Pactola Reservoir Campground

The surrounding woods, the well-maintained sites and facilities, and the wonderful and helpful staff make this my most favorite by far.

The reservoir is huge, and many consider it to be one of the best fishing "holes" in the state. I would agree.

T-Mobile's service was 4 bars. 

The prices and inventory at the marina store were great, and you MUST try their broasted chicken. I rented a fishing boat several times, and the marina staff was very helpful and informative.

Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

Roy

There are a lot of sites spaced out nicely in a wooded area. The vault toilets are clean and water is available from the many spigots. Close the reservoir and you can rent boats and pick essentials from the camp store.

Lots of space and great place to caMp near the beautiful Pactola lake.

Vault toilets nearby. Tall pine trees and grassy areas to set up tent. Reservoir is stunning.

Excellent location for exploring the region, plus a nice lake for cooling off. Sites are reasonably spaced. My site (12) has a great view over the lake. Several trails down to the shore, plus easy hike at far end (osprey trail). Toilet was clean.

Only got to stay here for one night on our way to Yellowstone, but had a nice stay. Stayed at site 31 and was easy to get our 38’ MH in and out. No electric, no water, no sewer, no problem. Lake was just down the path and the kids and dogs enjoyed playing in the water. Will be heading back again. There is a free dump station in Deadwood on the way up to the interstate.

While the sites are large there is not a lot of shrub to add privacy between sites. Don't recall any showers here but there are pit bathrooms that were clean. Try to reserve a site on the waterfront side if possible; more privacy and a better view there.

Stopped one night while going from Montana to Colorado. I've been camping 52 years and this is one of the most beautiful spots I've camped in. Good distance between neighbors--not cramped like some areas.

This was the second time we camped at Pactola Reservoir and it was great. They are very dog friendly ($2/pet, per night and you have to pay in cash at check-in), which is awesome to find. We have two dogs but saw other campers with 3. The upper loop (I think sites 48+) looked like they are more for group camping in that the sites are very close together but the rest of the campground has spacious sites. We stayed at site 37 in a tent and while it was a little close to the bathrooms and trash, it didn't bother us as much as we thought because the site is huge. The camp store is also well-stocked and came in handy. Overall, we would definitely choose to come back!

Reserving a site on Recreational Gov. app can be misleading. The entire upper loop is designed for “tent walk-up camping” we reserved site 63 and discovered it’s not well suited for a trailer or camper- unless you are ok with camping in a parking spot or packing into the tent site. The staff accommodated a site change to #6. Great views of the water and better suited for our setup.

Pros: scenic beauty of tress and Reservoir, lots of activities- water sports, hiking, and motor bike trails, clean restroom facilities.

Cons: no electricity, sites are close together in all loops, some areas littered with trash.

Overall we were pleased with our two nights.

Warning regarding sites 48 and above: these are a parking lot. They are not at all like the beautiful tree filled sites with views in the pictures.  Basically, they pack campers in to a strip of parking and your fire ring and picnic table are over in the grass. Your camp site is two parking spaces wide. and your neighbor or their truck are right next to you, parking lot style. This is an awful place to camp. It should be made tent only with the number of spaces cut in half.

The campground is spacious and nice. The overgrown pine trees in the Black Hills mountains are great for shade. The water in the lake is the cleanest reservoir lake water that I can remember. My 4 year old had a blast swimming, kayaking and enjoying the scenery.

I should have checked Recreation.gov to confirm this campground is open before heading there, it would have saved me some time. It closed as of September 11th 2020, and is reopening in May 2021. Looks like May- Sept. is what's planned for next year as well. Boo! Still, glad I did actually go because now I know where I might head next time I'm in the area. Noticed some other campsites in the Black Hills are closed as well, so I might have timed my camping trip to the area poorly. Live and learn. Anyway, about the campground… 

Easy to get to, good LTE reception on Verizon throughout, BIG area with what looks like four different loops, some closer to the water than others. A tent-only area, which I appreciate- those tend to be quieter than the RV spots, and the tent area was close to the reservoir. Standard campsite amenities- tables, fire pits, bathrooms. Swimming seems like an option. Plenty of trees for us hammock dwellers. Could easily see myself spending a few days here when it is open, assuming it isn't too much of a zoo, which large sites like these can devolve into.

NOTE: this is a duplicate listing of another Dyrt listing for the same campground. That listing is under the name "Pactola Reservoir Campground" which is the accurate name according to the Forest Service. That listing has more reviews and info, but has incorrect GPS coordinates. I've submitted a fix, so hopefully they'll fix the GPS for the other listing and merge them, but until then, just a heads up. Here's the other listing: https://thedyrt.com/camping/south-dakota/south-dakota-pactola-reservoir-campground

I should have checked Recreation.gov to confirm this campground is open before heading there, it would have saved me some time. It closed as of September 11th 2020, and is reopening in May 2021. Looks like May - Sept. is what's planned for next year as well. Boo! Still, glad I did actually go because now I know where I might head next time I'm in the area. Noticed some other campsites in the Black Hills are closed as well, so I might have timed my camping trip to the area poorly. Live and learn. Anyway, about the campground…

Easy to get to, good LTE reception on Verizon throughout, BIG area with what looks like four different loops, some closer to the water than others. A tent-only area, which I appreciate - those tend to be quieter than the RV spots, and the tent area was close to the reservoir. Standard campsite amenities - tables, fire pits, bathrooms. Swimming seems like an option. Plenty of trees for us hammock dwellers.  Could easily see myself spending a few days here when it is open, assuming it isn't too much of a zoo, which large sites like these can devolve into.

