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Best Tent Camping near Interior, SD

590 Reviews

Tent campgrounds near Interior, South Dakota concentrate around the edge of Badlands National Park and Buffalo Gap National Grassland, offering varying degrees of primitive camping experiences. Baja Area Dispersed Camping in Buffalo Gap National Grassland provides free, open tent sites with views of the Badlands formations, while Backcountry Camping within Badlands National Park itself offers more remote hike-in tent opportunities. Both locations situate campers within 15 minutes of Interior, providing convenient access to basic supplies while maintaining distance from developed areas.

Tent campers should come fully prepared with essential supplies as most sites lack infrastructure. The Baja Area features open grassland terrain with minimal shade and no facilities—no water sources, toilets, or trash service exists on site. Backcountry campers in Badlands National Park face similar primitive conditions but must also follow park regulations prohibiting fires. Brooks Memorial Park offers slightly more amenities with toilet facilities and drinking water, though still maintaining a rustic camping experience. Mosquitoes can be problematic during summer months, particularly in the grassland areas. A recent review noted, "Only downside is there were A LOT of mosquitoes" at the Baja Area.

The dispersed sites throughout Buffalo Gap National Grassland provide significant privacy due to the expansive terrain. One camper described finding "a great spot with nobody around us and amazing views of the badlands." Night skies present exceptional stargazing opportunities with minimal light pollution. Backcountry tent campers in the Badlands encounter unique landscapes with eroded buttes and spires, though must contend with exposed conditions and potential for extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night. Railroad Buttes OHV Area offers another tent camping option but experiences more traffic and noise from off-highway vehicles during peak times. Tent campers frequently hear coyotes and cattle in the distance, adding to the authentic prairie camping experience that characterizes this region.

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Best Tent Sites Near Interior, South Dakota (6)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Interior, SD

590 Reviews of 6 Interior Campgrounds

  • K
    Aug. 29, 2018

    Sage Creek Campground

    Beautiful and Primative

    Sage Creek is a free and primitive campground in the Badlands National Park. It is absolutely beautiful and surrounded by grassland. The only amenities are vault toilets-there is no water at the site, but you can fill up at the outside faucet at the visitor center before heading down the road to the campsite. There are 12 miles of gravel roads (some great pull offs along this road for pictures) to get to the site, so low clearance vehicles may want to watch out when it rains. The early morning is awesome at this campsite, its quiet, the sun is rising over the hills and sometimes wildlife can be seen munching away.

    The bison frequently roam through this site and I urge all campers to stay a safe distance from the bison as they are wild and unpredictable.

    The only complaint I really have about this site, is more of a concern. In recent years there has been a problem with over crowding at the site, for example, more people staying than allowed, people driving and camping outside the designated campgrounds, being loud, crowding other campers, etc. While we were there, we saw a truck barrel over a prairie dog town, parents allowing their children to throw things at the prairie dogs or stick things into the animal's dens and an argument over a campsite. I just hope that those who choose to camp here keep the park rules and the leave no trace principles in mind. This is a beautiful place and a joy to visit the quiet grasslands.

  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    May. 13, 2024

    Sage Creek Campground

    Free camping with wildlife

    Campground is basic. Only 2 (very clean) vault toilets, no water or electricity. I got there a little before 3pm on mother's day; it was full by 8. Only a handful of sites have sun covers over the picnic tables. You will be very close to other campers. Most are respectful. I would just recommend getting there before dark to keep from disturbing everyone. Prairie dogs galore in the center and on the periphery of the campground. My dog was fascinated by them. As noted by others, you will most likely be serenaded by coyotes and have morning visits from the bison. I also heard wild turkeys off in the woods.

  • S
    Aug. 27, 2019

    Cedar Pass Campground — Badlands National Park

    Functional camp sites in badlands national park

    Pros: you are camping in badlands national park. Night time star gazing program with the park during the summer.

