Best Equestrian Camping near Spearfish, SD

So you're going to Mount Rushmore.... I discovered during my trip to the area June 2015 that hotel rates in the area are very high for what you get & hard to find availability. The solution is to camp! Make the most of your South Dakota vacation by spending it camping. My group tented and had a great time. Keep in mind though for those coming from other areas of the country, South Dakota does experience rain and thunderstorms. Pack and camp accordingly. This campground is nearby many SD attractions, within easy driving distance and minutes of Hill City, Custer, Keystone, Rapid City, Mount Rushmore. There are many options at the campground such as purchasing firewood to renting bikes. Check out KOA's campground map for campground layout. RV hookups, tent sites, heated pools, splash pad, and much more to keep everyone entertained. Remember that this area of South Dakota hosts high volumes of tourists each season, especially summer and during Sturgis Motorcyle Rally. I highly recommend making reservations far in advance!

Nestled up in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, Black Fox is our 'go to' campground because of how small it is. 8-10 sites that are spread out so you're not right beside other campers. Black Fox has 1 vaulted toilet and every camp site has its own fire pit and picnic table. There is a small creek that runs right behind many of the camp sites so if you feel like doing a little rainbow trout fishing, you can. If your not into fishing, just hop on to your ATV and go explore the many trails that are situated right around the campground. Not only will you be able to enjoy nature, but you will see elk, deer, turkey and if your lucky, a mountain lion!

We camped at Iron Creek Lake after the rally, at the end of August.  It was wonderful, not crowded.  The cafe/diner has things like burgers and ice cream, and the fishing in the lake is great.  The trail around the lake is easy to walk and there is some beach area for frog catching and splashing around with little kids.  This is a great lake to have a water toy like a kayak, and there are rentals available too.  We have a 30' TT and didn't have any problem at the far end of the lake setting up flat and level camping.  Power was there as well.  There are many sites here on a hill, so depending on what you get, you may be in for a tricky parking situation with a longer trailer.  We didn't even use the dumpstation as the way it is positioned I couldn't get the tanks dumped, so that was a bummer.  We went into Spearfish campground owned by the city and dumped there.

The drive to Black Fox is along quite a few ranches and follows a river. The drive is enjoyable and not very difficult to handle. The campground is right along the river. The rapids made music that is peaceful and inviting. 

A large group of ATVs drove in to picnic. Along with one other family, the campground was pretty empty. 

What better camp than right along a bubbling river? Off road trails are the closest draw. The Michelson trail has an access point a few miles down the road. Pay the access fee and enjoy the trail with hikers, bikers, and horses. 

Although some of the sites had a bit too much water and were muddy, the bulk of the 9 sites were perfect.