Best Equestrian Camping near Wall, SD

This beautiful location is wonderful to wake up to. Bison on the hills around. Prairie dogs galore! Coyotes howling in the distance. Wonderful scenery!

However, this site offered no water and no availability for cooking unless you brought your own stove. There were however bathrooms and specific places to hitch up your horse. Hopefully your horse will not need water.

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.

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.

Close to Mount Rushmore and crazy horse! Pirates cove mini golf is a short drive away! Great facility with standard KOA amenities. Have stayed here twice but was only able to find a few photos from a stay about a decade ago.

Very peaceful but small campground. Each campsite has a Ramada, picnic table, grill and fire pit. No water. Pit toilet. Limited cell coverage. Free.

All sites are walk-in tent only.

The only issue we experienced were the horse flies but this would not deter us from staying again.

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.

Primitive campground, with no water, no designated sites, no RV hook-ups, and no fee. So bring your own water (you can fill up at the visitor center or in Wall), and enjoy the peaceful open space!

The campground is accessed via Sage Creek Rd, which is a maintained gravel road that can become a little rough after rain. There are a few picnic tables with shades over them, and two pit toilets. Your neighbors will be other solitude seekers, the local bison herd, a killer sunset, more stars in the sky than your mind can handle. The night will be filled with the sounds of coyotes, the wind blowing through the hills of prairie grasses, and the bison chomping their midnight snack. It's a magical place. 

I've camped here in more than one season, and had a memorable experience each time.

This was a really cool campsite, mostly because of the wildlife and the views! It’s only about 30 minutes away from the Badlands NP, and very close to Wall,SD. The campsite is actually made around a flat spot in the prairie lands, and the tents are set up in a circle. We set up camp around 5pm, and went to visit the Badlands which is a definite must! Upon coming back, we ran into a herd of bison on the road and because they were so close we got some awesome pictures! Prairie dogs are also everywhere, which if you can be quiet and quick enough you can maybe snap a pic! The only problem with this campsite is as it’s a popular campground, the amount of people there was too much for us. We had our tent moved by a group of rowdy people who kept us up at night and woke us up in the morning. Nonetheless, we had an awesome time and I would definitely recommend staying up long enough to check out the stars because it was quite a sight! Also we were traveling in a 2wheel drive, and the last part of the road to the campsite is a bumpy one so drive slow..!

I was on a cross-country road trip earlier this summer, and had to make a quick decision of heading towards the BLM nearby, or driving a few miles extra to the Sage Creek Campground, and so glad I did end up here.

It's few/several miles of driving on unpaved road, directly south of Wall, SD, but it's rather well maintained, a packed washboard gravel road, no major potholes to report. I saw my first bison on the winding road, heading down into the valley where the campground is.

It was still daylight but late afternoon/early evening, so I wasn't sure if they'd be a spot for my car, thinking that perhaps all spots are already full, especially since it's a FREE campground within Badlands NP boundaries. To my happy surprise, the campground is laid out along a big circular drive, with cars parking along the circle. There are extra spots off to the sides. There are 2 pit toilets, several modern shaded picnic tables along the large circular grassy area (although most were already claimed by other campers). There are trash and aluminum recycling bins next to the toilet building. There is no potable water source as far as I could tell.

The entire campground is in a valley, therefore somewhat protected from winds (which apparently the nearby BLM area is on a ridge and super windy). There are hiking paths that start at the campground for some vista views.

The best part, and most surprising, were the animals right there at the campground. Praire dogs - 100s if not 1000s of them - peeking out from their holes and barking like dogs. I didn't know what praise dogs were prior to coming here. They're like large squirrels, tan color, live in the ground, and bark like small dogs! Bison were munching on grass off in the distance and apparently right at the campground in the early morning. People camped in tents on the circular grass / prairedogs area, but I slept in my camper car. Things to remember that the wildlife is wild despite appearing harmless, they're wild, so keep that in mind.

Overall 5 stars for being a free campground, having toilet and trash facilities, for being in a beautiful spot with vast vistas, for the road being an easy access gravel road, for the fun and surprising animal presence. If you're looking for privacy, this might not be the spot for you as you're next to other people. If you don't mind being amongst other people, this place is great. As a female traveling solo on this stretch of my trip, I felt very safe here.

Sorry I forgot to get pictures. We stayed here for two days. The campsite allows pets has two toilets at both ends. No running water or electricity. The vibe at the site was great with the other campers. Weather was a bit extreme but we got unlucky picking a week when a huge storm column was coming across the US. The buffalo were all over the campsite. Really recommend if you enjoy camping a little more off grid but still having others to hangout with

This location is Sage Creek Basin Overlook and trailhead. It is beautiful up here at higher elevation. 4g and 5g cell service is available here on Tmobile. There are no toilets. The two toilets, one at each end of the campground, are located a few miles away at Sage Creek Campground. A few fellow park tourists stopped to see the views and hike. I spent two nights here.

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 dispersed campgrounds that's beyond belief. The sites had their own cabana with a picnic table but no trees and no water. There was a vault toilet that was guarded by a field of prairie dogs that cheeped at us like we were invading aliens from outer space, There was also a herd of Bison that came into the camping area and on one occasion I woke up to find one within 5 feet of my tent just munching on grass. I arrived the last week of May but it was still pretty hot, there were a few raining windy nights and I ended up crashing in the car my last night but that didn't take away for the fact that it was wonderful. I stayed for 4 nights and hiked around the park during the day.

We spent one night at this site. We were traveling through. First come, first spot. On our night, the coyotes were around camp after dark. And it was very dark outside! We had a pop-up and could hear and feel them going under our slide outs. The tenters that we saw in the morning were in their vehicles. Not sure if it was the coyotes or the freezing rain later in the night.
We plan to come back and spend a few days there to get some hiking in. Beautiful country!

Nice primitive camp no water. Your basically in a large circle field. All sites are on a first come First serve. ITS FREE! That’s the best part and your officially in the park. Great trails up the hills through flowers

Very quiet and scenic site. We arrived a little after dark and most of the sites were taken. While this site is “free” they ask you to go to the visitors center to pay the park entrance fee. We could hear the buffalo in the field next to the grounds all night. As well as the coyotes howling and yipping all night. We will certainly come back to this site on our next trip west! Be careful setting up after dark as there are prairie dog holes all around you.