Different kind of camping but being beneath the stars in the badlands was great!

Decided to spur of the moment camp in our car in this lot, while the car is uncomfortable this camp ground is just so pretty with wildlife all around.

Really can’t complain about free camping, but this campground is just a small circle. Cars park on the outside, tents in the middle. Bison roam around, which adds a certain excitement. 12 miles of gravel road to get there. Vault toilets. Shaded Picnic tables. Beautiful views. The circle shape is the main bummer bc it affords zero privacy. Sun is brutal most of the day, and we encountered a rainstorm that collapsed half the tents and sent many people packing. I would probably go back, but only as a free spot I’m familiar with.

Right for some, but not for us. It is free…awesome. We did a drive through and decided “no”. Nice chamber toilets…perk, but it felt cramped to us. We went to Buffalo Gap dispersed camping.

25216 Ben Reifel Rd is NOT the address!!! That is an employee RV campground! Do not camp there, you will be fined $200.

Campground is 12 miles down a maintained dirt road inside the National park. Vault toilets, very clean. Picnic tables. It’s one big circle with 20+ campsites. Breezy, but in a shallow valley.
Many prairie dogs and Buffalo. Stayed two nights.

Not very full, quiet, decent bathrooms, good access to trails, lots of wildlife jut keep a close lookout for bison, they are everywhere and get VERY close

The road getting to camp was 12 miles of washboards. We stayed for 2 nights. First night stayed in the rv area. Was very nice. We were one of two vehicles in the area. The second night we stayed in the loop due to rain. The rv area turning into a mud pit with a good soaking so be careful. Both days had the loop pretty packed by 5 pm. There was space available still both days. Had bison walking right under our roof top tent. And prairie dogs yelling at us. Great time was had by all. We stayed may 29-30

There was absolutely nobody else there the night I stayed. They have vault toilets, and tables which is a nice touch for a free campground.

Quiet spot that we had to ourselves in mid November. Room for maybe 30 but more than 12 or so would feel cramped. It was quite cold and very windy. The BEST vault toilet I have ever used! Only 4 stars because inside the loop, and outside in the surrounding area is inundated with prairie dog mounds, which is fine, but we had dogs that are supposed to be on leash as we are still in the national park here (I think) which made for interesting potty times

Nice, clean campground. We got there early to make sure we would get a spot and there were plenty to choose from, but as the day went on they started to fill fairly quickly. There were no camp fires permitted but some campers had them, for the most part all the other campers were very respectful and quiet, there was a large group that was kinda loud but then again it’s a large group. For a free campground it’s perfect, tons of prairie dogs running around the tent to provide entertainment, easy hikes with rolling hill views and pretty sunsets are all around. Some bison nearby as well which was cool. Would definitely stay here again.

It was a bit chilly but what do you expect in October? The reviews about seeing wildlife caught our eye so we thought we'd check it out and it did not disappoint! There are tons of prairie dogs & their holes all over the site - so fun to watch! We also had Bison constantly strolling through and using posts to itch themselves lol we also saw rabbits and a coyote. Free of charge to spend the night. Clean vault toilets with trash and hand sanitizer. Well worth the stop!! 10/10 would recommend.

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.

I don’t know if the roads got new gravel or what but the my Honda Crosstour made it just fine. It’s a Beautiful campground. With prairie dogs everywhere & you can walk up & feed them though it’s not recommended.

We were initially planning to dispersed camp in the Black Hills National Forest, but quickly realized we were going to spend more time in Badlands NP than we initially planned, so we stayed here instead. We arrived in the early afternoon to set up camp and there were plenty of sites available. The campsites are out in the open with no shade, but many sites have covered picnic tables, which was nice. We loved seeing all the prairie dogs throughout the campground and the herd of bison that walked right past several times. Be prepared for wind since it is in an open, flat area. The vault toilets were very clean. This was perfect for our one night stay.

The view of the night sky was incredible. Driving past Buffalo to get into the camp was wicked cool. Being woken up by Prarie dogs... I guess pretty cool and part of the experience. A coyote was 100 yards from the tent in the morning. So if your looking to see some wildlife I definitely recommend. It was clean and quiet but so small you can hear a conversation that someone is having across the camp.

Lovely way to see the Badlands. Several sites on one open loop; probably wouldn’t want to post up for more than a night but it was perfect for us, with a little trail up a peak to see the sunset and sooo many outgoing prairie dogs!

