Best RV Parks & Resorts near Camp Crook, SD

Such a quiet campground! There looks to be about 10 official spots? 6 with gravel back ins. There is 1 pull through spot. The official spots have a metal fire ring and picnic table. There are 4 vault toilets spaced out throughout the campground which is nice! They aren’t being cleaned at this time but still being stocked with TP. Extremely peaceful and not frequently used. During my 3 night stay, I had 1-2 campers I was sharing the campground with. There’s a nice picnic area at the entrance. There’s also an electric outlet up front if you need to charge something, with a donation box. I had 2 bars of LTE via ATT basically anywhere before the first camping loop. After that, 1 bar of 4G. Saw a forest ranger drive through one day. I’d definitely stay again and it’s free!

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”.

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.

My son and I were antelope hunting near here last September and found this campground. We were not able to stay because we had a dog that needed to stay in the camper which required full hookup. For that we went in to Buffalo South Dakota and stayed at the campground there. I knew I'd make it back someday and we were on our way home from the Black hills to Sidney Montana and I remembered this place as we were passing by. We came up here with high expectations and all of our expectations were Met. Quiet, beautiful sunset. Plenty of room firewood at every site. Good internet service phone service on Verizon and T-Mobile and AT&T. This place is a grand slam for anybody that wants a great place to stay for free. Thank you USDA for all the hard work.

This is one of the best National Forest campgrounds that we have been to. All of the 8 sites are very spread out and unique on their own. There is an abundance of wild life along with some great bluff views. The campground is very well maintained and well cared for. There are 2 vault toilets and now other extra amenities near the campsites. There is a water supply you can use but the water must be treated. You can stay a max of 14 days. We highly recommend this campground!

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Great little campground nestled in the pines of the Slim Buttes. Views of more buttes and the prairie to the west with certain spots. Area is gorgeous in one of the most remote areas of SD. Can drive to campging spots a fair distance in to be away from the highway, although the traffic is almost nonexistant.

Some trails to the north of Highway 20 and on the south end of Highway 79 that can take you above and along the cliffs of the buttes with some more spectacular views. You can do some back-country camping if you camp within a certain distance of the trails (grab a forest service map at the campground for reference of trails/roads and private property).

Camping spots in the campground are clean, mowed and have a small fire pit.