Best Tent Camping near Rapid City, SD

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.

This is the only campground in Wind Cave NP and has four loops with just over 60 sites. Loop A is for tents only and is the only loop with designated tent pads. Loop D has group sites that are reservable.

Some sites are in or near trees, but many are in grassy areas with little to no shade.

Each loop has restrooms with flush toilets and running water. There are water faucets for every couple of sites, however at the time there were a few that were not working.

Each site has a fire ring and picnic table.

There is a shed at the entrance where firewood/kindling are available for a donation.

There were lots of wildlife in/around the campground: mule deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bison.

Just south of the campground is the visitors center where tickets for the cave tours can be purchased.

This campground is centrally located for visiting Jewel Cave, Badlands NP, Mt. Rushmore, and exploring the Black Hills region.

My only complaint is that many of the sites (on loops B-D) are more for RVs just to park and don't have much space for tents. As a result, several sites can only accommodate small tents because there's not much space with a fire ring and picnic table too.

This is a great place to stay. Not far from Rapid City but close to all the attractions in South Dakota. The heated pool was NOT heated and the hot tub was NOT hot. That is why I gave the CG four stars. I was really looking forward to using them. Also, both seemed overloaded with chemicals. I have owned lots of pools with blue colored bottoms, but these looked like there was “Ty-d-bowl” added. Brilliant, stark blue. I just don’t believe it can be just the basic treatment. See what you think. ???The laundry areas (3 of them) were clean and tidy, too. $2.00 for each, but 45 minutes on the dryer, so that’s fair. 😀 Our spot was a bit difficult for us to level our rig on because the rocks kept slipping. We had to go purchase extra Xchocks. There is a nice store for basic needs, and alcohol, and an event schedule for evening entertainment. The event center serves wings (no celery or carrot sticks), pizza, etc. There is a playground for kids and they said a dog park. —-I did find a big area there, but no fence around it. ???

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.

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.

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.

Our group of four adults and two kids under the age of ten picked did some tent camping at Custer Crazy Horse. Initially we wanted to camp inside Custer State Park but our late planning led us to only a few campgrounds with availability. We chose Custer Crazy Horse because a couple people in our group really wanted the comforts of shower, electricity and wifi and this place had all three! I'm personally use to primitive camping so I was expecting some sort of KOA-like setup. I was pleasantly surprised by how rugged and hilly the area was, how clean and fresh the facilities were, and (my favorite) how kind and hospitable the owners were! Twila is such a doll and allowed our 6 person party and 12 person tent to overflow onto 3 sites! We set up right by thr rocky outcrop which the kids loved playing on and meeting other kids at. Twila has a convenience store on the property with all the things you indeed forgot to bring as well as fresh complimentary coffee and two beautiful dogs that greeted everyone. Like I said, the showers and bathrooms were so clean! And they were always fresh everyday. This campground was also so close to everything! Very close to Custer State Park, Crazy Horse memorial, Mt. Rushmore, Hill City with a bunch of breweries and wineries, an hour out from Rapid City, and about an hour and a half to thr Badlands. And Twila gave us a pass to Custer State Park for the week which was so convenient since we were out there nearly everyday hiking and admiring the wildlife (especially the bison!). I highly recommend this campground! You will not be disappointed!

This place is gorgeous, clean, friendly, and serene. We stayed a total of 5 nights and enjoyed it very much. The sites are nice, long pull-thrus with full hookups. There are cabins, an inn, and tent sites as well. The laundry facilities, bathrooms, and showers are all extremely clean and EVERYTHING WORKS!

One of my favorite parts of this campground was the location. You get a great view of the black hills, wide open sky for start gazing, and it’s close to Custer state park and Custer itself. Only an hour from Rapid City. While having the feeling of being completely away from everything you have everything you could need 4 miles away.

Our kids looooved it here. There’s a great play ground and plenty of room to run around. We don’t have horses but seeing them come in and out of camp was a lot of fun.