Best Tent Camping near Lead, SD

Several dispersed tent camping options exist within minutes of Lead, South Dakota, particularly in the Black Hills National Forest. Mount Roosevelt Road Dispersed Campsite offers multiple pull-off areas for tent camping, located just a short distance from Deadwood. This free camping area provides walk-in tent sites with relatively easy road access and proximity to local attractions. Strawberry Hill and Bogus Jim Creek also provide established tent camping areas in the surrounding forest land.

Tent campsites along Mount Roosevelt Road feature dirt and gravel surfaces with minimal development. Most sites lack amenities such as drinking water, trash collection, or designated fire rings. A vault toilet is available at the Roosevelt Friendship Tower trailhead, but campers should pack in all water and pack out all waste. Road conditions are generally passable without high clearance vehicles, though some sections become rough beyond the first mile. The sites closest to the CanAm Highway entrance tend to fill first, especially on summer weekends. No reservations are needed for these dispersed camping areas.

Tent campers at Mount Roosevelt benefit from relative proximity to town while maintaining a secluded forest experience. Sites are spread out enough to provide privacy, with some offering views overlooking Deadwood. Cell service is available at many locations along the road, making these sites practical for travelers needing connectivity. Higher elevation provides cooler temperatures during summer months. Wildlife sightings, particularly deer, are common in the early mornings and evenings. A camper noted, "It was a Saturday afternoon when we arrived and a lot of spots were taken, however we found an area to pull off the road that was perfect for our tent. It was peaceful and relaxing, yet only minutes from Deadwood."

Best Tent Sites Near Lead, South Dakota (19)

    1. Mount Roosevelt Road Dispersed Campsite

    11 Reviews
    Deadwood, SD
    3 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 673-9200

    "We got to our spot just before sunset and only had one neighbor, though we passed a few tenters going up the road. Our spot was nice and a short walk to a vault toilet and trailhead."

    "This is not a thru road there is only one entrance off of the CanAm Highway. Roughly about 10 sites depending on set-up. Bathroom close by the entrance/trailhead to Roosevelt Friendship Tower."

    3. Strawberry Hill

    1 Review
    Lead, SD
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 673-9200

    $17 / night

    4. RD 356 Dispersed Site Black Hills National Forest

    33 Reviews
    Hill City, SD
    33 miles
    Website

    "A perfect location. Plenty of spots on the bumpy main road, use 4wd/high clearance vehicles to go off some of the side routes for more privacy. Nice tree covered spots and very quiet."

    "My Son and I stayed here while visiting Mount Rushmore and the surrounding area's other attractions. There's a lot of dispersed spots here but most spots don't have a fire ring that I could see."

    5. Whispering Pines Campground & Cabins

    4 Reviews
    Silver City, SD
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 341-3667

    "The surroundings are beautiful! Very peaceful setting yet not too far from groceries & other supplies. Not far from attractions & restaurants."

    "Beautiful place to camp near Pactola lake which is our favorite"

    6. Iron Horse Rally Campground

    1 Review
    Sturgis, SD
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 787-7453

    7. Wrinkled Rock

    25 Reviews
    Keystone, SD
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 673-4853

    "Wrinkled Rock, near Keystone, South Dakota, is a hidden gem for outdoor lovers seeking tranquility and stunning views.🏕️ Just minutes from Mount Rushmore, this spot offers excellent tent camping with"

    "Wrinkled Rock, near Keystone, South Dakota, is a hidden gem for outdoor lovers seeking tranquility and stunning views.🏕️ Just minutes from Mount Rushmore, this spot offers excellent tent camping with"

    8. North Pole Rd Dispersed Camping

    34 Reviews
    Custer, SD
    41 miles
    Website

    "We've been fulltiming since January and this was the first place we actually stayed the whole 14 day limit."

    "The forest road is a little rough, be aware if you are driving a car or a vehicle with bad off roaring capabilities."

    9. Bogus Jim Creek Campsite

    1 Review
    Nemo, SD
    21 miles

    "Fr202 turn uphill but not muddy.. on right .. wind n storm but good camping.. quite..not much traffic after dark.."

