve camping. We had a pull thru. Some of the back ins look a little short. Generators have to be off by 8. Very quiet. Lots of stars. There is a water faucet but you have to carry water. No hook ups. Gorgeous views.