Hill City is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Hill City camping trip.
Spring Creek Road Spur
8 min away
Spring Creek Rd Mine Site Dispersed
19 min away
"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."
$28 / night
"A tent-only area, which I appreciate- those tend to be quieter than the RV spots, and the tent area was close to the reservoir. Standard campsite amenities- tables, fire pits, bathrooms."
"Huge campsites with views of the lake. Some of the biggest camp sites on our trip. Some had more privacy than others. Both RV and tent sites.
Picnic tables, camp fire pits. Drinking water."
"It’s situated right in between Mt. Rushmore and The Crazy Horse Memorial."
"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."
$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."
"Very friendly staff. All the amenities needed. Clean bathrooms and showers. Ample laundry facilities! Don’t forget your roll of quarters!"
"Each site had plenty of grassy area with tables and fire pit. Staff was very friendly and helpful. There are tent sites available, some were secluded. Cabins were also available."
"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."
"Super clean bathrooms and showers! They also off laundry, a heated pool and other amenities."
"This is a beautiful location. An overnight stop for our tour of Mount Rushmore. Only about 20 minutes from the monument. We booked late in the day but all was ready for our arrival. "
$16 / night
"The location was perfect for me. The campground is adjacent to the Michelson Bike Trail with direct access down the hill through a gate. Michelson is a beautiful rails to trails project."
"I called and since the office would be closed when I arrived, he said to just pick an open site and pay in the morning...Where else are you going to get that kind of friendliness?"
$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."
$40 - $180 / night
"- 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."
"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."
GuideThe pros:
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.
LegendCampground 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.
GuideThis was a wonderful campsite. It’s situated right in between Mt. Rushmore and The Crazy Horse Memorial. Plus it’s 5 minutes down the road from Hill City, SD with the normal amenities (grocery, fuel, restaurants, etc) plus wineries and breweries.
The property is absolutely massive with great views all around. We were in the Lower Ranch Camp which we enjoyed. The site was gravel and deep with 50/30/20 amp electric, water and sewer and lots of space. There are laundry facilities in the bathhouses scattered around the property. The pool is heated with a hot tub and there was a small general store.
This was a historic ranch and a stop for the stagecoaches.
We will definitely stay here again the next time we pass through the Black Hills.
ScoutWe 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!
RangerGreat little campground right next to the Mickelson Bike Trail and very convenient to Hill City. The campground is very well kept and has excellent bathroom/shower facilities. Hill City is a charming little town with several stores and restaurants to visit. It was a short walk into town from the campground. Our favorite ride on the Mickelson was 37 miles long from Hill City to Custer State Park and back. Beautiful ride through woods, over bridges, and past the Crazy Horse Memorial.
ScoutStayed 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.
ScoutThey advertise that they have Wi-Fi but it's almost like they shut it off at 10 o'clock at night when quiet time starts which is a great time for looking up directions or places to see, we could never connect for long and streaming- which means no Netflix its against the rules(which we never saw only overheard). They allow fires but make sure you get a metal ring because it's illegal to have a fire in south Dakota if you don't have one they have them but they don't leave them at the sites or let you know they are available. Also no petting zoo we specifically came here thinking they had one because they advertised and after we arrived they informed us it was turned into a dog park i have no pictures but there's not much to see here
Travelerif 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...
RangerVery 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Hill City, SD?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Hill City, SD is Sylvan Lake Campground — Custer State Park with a 4.7-star rating from 42 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Hill City, SD?
TheDyrt.com has all 49 glamping camping locations near Hill City, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
