Best Glamping near Buffalo Gap, SD

Allen Ranch Campground offers several glamping options near the Black Hills, featuring traditional tipis and fully-equipped canvas tents along Fall River. Each glamping accommodation includes breakfast, with the basic tipi rental at $70 per couple or $130 for a fully-furnished option with bedding. Canvas tent glamping starts at $130 for two people with an additional $25 per extra person. The campground is situated on a beautiful stretch of spring-fed river that maintains a comfortable temperature year-round, making it ideal for tubing and water activities. One guest highlighted, "Not a bad little spot... Close to town and near a peaceful stream... Owner is very nice."

Hot Springs/Black Hills KOA provides additional glamping accommodations near Buffalo Gap, operating seasonally from April to October. Their glamping options supplement traditional camping offerings with amenities like a swimming pool, mini-golf, and breakfast service. The location serves as an excellent base for exploring nearby attractions including Wind Cave National Park, Mammoth Site, and the broader Black Hills region. On-site facilities include clean bathrooms with hot showers, a camp store with reasonably priced items, and organized activities. A recent visitor mentioned, "Clean, quiet campground tucked away in the beautiful Black Hills," while another noted the "hand cooked breakfast you can buy in the morning with big burritos that were awesome."

Best Glamping Sites Near Buffalo Gap, South Dakota (36)

    1. Hot Springs / Black Hills KOA

    15 Reviews
    Hot Springs, SD
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 745-6449

    "Bathrooms are fairly clean, people were respectful of quiet hours, and the laundry room and dish washing sink is nice to have on a long road trip."

    "Between its location to the Black Hills, hikes, parks, monuments and on site fun our kids went to bed completely wore out each day. The staff was wonderful and the sites were great."

    2. Angostura Recreation Area — Angostura Recreation Area

    13 Reviews
    Hot Springs, SD
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (800) 710-2267

    "Clean bathrooms and campfires :) There are usually afternoon thunderstorms and wind."

    "I stayed in the Cheyenne Campground, our spot was right behind a hill with decent tree coverage. Spots weren't too close together. There's a beach, biking trail, marina, resturant and great views."

    3. Cold Brook Lake Campground

    8 Reviews
    Hot Springs, SD
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 745-5476

    $18 / night

    "Arrived after a rain storm, bugs weren’t bad. Walked around lake and it was beautiful. So quiet and peaceful. Wish we stayed more nights! Dumpsters, restrooms, fire rings and nice grass."

    "Campground Review: This location is great if you are looking to be close to Hot Springs, Wind Cave, and Custer State park. It is located just north of town and just South of Wind Cave’s entrance."

    4. Allen Ranch Campground

    8 Reviews
    Hot Springs, SD
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 745-1890

    $25 - $130 / night

    "All RV sites have water and electricity, with a dump station available on site. I only took a star away because of the loud road next to it."

    "Close to town and near a peaceful stream.. Owner is very nice."

    5. Center Lake Campground — Custer State Park

    30 Reviews
    Keystone, SD
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 255-4515

    $20 / night

    "The bathrooms were clean and all sites had one relatively close by. Fire pits and picnic tables were great!"

    "Beautiful and quiet spot with dedicated area to set up your tent separate from the gravel driveway and fire pit."

    6. Sylvan Lake Campground — Custer State Park

    42 Reviews
    Custer, SD
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 255-4515

    "This lake is beautiful, its one of my favorite places inside Custer state park. There are a ton of trails, all within easy walking distance. Make sure you pack plenty of water."

    "What a fantastic campsite within walking distance of picturesque Sylvan Lake. Reserve online and drive directly to the reserved site."

    7. Fort Welikit Family Campground and RV Park

    24 Reviews
    Custer, SD
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 673-3600

    "The spots are spacious and the hookups are located in a perfect spot to make things easy. Bathrooms and showers are very nice and clean."

    "The laundry room was neat which for me was a big plus. A small store on site. The owners are friendly. Full hookups available. Driving distance to all the black hills attractions you want."

    8. Custer-Mt. Rushmore KOA

    18 Reviews
    Custer, SD
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 673-4304

    $60 - $100 / night

    "KOA doesn’t disappoint, they could widen their left clearance when first coming into the parking lot from the highway."

    "The staff is very gracious. Cafe makes great breakfast.

    Last year they removed one campsite between every other site leaving very spacious sites with vehicle parking."

    9. Grace Coolidge Campground — Custer State Park

    8 Reviews
    Keystone, SD
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 255-4515

    "There are many campgrounds spread around Custer SP. Coolidge is a small-ish one set along the banks of a creek."

