Best Cabin Camping near Interior, SD

I am very pleased with this Campground . As I drove through the Badlands today and saw people setting up their tents in the totally exposed Park campgrounds I was sad for them . The KOA has great shade at every tent site . The sites are spacious and there were was no overcrowding . I opted to rent one of the small Rustic cabins with AC ( no bathroom or kitchen ) in order to give my elderly dog a respite from the scorching afternoon heat . The little camping cabin is clean and comfortable, there is a small front porch with a swing . Outside there is a picnic table and fire ring . We walked through the campground this evening and there was a cool gentle breeze . Most of the tent sites were unoccupied while I believe absolutely every RV site was occupied . Definitely worth checking out this campsite and hands down better choice than the exposed unshaded sites with in the Badlands .

Perfect location for visiting Badlands National Park. Jussstttt outside the park entrance and the Ben Reifel visitor center. Could not ask for a better location. The campground is a no frills, perfectly adequate base for exploring the area. 30 amp (some sites have 50) and water with a dump station. The staff is super friendly and there is a small store and cafe. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Sites are gravel and pretty level. Can’t beat it for $38/night! We had a spot at cedar pass for one night and extended here because it wasn’t worth moving (see pic of how close they are to one another) and CP doesn’t have water hookups.

The views are spectacular from the campground. Great spot for sunrises, sunsets and stargazing.

Pros: The location is perfect for visiting the Badlands! We really liked that there was lots of trees, even though our site didn't have a big one. The campground was large with lots of amenities and activities. They had a huge variety of different style campsites, cabins and teepees!

Cons: This place was PACKED! I get it, its right outside of a National Park, it's summertime and families are on vacation. I just never understand why campsites are right on top of each other! I also don't like that I can't pick my own site. When we showed up, we were escorted to the site we were assigned. Our site backed up to the mini golf course and our campsite shared a power box with our neighbors. The problem was that the power box was on the wrong site of the camper and it was at the front of the campsite instead of the back. We had to reposition the camper so that we could stretch the cord to reach the power box. Also, the fire pit and table was on the wrong site. I sucked it up and just felt grateful that we were vacationing in the Badlands!

We stayed at the Badlands Interior Campground and Motel for three nights while visiting Badlands National Park.  We were supposed to stay in the national park campground, but they had overbooked and we were out of luck, as were most other campers with reservations that day.  Fortunately, the Badlands Interior campground is just two miles down the road from the national park campground. They offer full hookups for the same price as a lessor site at the park campground.  

We found the Badlands Interior Campground to be enjoyable and convenient. We were in our class C while slowly making our way across the country. The campground is reasonably large. We had no problems getting a spot here. Sites are gravel for the RV, very level, and reasonably well maintained. All RV sites are pull through. Hookups are in good condition. You may have to run your water hose under your RV.  Each site has a grassy area with a table and fire pit. The grassy areas were a little narrow, causing your neighbor to be a little close.  Staff was very friendly and helpful. There are tent sites available.

There was a pool that we observed being used daily. There is a meadow with hiking trails at the campground. There are showers, laundry and a campground store.  Breakfast is also available.

The campground is conveniently located just two miles from the national park. It has great views of the national park. There is almost no noise other than your neighbors.

We had 4 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot performed very well. The wifi offered at the campground is the best we have encountered.  My wife was able to play her xbox games in the evening.

We found this to be a great place to stay.  We will stay again when traveling this way.

Badlands Interior Campground is located one mile south of Badlands National Park, and includes plenty of clean, level RV and tent sites, as well as teepees, camper cabins, and a motel. The owners were a delight to talk to, which we did every morning, and very knowledgeable about the area.

The RV sites include both electric and full hook-up, which is a step above the sites available inside the national park. There are community bathrooms that are small and feel a bit older, and only two showers are located in each. On a busy summer day, those could feel quite crowded. The playground is small and dated, but the unique merry-go-round (standing version) captivated our sons for a few hours.

The sites are not very shaded, especially the tent sites. This was not a concern for us since we visited in early spring, but a mid-summer day in the 100’s might be a bit unbearable. But in lieu of the trees, visitors get to see awesome views of the Badlands from almost every site! There are picnic tables at every campsite, some have sun overhangs, which would be outstanding to have in the summer. Each site also boasts an above-ground campfire ring, which is small, but a welcome feature as the campgrounds inside the park do not allow open fires (fire dangers here stay high most of the year).

The owners keep the facility in great shape, keeping the grass short to avoid encounters with rattle snakes, and the garbage disposal areas free from larger critters. When we arrived the day before their official 2017 opening, the grounds were in great shape and they appeared ready to roll and welcome travelers at any time.

Campsite Review:

I was definitely out of my zone here. I am used to backcountry camping, no amenities, and sleeping with no one to be seen. This was almost the opposite of what I usually do.

Amenities: General store, water, electric (30/20 amps), showers, flush toilets, laundry mat, basketball court, swimming pool, mini golf.

See what I mean. There wasn't anything I could think of that would make my camping here more comfortable, but it did mean that it was packed and with some RV's that I have no doubt cost more than my net worth (but i secretly loved seeing those)

This was my first time at a KOA and it was a nice to be able to relax and kind of "glamp" for a couple of nights.

One thing that was pretty cool was an area called the "wagon wheel". It was an area for tents that is walled off and has a kitchenette area available.

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Product Review:

During our road trip around the US, I was able to try out the GO camper from SylvanSport. We were blown away with this camper. It is easy to see why so many people call this the Coolest. Camper. Ever.

I could spend all day talking about what we loved about this camper, but I'll try to limit it to just a couple of the highlights. Let's say.....two things we loved about the GO and one thing we think could be improved on.

The first positive was just the amount of room you had when you had to GO completely set up. When we had it in "sleep" mode we easily had our queen sized air mattress in there and still had about another twin sized area to put our stuff. I had no trouble standing up in the tent (I'm about 6') and slept pretty great during the trip. It could easily sleep 4 adults and probably even up to a family of 6.

Second positive, light weight. At roughly 800 lbs, this thing could be pulled by anything. The light weight also lets you pack it down with gear and still be able to pull it through the mountains without stressing your vehicle. We would frequently get the camper close to where we wanted it, and then unhooked it to move it by hand into final position. Easy Peasy.

For the negative there really wasn't anything huge, but more nit-picky. The thing that kept coming up was how you stored the privacy screen and water proof screen when you had them unzipped on the windows. There is a small mesh flap with elastic that really wasn't strong enough to keep the screens inside it when you unzipped, as a result the screens often got caught underneath things and you had to keep moving them out of the way.

At the end of the day, we loved our two weeks in the GO!

Click to see video reviews on TOWING, SET-UP, LOOK INSIDE, and AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT for the GO.