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Tent Camping Reviews near Lead, SD

1540 Reviews of 19 Lead Campgrounds


  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 30, 2021

    Black Hills National Forest Bear Gulch Campground

    Primitive but comfortable group camping

    A former individual campground now turned group campsite. Eight individual tent sites (each has a picnic table and fire ring) around a central camping area. Vault toilets and a hand pump for drinking water. There is no electrical hookup.

    Vehicles must travel down nine miles of dirt roads to reach the facility. Hill City is the nearest town for additional amenities, and Rapid City is 20 miles away. Nice fishing and kayaking. 3 stars because it's groups only!

  • Sarah H.
    Jul. 23, 2016

    Sylvan Lake Campground — Custer State Park

    Primitive Camping in Custer

    Our family stayed in a walk-in primitive tent site located on a woodsy hill at the top of Custer. Campsites have a decent amount of privacy, but you are still aware of your neighbors. Portable toilets were available at the bottom of the hill near the parking lot with shower facilities a short walk away. Showers and laundry facilities were well maintained. Sylvan Lake is beautiful and provides a full day of activities without having to drive anywhere else in the park. Our family enjoyed hiking, paddle boating, and swimming with gorgeous scenery all around.

  • Art S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 24, 2019

    Comanche Park

    Simple campground near amazing places

    Comanche Park is just outside Custer, South Dakota. It’s open seasonally but it looks like a few spots are before the gate. The campground was pretty empty during the week but the host said it was full on the weekend- consider making a reservation. The sites are large without much vegetation between them. We were far enough apart that it still felt private. A picnic table and fire pit are standard. Vault toilets are spread throughout. There is water available but I would consider your options. The host said they get bottled water when I asked about the quality. 

    The draw to this campground is that it’s close to Custer State Park. We arrived midday, set up and still had time to drive the wildlife scenic highway and the scenic drive out of Custer towards Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. We were feet from a bison herd and arms length away from donkeys. Returning in time to make dinner was great. Tomorrow we’ll leave early and do another drive and hike in Custer State Park. 

    Comanche Park is a good campground to use as a base when you explore the area.

  • Tonya Y.
    Jun. 25, 2017

    Horsethief Lake Campground

    Cute, Quiet, and Close to Everything

    We arrived at Horse Thief Lake late on a Wednesday afternoon. Actually VERY late. It was around 7:00 pm on June 7, 2017. We were on a road trip and didn't have a firm schedule. We arrived without a reservation and were thrilled that they had three or four walk-ups available.

    This campground serves both RVs and tent campers. The walk-up are was beautiful and quiet. We were in site 34, which is the closest to the road that circles through the campground, but it was above our site and we never noticed traffic.

    It was early in June so many sites had reservations on them for the weekend, the walk-in area was less than half full. The sites are far enough away from each other that we were not bothered by any other campers.

    The site had a great pad and nice wooden picnic table with a great fire ring. The fire ring was great in the morning as it was still pretty cool in early June.

    Firewood was sold at the campground by the hosts for $5 a bundle. The hosts were very kind and kept the campground immaculate.

    The vault restrooms were very clean, but there were MANY flies by the afternoon outside of the restroom.

    We had some HEAVY rains while camping here and the people in the site closest to the lake, and near the top of the hill (amazingly) were flooded out and had to dry everything in the morning and move to another site.

    We had no problem with critters bothering our camp. There are no bear boxes and the camp hosts told us they had never heard a report of bears being in their campground.

    This was a great base camp for us. It is only 2 miles to Rushmore and we went to Custer's campground (and drove though TONS of animals including buffalo, prong horns and others, the Crazy Horse memorial and the Iron Road.

  • Jessica F.
    Aug. 20, 2016

    Bismarck Lake Campground

    Natural and Beautiful

    Beautiful camp sites. They are mostly gravel so pack a nice sleeping pad or blow up mattress. The pit toilets were very clean and the water spouts were plentiful. Many of the sites have natural rock formations as natural boundaries of the site. Many tent camp sites have raised platforms to pitch your tent. There is a small trail around the lake that was lovely in the evenings. The lake is very quiet and great for fishing or kayaking.

