If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Philip, look no further. Finding a place to camp in South Dakota with your tent has never been easier. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
There is only one small developed recreation area on the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. The National Grassland Visitor Center is located in Wall, South Dakota. This site provides the history behind the system of the National Grasslands located across the West.
While there is only one developed campground, there are plenty of open spaces to camp. Bring your horse, your bicycle or your OHV and spend some quiet time in the wide open spaces of the Grassland.
Overnight camping in developed sites is on a first-come, first-served basis. Campfires are allowed unless restrictions are posted. Red Cloud Campground site features 13 sites with picnic tables and fire grates, and a vault toilet. From Chadron, NE travel eight miles south of on U.S. Highway 385 to the campground.
Backcountry, dispersed or primitive camping (no facilities) is allowed anywhere on the National Forest.
Practicing Leave No Trace principles ensures that the next person to visit will have the same sense of discovery as those who came before.
The seven principles are:
Plan ahead and prepare, Camp and travel on durable surfaces, Dispose of waste properly, Leave what you find, Minimize campfire impacts, Respect wildlife, Be considerate of other visitors.
Permits are not currently required for overnight stays in the Badlands backcountry. Before setting out on an overnight trip contact a staff member at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center or Pinnacles Entrance Station for more information. Backcountry registers are located at the Medicine/Castle Trail Loop, Saddle Pass Trailhead, Conata Picnic Area, Sage Creek Basin Overlook, and the Sage Creek Campground.
Campfires are not allowed under any circumstances. Use a backpacking stove.
Pets are not permitted on trails, in backcountry, or wilderness areas.
The location of your campsite must be at least 0.5 miles from a road or trail and must not be visible from a roadway.
There is little to no water available in the backcountry. The small amounts of water found are not drinkable or filterable due to the high sediment content. Always carry at least one gallon of water per person per day.
All refuse must be carried out. Use the cat hole method to dispose of human waste. Dig a small hole 6 to 8 inches deep and a minimum of 200 feet from any water source. Since animals will often dig up cat holes and scatter the toilet paper, it is preferred that you pack out all toilet paper. If you must bury toilet paper, use a minimal amount and bury with at least 6 inches of soil.
Strain food particles from wastewater, pack out food scraps, and scatter remaining water more than 200 feet from any stream channel.
Guide
Spent one night here after exploring the park. less than a third full in early november. vault toilets clean-ish. wide open spaces, not really any privacy here. pretty sunrise.
Guide
This is a great dispersed site right next to The Badlands National Park. In October, there were only about 20 campers at most (lots of available space). The views from here are amazing, as well as sunrise and sunset. It can get quite windy. Very quiet!
ScoutThis was an our first time dispersed camping so we weren’t sure exactly what to expect. There were lots of campers (probably 20 other cars), but the views are unmatched. Waking up at dawn and watching the sunrise over the Badlands is breathtaking! Really easy access. We saw people with all size trailers parked. Lots of space to spread out. Not much for privacy, but with views like that, who cares!
GuideMy boy Palo and I camped in my Outback for a night. It was a great experience. They have the cleans best smelling bathrooms I have venture into.
GuideLoved the close proximity to the badlands literally just down the road from the scenic loop. Plenty of spaces this time of year had my pic. Only downside was the wind which died down in the evening. Stars were fantastic. Wall drug had free water. Oh and I came in from Mitchell SD from the east and skipped the highway and took HWY 248 which runs paralell but I had the road to myself for 2 hours what a peace scenic ride.
Ranger
Spent two nights here in the Butte loop. Tried to make reservations on the same day, but they weren’t available to do so I had to just show up and hope there was a site available. We lucked out and got the last electric site. The one quirky thing about the campground is all of the sites are sort of parallel park. So your door will open up onto the pavement. Only paid $46 for two nights thanks to the hubby’s senior pass. Park itself is amazing with beautiful views and we also got to see some Buffalo. The visitor center has a nice gift shop and displays. Showers were $.50 for four minutes and $.75 for six minutes although I only got five minutes for my $.75 and I had a lukewarm water. There is a dump station available as well as potable water.
Guide
Great spot, lots of campers here, but still found a spot. Watch out for grumpy old coot who parks right where everyone drives in and then tells you to slow down coz it’s too dusty. Hey mate drive further in and there’s no traffic! Duh.
GuideA lot of campers of all kinds as it is free and right outside the park but it’s easy to get to and views are amazing. Regardless of the amount of people there tons of area to set up so doubtful someone won’t get a spot.
GuideWe camped here on a Sunday night. Lots of campers along a road which was about 6 miles long along the top of a cliff. We thought we found a nice spot away from others, but two huge campers pulled in after dinner right next to us on the opposite side of the road. Beautiful view of the badlands and we enjoyed watching the sunset from our site. After we went to bed, the wind picked up big time and howled for several hours. It was strong enough to shake the trailer. It died down before midnight. You can't really hike down into the badlands from the cliff so the only place to walk is along the top of the cliff past the other campers. No services, but free.
