Best Equestrian Camping near Philip, SD

The Tilson’s keep their campground and motel well maintained, have hookups for campers, and fire rings for campsites. Can purchase wood from them. Amazing view of the Badlands, and can walk into the park. beautiful pastures with horses surround. minutes from Highway 90.

The other reviewers had it right. Sage Creek is a sweet little spot within Badlands National Park. Definitely pay your park entrance fee! BUT it’s true - this spot is completely free. Lots of people dig this spot. Doesn’t feel too crowded though. Tons of tents, vans, and car campers fit into this somewhat small but open space. Bison are common visitors. Plus, there is a prairie dog town right in the center of the loop the road creates in the camp. They are so fascinating to watch! There are two basic but clean restrooms. Several pic nic tables with small shade shelters. A nearby creek for water filtering / road trip baths. Make sure to bring lots of water or a filter people! We saw folks asking around for extra water. Be prepared. Definitely would highly recommend for anyone traveling through South Dakota. Badlands National Park is so unique and so special.

On the drive in and out to Sage Creek, I saw all the major mammals of the park (bison, prairie dogs, deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn), and there was even two bison grazing at the equestrian site in the morning. 

The campground is nice and dark and had a great view of the Milky Way. There is no water at camp, which was made very clear on the park website and map. Sage Creek did have some water flow when I went, so I could have filtered some if I needed more. 

My main criticism is that only a handful of the sites had shades for the picnic tables. When I arrived, the campground was less than half full, but none of the remaining sites had a shade. For a park that gets this hot and doesn't really have trees or other shade, I think this should be provided at each site.

The campground per se is not exceptional- a roundabout with picnic tables for each site. Also an area for horse trailers. But the location IS exceptional!! We had a bison herd of 26 meander by on the other side of the river bed. Two bison hang out at/ in the campground for an afternoon, evening, morning (and possibly later- we had to hit the road). It’s a prairie dog metropolitan center, not town. AND two resident coyotes waiting for a lucky moment with a prairie dog appetizer. There were soundscapes (prairie dog and coyote) as well as landscapes…. And stunning starry night skies. Amazing place.

Great free campground in the Badlands Wilderness area. Follow Sage Creek Rd and watch for signs for the campground. Made it no problem in a 26’ motorhome, but it is a 12 mile dirt road with a lot of washboard so things get rattled and covered in fine powdery dirt. Totally worth it though because on the way out you get amazing views from the top along the ridge of Badlands plus bison, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and hundreds of prairie dogs along the road on the way. 

The campground is a loop that has parallel parking around it and sites are designated by numbered posts. There is a horse camp area to one side and toward the right as you pull in and many people just made up spots not in the loop but behind the bathroom and along near the horse camp, so if you made the long drive out you should have at least somewhere to squeeze in for the night.

There are picnic tables, some which are covered and two pit toilet bathrooms. Also there is garbage and recycling. There is no water here so be sure to bring enough as temps can get quite hot. Some reviews mention the wind being an issue and though it was windy at first it died down and was calm all night. 

It was nice when we were there in late Sept. There were plenty of empty spots in late afternoon but filled up through the evening. Bison frequently come through the campground and use the posts to scratch themselves. Don’t be an idiot though (we saw some of that) these are huge wild animals and do not want selfies with you! 

There were also a lot of coyotes that came through at night so be aware if you have a pet. 

Weak and spotty cell reception with ATT and Verizon and no TMobile.

I LOVED my time here at Sage Creek. It is quite the drive from anywhere else in the park, but it is amazing. As we were setting up our tent on the first night, a lone bison walked through and checked out what was going on. It was incredible. There is bison poop throughout, so watch your step. Also, there is no running water on site or anywhere nearby, so be sure to pack your own. There are pit toilets. There aren't really designated sites, everyone sets up somewhere in the middle. Additionally, there are some horse facilities, but I would check on the NPS website for the particulars on that. Overall, it was a phenomenal place to camp. We got there around 4 p.m. and there were still plenty of places to set up. (We went in late August.) There is not a lot of privacy, but I didn't mind. It's free, so you really can't beat that.