  • Casey L.
    May. 24, 2022

    Comanche Park

    Nice Campground Near Highway

    The sites were decent, our fire ring didn’t have any flat spots to put chairs around. The were lots of vault toilets bathrooms, they were a little smelly but not as bad as some. Most of the campground was empty on a May week night. We could hear the cars from the road. The camp host was a nice lady. Convenient to Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave National Park.

  • Alissa V.
    Aug. 6, 2020

    Sheridan Lake South Shore Campground

    Can’t wait to go back!

    Great campground with kind hosts and staff. The pit toilet was well maintained. We had lots of space in our site (#21) for our vehicle with rooftop tent, a separate shade tent and table, and large picnic table. We could have for a lot more! People were respectful of quiet hours and felt safe with lots of families, but spread out enough there wasn’t too much noise. We definitely want to try a site on the lake side next time, it’s beautiful over there. The swimming lake was great for bathing. Because of the shade and elevation it never felt too hot, even in late July.

  • Krista K.
    Nov. 12, 2021

    Sheridan Lake South Shore Campground

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

    My sister and I spent 7 days here, tenting. I even brought along my best friend that passed away 2 months prior (her ashes). So close to so many places to visit, which we never did (we loved every minute being disconnected). The weather was mostly perfect, besides some hail and rain a couple nights. We took our paddle boards out almost every day. Our site was right by the lake and right by one of the vaulted toilets. There is no electricity, only potable water, and neither one of us had cell phone service. If you ask me, IT WAS PERFECT!! These sites are FCFS, and the weekend fills up fast. The hosts are awesome and helpful. The toilets were always clean, the cleanest I’ve ever experienced! There are no showers, but there is a campground close by that lets you shower for $5. Might sound expensive, but when you’ve gone 5 days with no shower, it’s so worth it! We had neighbors nearby and everyone was friendly. I have only positive things to say about this place. It was an experience that enlightened my soul. I most definitely will be going back again!

  • Cynthia W.
    Jul. 25, 2017

    Grizzly Creek Primitive

    Beautiful but nosy and smelly

    Let me start by saying the campground itself is beautiful! There was plenty of shade and the creek provided nice ambiance. However, don't camp here if you want some peace and quiet! Iron Mountain Road runs right by and it a popular with motorists and motorcyclists. Also, starting a 9am until probably 6pm there are helicopter tours for Mount Rushmore and it flies right over the campground. We used this spot as a jump off point for all our adventures so we weren't bothered too much by the noise as we were gone for much of the day.

    Our only other complaint is that the vault toilets smelled terrible. I know they're not supposed to smell like roses, but we've experienced many other vault toilets that we "pleasant" and we rarely saw a fly. These would have flies swarming as you used the facilities and we could often smell the toilets from our site. I'm not sure if the treatment is different in SD, as we're from CO, but this was out biggest complaint.

    High point is that you're only 5 to 10 minutes from Rushmore and close to Custer State Park and it was an easy jumping point for many other destinations.

    One more note...more of a soapbox speech...the Vermont people next to us were terrible campers and broke all the basic etiquette camping rules. They washed dished in the creek, they bathed at the water pumps and left trash and food all over their site and in the fire pit when they left. This is NOT ok. Camping involves a very high level of respect for nature and if you can't follow leave no trace rules, you shouldn't be out there!


Guide to Lead

Tent camping near Lead, South Dakota offers accessible forest experiences in the Black Hills National Forest at elevations ranging from 5,000-6,000 feet. Summer temperatures typically range from 45-80°F with cooler nights even during peak season. Several dispersed camping areas feature minimal development but provide strategic locations for exploring historic mining towns and outdoor recreation in the northern Black Hills.

What to do

Hiking to viewpoints: The Roosevelt Friendship Tower trail near Mount Roosevelt Road Dispersed Campsite offers a short walk to panoramic views. As one camper noted, "Walking distance to the Roosevelt Friendship Tower hike which is highly recommended. Tons of bees in the wildflowers but they never bothered us."