GuideThis was a free site in the Badlands. It's a dirt road to get there, washboards, but OK.
The cg is in a prairie dog town so we kept the dog close.
It was full on a Saturday night in September, but we got one of the last sites. Very basic campground with a few trails to hike. Views were OK, but nothing great.
Buffalo wandered through camp at dinner time. We basically camped on the road that circles the campground.
Some picnic tables had a shade covering. Pit toilets were clean.
TravelerGreat location to set out to explore the Badlands? Low reception with Verizon in the valley bye still have good contact. Great reception, small hike to the top of the hill.
TravelerFree dispersed camping, with clean vault toilets. no water or power you will have to bring your own. Quiet and tranquil location, Surrounded by prairie dogs as you sit in the valley with low rolling hills around you.
TravelerWe stayed for 2 nights in the group loop. At first we were sure about the quality of the site - the group loop also serves as the entrance to the dump site - but we’re convinced the site is great. Our site faces into the badlands with a great view, it is very quiet and you are very private (there were no groups around us). The campground is very clean and every evening there is program prepared by the rangers as well as a presentation of the stars.
We would always come back here.
Legend
It’s a nice place heading east or west to land for the night. We’ve stayed at sleepy hollow before and find it and the proximity to wall drug a fun landing stop for the night on our trek across SD. Dinner, ice cream and splash pad fun at wall drug is the perfect end to a day on the road for our family.
TravelerFabulous! Views and several spaces both on the edge of grassland dropping off into the badlands wall and farther back. At least 25 campers there last night. It was breathtaking. Do be prepared for I tense wi d; this is prairie with no trees to cut wind. Well worth a visit.
RangerI camping here from 8/15 to 8/21. Far, the weather has been amazing. I moved spots about 3 days in. The first spot was great except for Cell Service (t-mobile) that exact spot was a dead spot. After moving south one spot about 60 feet, i went from 1-2mb/s to 40-60mb/s. Roads are rough but do-able I am pulling a 29ft toyhauler with a Chevy silverado 1500. I cecomend taking the north entrance or if taking the main (by Radio towers) then turn left when you get to the wall.
GuideThursday night you August was busy. However, the sunrise the next morning made it worth the stop.
ScoutWe have stayed here twice, it was easy to find and lots of available spots but it’s just on a cliff’s edge so there are TONS of strong gusts of winds, it caused our tent to cave in and I ended up sleeping in the car. There was a goat, that was cool, but otherwise I don’t recommend for tent camping (go to sage creek campground, also free)
ScoutI really liked this site, they had tables with shade, out house, flat ground, and compared to the dispersed camping wayyy less windy. We did not see bison today but there were prairie dogs
ScoutLoved the Badlands in the background. No trees or privacy, but was nice to be camping in the Badlands. We went in July and it was very hot (100) and super windy. Not ideal for a popup with no a/c.
TravelerGorgeous site! Very popular site with neighbors close by, but ours were very kind and friendly! We got lucky and didn’t have any problems with wind. Enjoyed the sunrise and sunset from this spot!
GuideI loved camping at this spot! It was easy to find, and even though there was a good amount of people there it was spaced out and I felt comfortable. There is zero privacy, so be prepared for that. If you’re in a tent also be prepared because it is extremely windy at night! Even my little teardrop was shaking. But the view is incredible and the sunrise was stunning.
ScoutCedar Pass Campground in Badlands National Park offers 96 scenic sites with amenities like flush toilets and summer coin-operated showers. Located near the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, it provides a great base for exploring the park. Reviews highlight its beautiful views and convenient facilities.
ScoutI stayed here for 2 nights as a solo female traveler. It is minutes from the Badlands entrance. There were a lot of people around (I stayed in early July) so I always felt safe even at nights. It's pretty open land so it was hard finding a private area to use the bathroom. I slept in a tent the first night, but it got really windy on night 2, so I just slept in the car. Overall, I highly recommend staying here as it is free and absolutely beautiful.
GuideThe campground is fine. FHU with cable. $65 might be steep but,....
You can walk to Wall Drug Store if you are so inclined.
Plenty of space to walk the dogs.
8 miles from Badlands National Park entrance.
COMPLAINT - not the parks fault but....they were/are doing construction on the railroad crossing that prevents you from following your navigation guide. The detour signs are terrible or non-existent. We drove down a street with cars parked on both sides, and found ourselves at road closed even thought we could see the park. We had to call and ask how to get into the park.
Legend
Close to NP. Level sites. Hookups are a little wonky. Some sites they are on the wrong side. Gravel sites and roads. Nice staff. Would stay here again.
TravelerThe views were amazing from this campground, but the price for the amenities provided was mediocre.
There was very little shade, and it did get very hot while we were there.
Conviently located close to the visitors center end of part but if you want to be closer to Wall you may want a different campground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Philip, SD?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Philip, SD is Baja Area Dispersed - Buffalo Gap National Grassland with a 4.4-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Philip, SD?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Philip, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