It’s very exposed…no shade.Hot in July. It’s a 1 night stay kind of place. It says up to 25ft trailer, but campground says 18’. If any other options,take it…I’ll leave it there.

Great flat spot within badlands. The bathroom was really clean and there a prairie dogs everywhere! We saw a bison in the morning as well.

We were going to explore the backcountry but saw a rattlesnake eating a prairie dog which put us off. Be careful if you leave the campground!

Road to site was a little rough but my Honda hrv was fine. Safe camprground for two women.

Was a great site especially for being free. Love how close it is to badlands. It does get crowded but free is free. Idk if this was just our experience but it was insanely windy. 

For being a campground in the NP, this is really nice!  The vault toilets were well stocked and very clean.  Trash bins throughout the site.  The sites are along a loop and while you can see your neighbors, they had a little more space than I thought due to the small size of the loop.  Beautiful scenery all around.  Saw a couple of bison just roaming through the campground which was so cool.  Prairie dogs are also everywhere so you may have some visitors!  No AT&T cell service.

We stayed one night Cool spot, but windy Close to where you want to be in badlands .

I’ve spent my fair share of nights tent camping in the western part of the states and I’d have to say that this campground is hands down my favorite. Not only is it free is it stunning!! Views of rolling hills and a river valley. Buffalo often wonder into the camp to scratch themselves in the wooden campsite markers! Dog friendly too!! There are technically 25 sites but I ave been here where 35 people crammed in off near the sides.

Decent campground. Lost some stars because of privacy, mud, and wind. The campsite is a circle with maybe 15 spots on the interior to camp, but people seemed to expand that number by camping outside the circle. Toilet was clean and smelled nice which was a surprise. Prairie dogs everywhere, you will probably camp next to a hole! They like to talk to eachother during the day.

BEWARE OF WEATHER!!!! We set up our tent at the beginning of the day and came back at night. In the meantime there was a storm which knocked our entire tent 50 yard from it’s original spot. The site has no protection from wind so just be careful! We had to sleep in the car.

Awesome spot with ample space. Many hikes in the area and not far from the Badlands legendary formations. Tons of prairie dogs and bison roaming free around the grounds. Peaceful area with great views. Exceptionally clean restrooms.

Camped: March 5th, 2021

First off I was not prepared for the road. In reading the other reviews I did not expect to feel like I was going the wrong way down a long dirt road. Road was like a washboard and I am not sure I would have attempted if I knew, but my little Scamp made it.

Arrived after dark. This is a dirt, circle, parking lot. Had 3 tents set up and a couple people sleeping in cars and it was March. I bet this gets very crowed in season. Got down in the 20’s and I felt sorry for the people in tents.

Stars were AMAZING! Worth sleeping here just to see the stars, I attempted to capture it with my iPhone camera but obviously fell short. This is a sky you need to see in person.

Outhouse was clean. We slept and woke up to a beautiful sky and then made our way to Black Hills. I can’t imagine wanting to stay more than one night but it was perfect for a safe place to sleep. I enjoyed drinking my coffee and listening to the prairie dogs.

Abundant wildlife. Bison frequently visit. Activities hiking, photography. Campground can get very busy. Everyone is very friendly. Stargazing is amazing! It can be very windy. Amenties: vaulted toliet.

Great location, there's a hike right next to the campground and it's a short drive away from prairie dogs and bison. We visited in the summer and it was very crowded. There is no shade in the area and the vault toilets were just ok in terms of cleanliness.

We loved that this place is free and so easy to access! Made for a great pit stop.

The Badlands have left an imprint on me ever since I was a kid. The painted hills, the dramatic landscape, the Buffalo freely roaming the park, the prairie dogs, the peace...there really are few places like it. So to be able to experience all of this in a well maintained NPS primitive campsite loop is unbeatable.

We arrived here on an early afternoon in November. Through the course of the day, the campground saw 4 more visitors. There were really clean pit toilets and trash receptacles. Picnic tables and shade structures located all around the loop.

Experienced a mind-blowing sunset and were serenaded by a pack of coyotes that surrounded the valley. Prairie dogs inhabit ever bit of the grasslands around you. Buffalo were slowly making their way towards the loop as we were departing the next morning.

In all of our travels, this was one of the BEST in-park primitive campgrounds we’ve stayed at. 10 out of 10 would recommend!