This campground on the edge of Badlands National Park is totally in the middle of nowhere, and it takes quite a drive down gravel roads to get there. The roads are well-tended, but they still keep the large RV's out. This is an unusual campground. It is free camping, since it's totally primitive. It's basically a circle drive around an open space, and you just put your tent wherever you want to put it. The whole inner circle is level and well-tended. There are also horse corrals available on one side, and the smaller RV's and trailers pretty much gather there. There are a few covered picnic tables within the circle, and there are pit toilets on each end. The NPS website says that this place rarely fills to capacity, and that's because you just fill in an empty space. We were expecting total solitude, but there were quite a few people. There were vehicles parked around the whole circle, and there were probably 30-40 tents set up, but the space is so large that it didn't feel too cramped or close. The campground is so far from everything that it gets perfectly dark; it's wonderful for stargazing. We watched the moon come up over the hills, and it would have been perfect Milky Way viewing, but as one other camper said, "the full moon [was] shitting on it." We woke up in the morning to a couple of bison roaming through the campground grazing on the grass and wildflowers.

We had a great stay here while visiting the National Park - literally 2 minutes outside the entrance. The view from our camper was amazing. The hosts were very friendly and having the store was convenient. Bathrooms were newer and very clean.

This is a minimalist campground. Know that coming in. Not a lot of trees but nice bathrooms and shower houses. Went over mothers day weekend and it was raining. The plan was to backpack but I opted for the campground not knowing what Mother Nature was going to throw at me. Opted to use my hamock to stay off the wet ground. Turned the picnic shelter into a covered hammock set up. Great little restaurant where I treated myself to a mother’s day Indian taco and bottle of adventurer wine!

The campground was convenient for the short amount of time we had to explore. Although, camp sites lacked shade and were closer than we would have liked. Grounds were neat and tidy but showers could be cleaner and updated. All in all, not bad.

This campground was great - it was fairly easy to get to (in an RAV4) and in the park which I liked a lot. They had rangers come and do some demonstrations which was fun. Only downsides were a lot of other campers and that morning heat.

We were luckily able to get the last spot as a walk-in on the 4th of July. Spots were pretty close together, which is the only reason for 4 stars instead of 5, but very nice people in the campground. Full hookup was great. Nice location. Trails at the back of the property were perfect for a nice morning walk with our pup where she was allowed to run off leash. She would give it 5 stars! We didn’t use the pool but it looked clean. Showers were clean with plenty of hot water.

Would definitely stay again if ever back in the area.

The grounds were clean and as two girl in their early 20s we felt very safe camping here by ourselves. The spaces were very close together but enough apart that we didn’t feel crowded. The sky at night was unbelievable and the people in the office were extremely helpful and kind to us. There was also a fire pit which was nice and wood available for us

We wound up here after not being able to find a spot in the Park’s campground, but this is literally a couple miles down the road. The staff was nice and helpful. Facilities were clean. They had beer, firewood and food available. Our campsite was quiet and had a fire ring.

We stayed in a tent for 4 nights, clean bathrooms / showers. Owner was very nice and wonderful to talk to. View was amazing. Camp ground was quite and well maintained. They also have hotel rooms… so our friend ended up with food poisoning and she was able to go book a room. Pool was lots of fun for the kids, very clean. Laundry was easy to access. We enjoyed our stay and would stay again.

The campground was great and super close to the Badlands park entrance. The owners were very nice and helpful. Great hookups for our RV-on a nice level ground, picnic table for eating outdoors, and best of all dog friendly! The bathrooms and showers were clean and close by. We didn’t get a chance to use the pool, but I’m sure it would be great on a warm day. The views are amazing from the campground! Love that it is military friendly and got an added discount.

Very tight sites. Lots of outdated amenities. The view, however, is amazing.

Had a great time camping and hiking the Badlands!

One of my favorite national parks. Has so much to offer and beautiful viewpoints throughout. Easy hiking and mildly busy during the summer!

Sites are long and level. The water spout is located in a weird spot, be sure to have a water hose. Bathrooms and showers are out dated and dirty. Pool was not clean, I guess it was from all the dust in the air.

Close and convenient spot for easy access to Badlands National Park.