    "The campground hosts were incredibly attentive; you always saw them around, looking after the grounds and keeping it in excellent shape."

    10. Heartland RV Park And Cabins

    13 Reviews
    Hermosa, SD
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 255-5460

    "The staff is so friendly, easy check in, very well kept, clean bathrooms and private showers. Pool and hot tub, close to everything. Campers observed quiet hours."

    "Not far from Rapid City but close to all the attractions in South Dakota. The heated pool was NOT heated and the hot tub was NOT hot. That is why I gave the CG four stars."

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Glamping Reviews near Buffalo Gap, SD

421 Reviews of 36 Buffalo Gap Campgrounds


  • Chad M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 29, 2020

    Buffalo Ridge Camp Resort

    It all depends on what you’re looking for

    The pros:

    • 100+ spaces for campers/motorhomes accommodating all sizes, even the real big diesel pushers.
    • They have small cabins to rent, tree houses, and glamping tent/cabins.
    • The bathrooms are clean and have private showers.
    • There are laundry facilities on site.
    • Full hookup sites.
    • Two swimming pools.
    • Close proximity to Keystone, Custer, Rapid City
    • Each gravel pad may require minor leveling but they are pretty good.
    • A nice picnic table is located at each site.

    The cons: We ended up here because I called 17 other places between Custer and Rapid City and all were full. Many of the sites offered by the competition are nicely spaced out with mature trees surrounding the pads, that’s not the case here.

    • The RV area is tight with a sea of RV’s. For us it’s less like camping and more like a townhouse development. It’s not as bad as the parking lot variety, there is grass between the sites and some trees.
  • Hayley K.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 31, 2019

    Allen Ranch Campground

    Ranger Review: Icemule Jaunt Cooler at Allen Ranch Campground

    Campground Review:

    Allen Ranch offers RV, Tipi, Canvas, and basic tent sites located under shade along the river. Pull-thru sites are also available. All RV sites have water and electricity, with a dump station available on site. I only took a star away because of the loud road next to it. I didn't mind but some of my family mentioned it once or twice so I thought it needed to be scored. 

    Allen himself stopped by on our first day to say hi. And he is a really nice guy! He is a former Park Service Law Enforcement Officer and Fire Ranger. He bought this land a long time ago and didn't want to leave it to work at other parks. He knows everyone in town and can recommend some great spots to visit. He started this campground and has been maintaining it with his family for a long time. It's on a beautiful strip of land right on the Fall River. The Fall River is fed by hot springs so the water stays nice and just slightly chilled. Almost feels like getting into a heated pool, like where you step in say "ahh that's nice" instead of cringe with chills. Since we were the only tent campers there we offered to mow the grass or help set up the tipis but Allen wanted us to just relax since he had his family helping him. So that is what we did. I did offer him a nice cold beer out of my Icemule cooler though. He was shocked to see "such a neat contraption!"  

    There are 12 RV sites, 6 tent sites, 1 group site, and 3 tipis. I saw one canvas tent that was set up. You can call ahead and reserve sites but we found that we could just drive up and put our names on a site as put the money in an envelope at the shower house. On a busy weekend I would call ahead. 

    Cost:

    Tent sites: $25 to book and $5 for each additional person. 

    RV site: $40 for 2 people and $5 for each additional person.

    Group site: $8 per person for groups 10+

    Tipi: $70 (plus $5 per additional person) for basic (you furnish), $130 per couple for everything included (including breakfast)

    Glamping tent: $130 per couple (min 2) and $25 for each add person for everything included (including breakfast)

    RV sites: Sites are within walking distance to the shower building with hot water and restrooms. They are right when you pull into the campground so you don't get the generators bugging you at night. They are far enough away from the tent sites to create good space. 

    Tent sites: There is a large group site across from the shower house. There isn't much shade for the group site but it is large enough for a good sized group. 

    The other tent sites are right next to each other so when it is busy, it would be packed. We got lucky and we were the only ones there so we got our pick of the sites. We chose sites 2 and 3 since they were perfect for our sized group and had the best flow section of the river right at the site. We were able to walk right into the water and hang out on tubes without feeling like we were sucked into cattails or "rapids". 

    The sites hadn't been mowed, so the grass was a little tall, but we came at the end of a very rainy and snowy week and Allen hadn't had a chance to mow since were there the first day it stopped snowing/raining.

    Other than being right next to the main road, the sound of the creek and the cottonwood trees blowing in the wind was lovely. The road wasn't too noisy and the sound went way down at night. 

