Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Camp Crook, SD

This COE campground is leased to Bowman Water Board, to reserve a campsite with electric, $15, is https:/bowmannd.com/plan- your- trip/camping/ Marina manager: 701-206-0161 Marina landline: 701-275-6316

There is some question whether this COE Campground will honor America the Beautiful Senior Pass 50% discount since it's now leased to a private entity.

Primitive sites are on a first-come basis, $5, are much prettier and more private!

The electric campsites are not attractive, or level, and my first electric campsite #26, which was quite a distance beyond the marina, had a faulty electric, minimal Verizon signal and no privacy. I had to move to an electric campsite adjacent to the marina, not attractive either but had full Verizon signal strength. Also, the original campsite had a mercury vapor light that blinked non-stop ALL night long. As I understand, there is no water available near the campsite away from the marina.

Although the campsites need repairs, the roads throughout the campground are in excellent condition. Most electric campsites have a picnic table, grill, fire ring or a burnt area where people have campfires directly on the ground. Note: campfires are certainly not warranted at this time, the grasses are extremely dry and it's windy, strong chance of wildfire.

Don't count on swimming in Bowman Haley Lake, signs posted stating the water may contain blue green algae that can be harmful to humans and pets. (Actually, blue green algae has killed a number of pets causing them to experience convulsions and die quickly.) Blue green algae is easily seen along the shoreline. See pic.

Oh, and the flies and mosquitoes!!

Beware, if you are traveling with pets, there are small cactus throughout the grasslands and ticks.

Beyond the marina is a dump site with non-potable water to rinse tanks, a fresh potable water faucet to refill freshwater tanks, and a bathhouse with a flush toilet and a shower. The Marina has a Sunday brunch from 9 - 11:00 a.m. and serves breakfast and lunch the other days, plus beer and wine.

My initial reaction to the campground was negative due to electrical problems. However, I have since changed my mind, the surrounding areas are quite beautiful. Also, I had 4G/LTE 5 bars but that depends on where you are in the campground.

Had originally planned on staying here for a few nights but decided to head elsewhere after the first night. That was purely a personal choice and not because of any of the parks offerings. The coolest thing is seeing carvings in the rock that are said to date back several hundred years. That alone was worth the stop. Other than that it was just another campsite to me. They have fire pits for the sites, dogs are allowed which is a big plus for me, vault toilets and even a picnic area. You have access to water also, but be prepared, this is a pack in - pack out place. Don't get me wrong it is a decent place and there is a lot of wildlife, but for whatever reason I just didn't get into it. Maybe if I had stayed as planned and hit the trails I would have reviewed differently.

I stayed there in mid-September for 2 nights. This is first come-first served. You can not reserve a site. With this in mind, I made the trip from Medora on a Tuesday morning and I arrived around noon. I gambled that the people who came in for the week-end would be gone and the ones who were coming for the next week-end would not be there for another day or two.

The 10 sites are spacious: it’s hard to see any other campers from your site. There are no amenities here except for very clean pit toilets. No water, no electricity, no dump stations and no dumpsters for trash. Every site has a cooking style fire ring, picnic table and ample room to park more than one vehicle.

But there is an abundance of solitude, beauty and a deer and elk. As they say in Texas . . . “The stars shine bright at night”.

Even more remote than its buddy, Reva Gap campground over in the Slim Buttes of Harding County, Picnic Spring Campground in the Cave Hills offers its own experience. Its a short drive from Highway 85 over to the hills, then up and into the Ponderosa pine forest capped butte that the campground is situated on. Small canyons border most of the campground as its surrounded by other buttes in this ancient place that is the Cave Hills, one of the oldest geological formations in North America.

There's plenty of 'trails' in the area, just check the Forest Service provided map to make sure you're still on public land. Some areas are leased out to ranchers and have cattle on them during different times of the year, so be mindful of any gates you pass through.

Different roads and trails through the Cave Hills can offer up a bunch of different sights and views from the expansive prairie stretching away from it, the little hillsides and meadows between buttes and all the wildlife that occupies it. The history of the place is fascinating as well and worth looking into.