## Overview

 Situated in an open Ponderosa pine forest 6.5 miles west of Custer, South Dakota, Comanche Park Campground is a campground for visitors seeking recreation and relaxation in the southern Black Hills National Forest. The campsites are spacious. Towering pine trees provide shade.This is the closest campground to Jewel Cave National Monument. 
## Recreation

 The forest offers highly accessible recreation for all ages. Visitors can take advantage of opportunities for hiking, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and riding off-highway vehicles (OHVs) on moderate terrain. For those seeking higher elevations, a trek to the summit of nearby Black Elk Peak is worth the effort. Black Elk Peak is the highest natural point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Most of the summit is bare granite and offers expansive views of the surrounding area. An old stone tower at the top, once used as a fire lookout, is still open to hikers.
## Facilities

 Comanche Park Campground has sites able to accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs. The campground is equipped with picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water; however, electrical hook-ups are not available.
## Natural Features

 Located in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, Black Hills National Forest encompasses nearly 1.25 million acres of rugged rock formations, canyons and gulches, open grassland parks, tumbling streams, deep blue lakes, and unique caves. Derived from the Lakota language, the words \"Paha Sapa,\" meaning \"hills that are black,\" honor the dark, pine-covered hills rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie. Nearby Jewel Cave is the second longest cave in the world at 159.29 miles. It features sparkling calcite crystals and other rare formations, as well as some of thel argest concentrations of passageways in the world. Wildlife in the area abounds. Bighorn sheep navigate mountainous terrain, while elk, deer and pronghorn gather in forests and prairies. Bald eagles, hawks, osprey, peregrine falcon, and hundreds of other bird species can be found in the forest, especially along streams, lakes and rivers. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Possible day trips include Custer State Park with its many buffalo and other wildlife, Crazy Horse Monument and Wind Cave National Park as well as Jewel Cave which is the second longest cave in the world at 159.29 miles. It features sparkling calcite crystals and other rare formations, as well as some of the largest concentrations of passageways in the world. 
## contact\_info

 For facility specific information, please call (605) 574-4402.
## Charges &amp; Cancellations

 No refunds will be given for weather or related events.

Comanche Park

Comanche Park is just outside Custer, South Dakota. It’s open seasonally but it looks like a few spots are before the gate. The campground was pretty empty during the week but the host said it was full on the weekend- consider making a reservation. The sites are large without much vegetation between them. We were far enough apart that it still felt private. A picnic table and fire pit are standard. Vault toilets are spread throughout. There is water available but I would consider your options. The host said they get bottled water when I asked about the quality. 

  

The draw to this campground is that it’s close to Custer State Park. We arrived midday, set up and still had time to drive the wildlife scenic highway and the scenic drive out of Custer towards Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. We were feet from a bison herd and arms length away from donkeys. Returning in time to make dinner was great. Tomorrow we’ll leave early and do another drive and hike in Custer State Park. 

  

Comanche Park is a good campground to use as a base when you explore the area.

Simple campground near amazing places

Stayed one night, beautiful and clean campground. Pit toilets were clean and stocked. Empty spaces even during Sturgis week. Spots are spacious, ours was a backin.  Minutes away from Custer and Crazy Horse.

Beautiful and quiet

Great campsite, we camped for two nights as a last minute switch. Day of reservation there were two sites left. The camp host was helpful and lovely. There was firewood available for purchase on site. 
Positives: Beautiful views of meadowy forests. Peaceful campsite that was clean and had running water. Pretty big campsites for tents of multiple sizes. Lots of places for hammocks to be hung up but make sure to bring long straps. Only a short drive to Custer! 
Negatives: The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because there is a decent amount of road noise during the day from the main road. It does die down at night and didn’t bother our sleep. 
Inconvenience: The water spigot at the bottom of the hill doesn’t work but it is a short walk up the hill to the main area for water. 

Beautiful Peaceful Campground

We thoroughly enjoyed this small campground.  It’s was well
Kept and the host, Kim was very friendly.  After staying here for several evenings and moving to another spot near Rushmore, we were certainly grateful for the quite of this place.  No helicopters flying above all day or travelers road noise.

Although it’s right off of the 16, the vehicle noise is dampened by the forest enough to make it seem like white noise, particularly in sites further back in the campground (the group sites are closest up front).  

The spaces are close to one another, but they were designed well enough to have the picnic table and fire rings spread apart enough to feel less cramped, which was nice.  The sites along the outside of the loop back up to the meadow/trees, which added to a more private feel.  

We very much enjoyed its location as it was close enough to town, Custer State Park (Sylvan Lake is only 25 minutes), Jewel Cave (less than 29 minutes), and all the rest within an hour to two hours reach.

Returning to the campground felt like home.

Nice Campground Removed from Noisy Custer Areas 

The sites were decent, our fire ring didn’t have any flat spots to put chairs around. The were lots of  vault toilets bathrooms, they were a little smelly but not as bad as some. Most of the campground was empty on a May week night. We could hear
the cars from the road. The camp host was a nice lady. Convenient to Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave National Park. 