NOTE - as of 9/28/2020 the GPS coordinates for this are wrong on Dyrt. I submitted a correction, so that might be changed soon, but just a heads up. Dyrt currently has another listing with fewer reviews simply called "Pactola Campground" that is also this campground and has accurate GPS coordinates. You can find that listing here: https://thedyrt.com/camping/south-dakota/pactola

To avoid potentially heading to the wrong spot, just fire up Google Maps and plug in "Pactola Reservoir Campground" and it'll take you right there.

EDIT / UPDATE - as of 10/7/2020 the GPS coordinates for this campground are now correct.

While I wasn’t able to secure a spot right by the water, site 4 in the C loop has great views! It has a great pavement pad, along with a paved path all the way to the vault toilets and water spigot. You are fairly close to other campers, but I knew that coming in.

We just got here and set up camp. But we are so pleased with our site. We are on the side closest to the lake and the bathroom is very close! The toilets have running water but there are no showers here.

This campground is unbelievable beautiful. The whole camp is along the lake and offers amazing views of the Pactola Reservoir. Each campsite had a fire pit and a picnic table. There's enough room on one site to put 2 or 3 tents and feel completely comfortable. If you're interested in hammock camping the trees are plentiful in perfectly spaced. The picture I took was just as the sun was going down and I don't believe I have camped in a more breathtaking spot.

Huge campsites with views of the lake. Some of the biggest camp sites on our trip. Some had more privacy than others. Both RV and tent sites.

Picnic tables, camp fire pits. Drinking water. Close to the Jewel and Wind Caves and Mr. Rushmore. About 50 sites total, with the best being on the lake side.

Vault toilets only where we were, though other parts had flush toilets.

Nice day use area with access to the lake. Boat ramps. Very popular with locals. A bit off the freeway, so no noise at night. Sites can be booked up to six months in advance, or sometimes grabbed at the last minute if lucky.

Great campground with a beautiful view of Pactola Lake. We only got to stay for one night but we are going back this summer. The camp hosts were very nice and accommodating! I thought the camping pads were a little close to each other but other than that it wasn’t to bad. There was a store close to the camping area that had everything you could want including boats and paddle board rentals!

The campsites are large and rustic. Modern amenities such as boat rentals are available, but I like the more natural camping experiences. We camped in late September, the leaves were turning and the air was crisp and cool. The wildlife is abundant. Pactola lake is deep and clean; the views are amazing and the water is very cold. The proximity to Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, and Spearfish make this a very nice camping destination.

prob the most prettest campground aroumd

This was a great place! No electricity or running water but well worth it. We had a spot just above the lake and plenty of room to do whatever we wanted!

Gracious camp hosts, nice level grounds for tents, plenty of firewood for sake and the most beautiful views anywhere. My husband and I spent a quiet weekend, relaxing, shore fishing and spending quality time together. Perfect! The onoy thing that would make it better are shower houses

The tent sites are gorgeous! You may have to move some pinecones, needles, and large sticks, but the grass is quite soft. Bathrooms is clean, but there is only one.

This is a national forest campground. Vault toilets were very clean and didn’t smell. There are pay laundry machines and showers at the marina store nearby. Also they rent boats and paddle boards. The marina and campground hosts have wood for sale. There is a drive through trash area with several big barrels for trash and recyclables. There is a specified swimming beach, however we were turned off due to all the geese poop! We waded and swam in the water near our campsite. The campground sites are adequately spaced so you don’t feel crowded. There are no tent pads. Most sites can accommodate several tents. Overall a great camping experience if you don’t need the luxury of electricity and sewer hookups!

Primitive campground tucked into the hillside overlooking Pactola Lake. Well maintained and for a fantastic price. Can’t wait to go back.

We loved this place. The group site had room for all and private restrooms. We had a wonderful view of the lake making watching the sun rise breathtaking.

Centrally located in the Black Hills, this campground is a convenient place to stay while you visit the various attractions of the Black Hills. Our family had a great time swimming, boating and fishing on the lake. The nearby marina has a small store that makes it convenient for any last minute essentials. We would definitely visit this campground again.

Stopped here on our road trip since it was near Mt. Rushmore. Grabbed one of only a few spots left, but it was an absolutely beautiful, huge spot above the reservoir. Tons of space with our own private pathway down to the water. Gets only 3 stars though because the pit toilet was the grossest one on our whole road trip. It's also "managed," which means there's someone at the check-in taking your money and helping out, but also means the cost was more than we spent anywhere else that did not have flush toilets ($26/night). Lots of happy people with friends partying (seems like a good local place for people who want to use the lake), so I was worried about the noise, but everyone quieted down by quiet hours.

Visited during a trip to the Black Hills when I wanted to get off the beaten path a bit from the normal Black Hills area (ie -Custer, Hill City, etc. This is a gorgeous lake with some beautiful sunsets and great recreational opportunities. Not a whole lot nearby if you forget something you will have to drive into Hill City if I recall correctly, but a nice campground and great overall experience!