Wildlife watching: Early mornings and evenings present opportunities for deer sightings at most dispersed camping areas. At North Pole Rd Dispersed Camping, you might hear "coyotes in the distance" according to a recent visitor.

Exploring mining history: Camp within minutes of historic mining towns like Lead and Deadwood. One camper at Mount Roosevelt Road mentioned it's "Great base to visit Deadwood, Lead, Spearfish Canyon, and Devils Tower."

Mountain biking: Forest service roads throughout the area provide trail access for various skill levels. A review noted the area has "lots of very cool hiking trails off of the camp site" with options for both casual and serious riders.

What campers like

Elevation cooling: The higher elevation campsites provide natural air conditioning during summer months. A camper at RD 356 Dispersed Site praised the "Nice Cool Wooded Area" even during peak season.

Cell service: Unlike many remote camping areas, Mount Roosevelt Road sites often have usable connectivity. According to a camper: "We had good service for Verizon and okay for T-Mobile. Spots are spread out so you have privacy."

Space between sites: Most dispersed areas offer better separation than developed campgrounds. North Pole Road campers appreciate that "There are other people but far enough away that you don't feel crowded."

Quick town access: The proximity to small towns means easy supply runs. A Mount Roosevelt reviewer mentioned, "Great spot, make sure to hit the hike to the tower and overlook!"

What you should know

Limited amenities: Most dispersed sites around Lead lack basic facilities. At Bogus Jim Creek Campsite, expect "Small slant unlevel but good... wind n storm but good camping.. quite..not much traffic after dark."

Road conditions: Access roads can deteriorate beyond initial sections. One Mount Roosevelt camper warned, "Only maybe 6 spots before the road gets bad so pick one of those BEFORE you come to a fork in the road. If you go right on the fork the road gets bad."

Fire restrictions: Many areas prohibit campfires, particularly during dry periods. A camper at Mount Roosevelt noted "no campfire signs all over," which is common throughout the Black Hills National Forest dispersed sites.

Weekend crowds: Sites fill quickly from Friday-Sunday during summer. A visitor observed, "Road was in good shape. Lots of deer and wild life so watch out. Nice views but not that many spots before the super bumpy road about a mile in."

Tips for camping with families

Child-friendly sites: Look for pull-offs with level areas away from drop-offs. At Wrinkled Rock, "The tent spots are all very reasonably close to the parking lot so even if you want to walk off a bit to place your tent it won't be much of a burden or hassle to set up."

Swimming options: Horsethief Lake provides summer cooling opportunities. A Wrinkled Rock review mentioned, "Swimming and cliff jumping at Horsethief lake only a short walk away."

Wildlife education: Use early mornings for wildlife spotting with children. North Pole Road campers report consistent wildlife activity, making it ideal for nature education opportunities.

Plan for weather changes: Mountain weather shifts quickly in the Black Hills. One camper reported "We definitely had an intense hail/thunderstorm so ended up sleeping half the night in the car."

Tips from RVers

Length limitations: Larger rigs should stick to the first few sites on forest roads. At Mount Roosevelt Camp, a visitor with a "tundra equipped with a 5x8 trailer" could "easily get to any of the sites" but noted "This is not a thru road there is only one entrance off of the CanAm Highway."

Leveling challenges: Bring leveling blocks for uneven forest sites. One camper noted their spot was "a pull out on the side of the road" that required some adjustment but offered "an amazing view."

Site selection timing: Arrive mid-week for the best dispersed camping options. Most reviewers note that Friday through Sunday arrivals often find limited available spots, with one stating, "It was a Saturday afternoon when we arrived and a lot of the spots were taken."

High-clearance recommendations: While initial road sections are passenger car accessible, deeper sites require more ground clearance. A camper advised, "High clearance is not necessary for road" at Mount Roosevelt, but this applies mainly to the first section of forest roads.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Lead, SD is Mount Roosevelt Road Dispersed Campsite with a 4.8-star rating from 11 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 19 tent camping locations near Lead, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.