Best Tent Camping near Custer, SD

This is a nice little campground to get away from the hussle of the city. The tent sites are level and great for tent camping. The is a little creek in the park and at the time we were there it was flowing big. Nice area, would go back.

Reserved a site in the Chipper loop for a last minute trip to SD, worked out pretty well and snagged #86 by the lake. Great views, although it was a little close to other sites for my personal preference.

The campground itself is ~25 mins away from Custer State Park, which was a point of interest for me and my group. Pretty close to Rapid City and other local stores. No service except for the beginning of the campground.

Bathrooms were nearby and for the most part was pretty clean.

Downsides: site #86 is on a slope to the lake. No true flat ground and might not be so great if you’re tent camping but we didn’t mind.

Overall the campground was great. Showers, washing machines, places for kids to play, pool area, kind neighbors. We did run into a couple problems when it came to tent camping here. The bathroom closest to us had 2 toilets and 2 showers which were nearly always full and we had to walk across the campground to another bathroom. Another thing, some of the tent sites are slanted. The blood was either rushing to my head or I was sliding down the bottom of the tent. It is a little bit awkward and not ideal. Having a campfire was a nice plus though (they even had water to put it out with).

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!

This campground is open year round and is located in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Features cabin, camper, and tent sites. Also has very nice bathroom facilities that includes showers. A nice little creek runs along the back of the campground and the wildlife are abundant, especially Buffalo and deer that roam directly next to the campsite.

Small but quiet and set among the Black Hills of South Dakota, this RV and Tent camping site has clean bathrooms with showers, WiFi, a great cafe, lots of shade, and friendly service. We stayed at the KOA first, but wish our first night had been here!

So you're going to Mount Rushmore.... I discovered during my trip to the area June 2015 that hotel rates in the area are very high for what you get & hard to find availability. The solution is to camp! Make the most of your South Dakota vacation by spending it camping. My group tented and had a great time. Keep in mind though for those coming from other areas of the country, South Dakota does experience rain and thunderstorms. Pack and camp accordingly. This campground is nearby many SD attractions, within easy driving distance and minutes of Hill City, Custer, Keystone, Rapid City, Mount Rushmore. There are many options at the campground such as purchasing firewood to renting bikes. Check out KOA's campground map for campground layout. RV hookups, tent sites, heated pools, splash pad, and much more to keep everyone entertained. Remember that this area of South Dakota hosts high volumes of tourists each season, especially summer and during Sturgis Motorcyle Rally. I highly recommend making reservations far in advance!

The view is pretty and just a decent place to spend the night. It's a little bit outside Custer and the the road goes about a 2 miles in before you get to the spot. I camped in a tent but there were others in a 5th wheel, a class A, and a subaru. No amenities but a nice quiet place to camp. It connects to other trails so there are occasionally other vehicles that drive by.

The park is conveniently located between Custer and the Custer State Park. Good sized lots and 50 amp full hook ups.

Several remote electric only sites, and many tent sites.

Central location! Great place for base in Custer State Park. Lodge, RV sites, cabins, and tent sites. Close to Coolidge Game Lodge, visitor center, and start of the wildlife drive. Reservations can be made through Custer State Park website.

We thought we had found a great place to stay. Made a reservation. Paid the $25 deposit did some research and looked at the reviews. Let me tell you how let down we were. 

We were driving up to where it was and we could see from the main road our tent site. We thought hey maybe it's one further back and not right next to the road. So we go and check In and we are right next to the road.andnot even just a road to get to the place but like a main road right off the town houses across the street busy road. Also there little plots are small, like very small. Big enough for our 6 person tent & SUV? yes. After that however, not much room for anything else. Super small fire pit and our neighbors were right next to us. Like so close we could hear them chatting. Maybe if you have an RV go for it. If you are tent camping though I wouldn't recommend. We paid the $100.00 cause they are very strict about refund and well let's get honest they do give them even though there was a ton of tent spots left. Even after we knew we weren't getting out money back decided to forfeit the $100.00 and find a different camp site. So many better camp sites. More space, and not right off the main road where you can listen to cars all night and have lights shining in at you. If you really need a place that has a shower, play ground for kids and a dog run then go for it. However if you are like us and like to camp and don't really need a playground or a dog run and would like some space fr ol m your neighbor camper then please find somewhere else. They have so many just take a drive or Google other sites. Your inner Camper will thank you. In the photo, the trees right there are after a 2 lane road the fence is the edge of Ft. Welikit and other edge of that road. Way too close.

We fell in love with Custer State Park on a trip to see Mount Rushmore. . We opted for a camping cabin upon arrival and were pleased with the cleanliness of the cabin and facilities. The view from our cabins poach was outstanding. The wildlife was well worth the expense compared to tent camping.