    There are tables at each site with 3-4 wooden round seats. The seats weren't super sturdy but the tables were great for keeping our food off the ground and away from our dogs. 

    Bathrooms:

    The tent sites are pretty far away from the bathroom and there isn't a place to properly go to the bathroom near the site without being seen from the main road. So that is the only big downfall. 

    There is a port-o-potty up by the tipis and the canvas tent. 

    The showers are free and hot. They aren't the most up to date facilities but they are functional and easy to use. 

    There is a grill on site but it wasn't open when we were there, I think it is mostly open for Summer. They also offer catering for large groups, reunions, weddings and celebrations of any kind. As Allen says: "Come join us for a fun filled , relaxing camping experience near Hot Springs located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota Mountain hiking, Interpretive talks and warm water river tubing down gentle Fall River, which runs through the entire campground."

    Inner tubes are provided FREE for the guests too. They are located right next to the playground. 

    There is also a big stage on site where i'm guessing bands or events can play or take place. 

    Product Review:

    As a ranger we sometimes get the opportunity to review products that would benefit the camping experience. On this trip, I decided that floating down a river with family was the perfect time to review the IceMule Jaunt Cooler from https://icemulecoolers.com/

    I chose the Jaunt because I wanted something that was easy to carry just a few beers instead of my whole fridge in a bag. Icemule does a great job of creating lots of options for cooler sizes and the Jaunt seemed to be the perfect fit for my lifestyle. Plus, I LOVED the colors! 

    It says that it can hold a six pack or 3 bottles of wine. At first It seems like it can hold a lot more than that based on it's height, but I quickly learned that it won't properly keep chilled or stay leakproof if it is filled too much. OOPS! Once I learned to fill it properly, it worked like a charm. Even floats when you need to pass it between people on the water. 

    There is a front pocket on the bag that is supposed to be waterproof but the zipper is lined along the outside with no real way to close it fully so I wouldn't trust it to keep things inside perfectly dry. It is also hard to zip with one hand (see video) which is something that would make it easier to use. 

    Other than that, it was a great addition to our basecamping and day trip gear. It sites comfortably on my back and isn't too heavy being filled with liquid. It is WAY easier to carry than a cooler and way more more enticing to drink cold beer that wasn't just shook up in a warm backpack while out snowshoeing.

  • R
    Jun. 17, 2021

    Buffalo Ridge Camp Resort

    South Dakota Luxury Camping

    We originally booked the teepee which is adorable but after arriving we felt we needed some more space. Luckily for us there was one glamping tent available for the dates we needed. Quite the price difference but we were ok with it. 3 beds (2 queen and one twin!) all with trundles underneath! The front and back porch were amazing for coffee and yoga in the am. The bedding was luxury and the decor was amazing nice touches to the experience. The mini fridge came in use and we loved the location of the tent to the pool and the shower house located just a few feet away. Beware that SD gets some pretty epic storms and two nights were slightly scary being in a canvas tent with wind gusts of 50 plus mph but they held up well! The teepees on the other hand 😆 not so much. Glad we upgraded! The pool.....there is a kid side and adult side which was awesome! The kid pool was super gross so I was glad to have a spot to go with crystal clear water! It was crowded later in the day. The pool stays open and extra hour for adults which is nice 9-10pm. The facility could use a couple more washer and dryer units as a lady pissed and moaned at me that she couldn’t do her laundry because they were in use by me. Our first vaca Karen and she did not disappoint lol. The little store in the lodge is adorable and has a nice little area to chill, play games and a deck to outside with a nice grill for guests to use. They offer popcorn and coffee all day. Let some of the nicest people and we made so many memories at this property. I’ll be sure to share with clients who head to SD!

  • David T.
    Jul. 29, 2025

    Cloud Nine Camping

    great place in the woods

    if you're looking for a place, away from everything/everyone with peace & quiet, this is the place for you... 33+ acres, spaced out RV sites (not crammed against each other), and yet close to all the best attractions that South Dakota has in the black hills... this is the place to be... surrounded by USFS lands on 3x sides, 1/2mi back from the main dirt road to get here... this is as far back in the woods you can be without hiking miles in somewhere else... they have glamping tents on the hillside (rentals), sheep wagons in the meadow (rentals), bumper pull & 5th wheel trailers (rentals), tiny house rental, and daily/weekly & monthly RV & tent sites... open year-round beginning this year, and open to ice fishers & hunters that wish to use the local area for their sports... I've been here since Jan 2025, and this is an awesome place... seen deer, wild turkey, fox, rabbit, and pronghorn in the local area...