    Cons: sites are tightly packed together. No trees. No wind protection. Pay showers. Showers not super clean. Bathrooms and showers do not have counter space or other areas to place personal items.

    During our stay sustained winds collapsed our tent during the day. If you are tent camping, using a tent designed to handle windy conditions would be recommended.

  • Tara S.
    Jul. 29, 2019

    Sage Creek Campground

    Primitive Campground in an Amazingly Wild Spot

    There's a lot of wildlife in Badlands National Park, but we saw the bulk of it right in Sage Creek Campground. This is a totally free campground, which is basically a field surrounding a prairie dog town, with two pit toilets and no water. There is also no shade, but there are a few picnic tables under sun shelters in the campground.

    Unfortunately, we didn't score a sun shelter because we arrived late in the day. We did have a tarp that we set up over our picnic table for shade. During our stay in July, we saw several bison in the campground, as well as hawks, meadowlarks, magpies, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and a family of burrowing owls. 

    There are trails that lead up to the surrounding hills, and plenty of wide-open spaces to explore. If the campground gets busy, it does feel a bit like the grounds of a festival, as there is no privacy and people tend to pitch their tents wherever there is room. Also, it took us about an hour to drive back and forth from the visitor center, and the road is extremely rough, so you have to drive really slow. 

    We loved Sage Creek Campground - the remoteness, the wildlife, and the amazing sky, and would definitely return! Sites do fill up in the busy summer season, but not until late in the evening.

  • Scott S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 5, 2020

    Buffalo Gap Dispersed Camping

    Camping on the edge!

    This is by far one of my favorite places to camp in the country! It is a windy ridge overlooking the badlands and just outside the north park gate. Look for the radio towers and drive up the dirt road to a cliff where you can set up and enjoy a spectacular spot! There is a lot of room for everyone to spread out. But be sure to stake down your tent and secure it well because I have camped there twice and both times I felt like I was going to blow away! But it is well worth it and a magical spot!

  • Daniel H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 1, 2023

    Sage Creek Campground

    Sage Creek Campground - Phenomenal Primitive Camping

    If you keep in mind that this is a primitive campground, you'll be just fine.  Concrete vault toilets, no water, nice covered picnic tables and phenomenal views.

  • J
    Sep. 1, 2021

    Badlands / White River KOA

    Nice , quiet , SHADED, not overcrowded

    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 .

  • Rachel O.
    Sep. 1, 2020

    Sage Creek Campground

    Prairie dogs are reclaiming their land and I love it.

    Holy cats it was windy when I set up camp here. It's so flat that when the wind comes through, it just does not stop. AND the ground was SO hard. Super glad I had a real, metal hammer in my car to get my stakes in the ground. 

    Lots of available spots when I arrived mid-afternoon, but the sites with covered tables were all taken. Lots of prairie dogs. 

    Vault toilet was fine, but a line formed during busy times and ran out of tp. 

    THERE IS NO WATER HERE. And the spigot at the entry was broken, so I had to drive to the complete other end of the Badlands to get more water. Bring your own in if you can. Sage Creek could be used with a filter, but it was pretty shallow, slow moving, and a nice sage green color. I took the drive.

  • Kimberly S.
    Sep. 19, 2021

    Sage Creek Campground

    Nice Primitive Campground

    We were initially planning to dispersed camp in the Black Hills National Forest, but quickly realized we were going to spend more time in Badlands NP than we initially planned, so we stayed here instead. We arrived in the early afternoon to set up camp and there were plenty of sites available. The campsites are out in the open with no shade, but many sites have covered picnic tables, which was nice. We loved seeing all the prairie dogs throughout the campground and the herd of bison that walked right past several times. Be prepared for wind since it is in an open, flat area. The vault toilets were very clean. This was perfect for our one night stay.

Guide to Interior

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Interior, SD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Interior, SD is Baja Area Dispersed - Buffalo Gap National Grassland with a 4.4-star rating from 9 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Interior, SD?

TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Interior, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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