Did a couple nights of tent camping here before getting fancy and going to cabins at Custer State park. Our site was unfortunately a bit unloved, but it was in a pretty prairie type setting with rolling hills and sporadic trees. Campgrounds were quiet compared to other area campgrounds and the park is still close to many attractions.

Whether you are tent camping, pulling a trailer or want a cabin this campground has it all. The shower facility on site is very clean for a state park. A quick drive to Mt. Rushmore, Iron Mt. Road,  Needles HWY, or Crazy Horse. The unbelievable Custer State Park wildlife loop is less than 15 minutes away. Don't miss the wildlife loop.

We LOVED Blue Bell and Custer State Park! The campgrounds were very clean and quiet. Camp hosts were very knowledgeable and available if needed. Evening programs offered every night were educational and entertaining for the most part. We stayed in a tent site which had a wonderful tent box that accommodated our 17'x8' tent rather well. Metal picnic table and fire pit were well maintained with ample room on this large site. Showers, flush toilets, potable water, and garbage area are centrally located on the grounds (a bit of a walk from the tent sites but made for a much quieter stay). Loved the location close to the wild life loop! Wild turkey, rabbit, and deer roam the grounds regularly. No mosquitos, wolves, or bear in this area (we did hear coyote regularly) which was a very pleasant surprise. We loved it here and can't wait to visit again!

Nice layout. FHU at $32 + tax is reasonable for area. 3 or 4 miles north of Custer SD

Laundry available Showers also - probably for tent sites

Fairly close to highway-but by sleep time there was not much activity

Did not use facilities. Did not use their WiFi nor deploy Starlink as Verizon coverage is excellent

Very friendly helpful staff. Decent restrooms that were kept clean. Small playground area for the kids. We had a tent site on the end of a small rv loop just behind some cabins but it was perfect and convenient to the bath house. Some more remote sites for tents in the distance looked nice if you want to carry your gear in. Convenient to town and to Custer state park.

Custer State Park was our favorite attraction and this campground offers you the ability to be right in the middle of it all! We tent camped and this was a nice site. You can park in front or site and there is a pad so be careful how large your tent is. Along a nice creek. Clean. Nice pond and little beach area. Right between Needles Highway and Scenic Byway! You can drive a couple or miles and see buffalo every day during your stay!

good campground with amenities - free showers! very few tent sites. mostly RV’s. Our tent site 21E was VERY close to the neighbors. close to stockade lake which was much more peaceful than sylvan lake.

The camp sites were very spread out and decently flat for tent camping

Our stay at Blue Bell Campground was one of the highlights of our recent cross-country road trip. With only 30 campsites suitable for tents or RVs, this was a nice spot to unwind after busy days within the park. 

Unlike many of the other campgrounds in Custer, this one is not waterfront, so it is a bit quieter and more relaxed. Campsites are $21 (plus the entrance fee) for a standard tent site without hookups. Sites with electricity are $25, and camping cabins are $50 per night. 

We stayed in one of the tent sites at the edge of the campground, so it was super quiet, but close to the amphitheater for ranger programs, as well as the bathhouse, and the Blue Bell Stables for trail rides.  

There is so much to do in Custer State Park. We stayed for three days, but could easily have stayed longer. We hiked the Sunday Gulch Trail near Sylvan Lake, which was fantastic, drove all of the scenic drives, including the Needles Highway, The Iron Mountain Road, and the Wildlife Loop. We also swam in Legion Lake, which is the closest lake to Blue Bell, and canoed on Center Lake. 

While we were there, we made friends with our camping neighbors, who all agreed that Blue Bell Campground was one of the nicest in the park. The campground hosts are incredibly nice and cell service was pretty good compared to other spots in the park.

The lake is great for boats if you prefer to bring one. Only issue that I may have is if you get a tent site make sure that your tent will fit. We have a rather large tent and there are a couple of spots that it will not fit. Hosts are pretty nice. I love that the marina isn’t to far from the tent sites and they do have lots of trees to help keep your tent well shaded during the heat of the day.

We’ve stayed in several campgrounds in the park and Stockade South is one of our favorites. It’s small and quiet and positioned nicely to do either the Needles or the Wildlife Loop and is also close to Custer if you need supplies. Folks are super friendly here. Flush toilets and hot showers. We camped in our van with electric h/u but there are also tent sites and cabins. Some sites have nice big stone fire pits and ours did not, so don’t choose site 13 if that’s important to you. 25$

I was tent camping and it was great how they have special sites to put the tents straight. So much wildlife to see! Very clean restrooms. Wildlife all arround...