  • K
    Jul. 17, 2020

    Horse Thief Campground and RV Resort

    Perfect Location

    Very friendly staff. All the amenities needed. Clean bathrooms and showers. Ample laundry facilities! Don’t forget your roll of quarters! (They have change too) We tent camped in 106 (closest to bathhouse so you can hear air hand dryer but quickest bathroom access). All the tent sites appeared to be very nice. They are drive up! Surrounded by mountains and deer walk right through campground. Location was perfect and within miles of all attractions! We saw some of the other campgrounds in the area and are more than pleased we chose this one! RV sites in the front appeared a little more crowded than those towards the back. Also, had some small cabins and there was ample room for the tent in front of it. We would choose this campground at our next visit! Kids loved the on-site “gold mining” activity!

  • Amy C.
    Jul. 21, 2020

    Heartland RV Park And Cabins

    Friendly Staff, Family Friendly

    The staff is so friendly, easy check in, very well kept, clean bathrooms and private showers. Pool and hot tub, close to everything. Campers observed quiet hours. We got a great nights rest, they offer a breakfast menu. We didn’t try but the option was there.

  • C
    May. 26, 2020

    Rafter J Bar Ranch

    Beautiful, Great Location!

    Stayed in one of the cabins over the weekend, while family stayed in their camper at the Ranch site. Wow, the cabin exceeded my expectations! It was one of the larger cabins with a separate bedroom. It was so clean, I thought it was newly built. Large patio overlooking streams, great views, quiet. Outdoor grill, kitchen with fridge and coffee maker. Comfy beds and tv with satellite. Clean, spacious bathroom. Must bring your own towels, linens, toiletries, etc. Plenty of space throughout the camp. Within minutes of Mr Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Sylvan Lake, Hill City, and Custer.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 5, 2023

    Allen Ranch Campground

    It'll do

    We stopped at this campground because we were tired of driving and wanted to get out of the heat, plus the 50% Passport America discount which brought the cost to $20/night for an RV site with power (30 and 50 amp) and water. There is a dump station on site as well, but getting to it can be tricky as there are low hanging branches around it. 

    This place is pretty run down, but nice and simple and friendly. Definitely not worth the full price of $40/night. The back in sites are along the creek and are nice and green and shaded. 

    The pull through sites are up on a sparse dirt lot along the main road, in full blazing sun. Highly recommend a back in site over one of the pull throughs. They do take reservations here, but there were several open sites for us to choose from on a Monday in late September. 

    The campground is an odd setup, and may be difficult for larger rigs to navigate. The back in sites are all in one stretch, with the office at the end of it. So you drive to the end, check in and look for open sites via self registration at the office, then you have to turn around and drive back out to your site, and awkwardly back in against the angle (or drive up to the pull through area and loop back down).  Recommend maybe parking at the pull through area and walking to the office so you can avoid the awkward turnarounds. 

    There are toilets and free showers here, but no laundry. They also offer teepee and tent sites, as well as “glamping” sites. We met a very friendly employee on the way in (Tim or Tom?) who said he makes a great breakfast in the morning. Good cell reception for all three carriers.

  • B
    Sep. 4, 2021

    Heartland RV Park And Cabins

    Tidy, Clean, Friendly, Attractions

    This is a great place to stay. Not far from Rapid City but close to all the attractions in South Dakota. The heated pool was NOT heated and the hot tub was NOT hot. That is why I gave the CG four stars. I was really looking forward to using them. Also, both seemed overloaded with chemicals. I have owned lots of pools with blue colored bottoms, but these looked like there was “Ty-d-bowl” added. Brilliant, stark blue. I just don’t believe it can be just the basic treatment. See what you think. ???The laundry areas (3 of them) were clean and tidy, too. $2.00 for each, but 45 minutes on the dryer, so that’s fair. 😀 Our spot was a bit difficult for us to level our rig on because the rocks kept slipping. We had to go purchase extra Xchocks. There is a nice store for basic needs, and alcohol, and an event schedule for evening entertainment. The event center serves wings (no celery or carrot sticks), pizza, etc. There is a playground for kids and they said a dog park. —-I did find a big area there, but no fence around it. ???


Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Buffalo Gap, SD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Buffalo Gap, SD is Hot Springs / Black Hills KOA with a 4-star rating from 15 reviews.

What is the best site to find glamping camping near Buffalo Gap, SD?

TheDyrt.com has all 36 glamping camping locations near Buffalo Gap, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.