Have stayed here several times on the way and way back from trips further west (from MN). Getting a little too popular (crowded) in recent years but there’s good reason why: it’s a good, unique, convenient spot. Bison roam through the campground and some of the best stargazing I’ve seen.

Stayed for two nights in my tent. This is a completely free, first come first served, right in the heart of the Badlands National Park. So get there early, spots start to fill quick around 3pm. Grated gravel road, no need for 4x4, and behicle can make it. ATT had no service (was great). CLEAN Vaulted toilets (2). No water or electric hookups. As long as you don’t mind bunk mates with prairie dogs and buffalo you’ll love this spot. Little critters all over hollering. Once sun goes down you’ll hear the howling of coyotes and get the clearest views of the stars. 10/10 would recommend.

We camped in the badlands and black hills for a week and we loved this place so much we ended up camping here three times. The prairie dogs are so enjoyable! We got lucky and had a herd of bison walk through one night. The road is a little rough to get there and it is pretty primitive. Best part is its free!

We had a lovely one-night stay here in the middle of August. It was very hot and we used our AC in the RV during the day. Little shade, lots of sun, and beautiful Badlands vistas in all directions. Sites are fairly close together, so not much privacy. Close to many hiking trails and vistas and the Visitors Center. Loved the scenery, this is a not to miss destination.

We drove out here at night and couldnt see a thing. It is extremely dark at night, which i love!! It gave us the rare opportunity to observe the NEOWISE comet with just our binoculars. Amazing! On the drive out we saw several deer. WARNING: if you go in an RV be prepared for a bumpy ride. The road out is terrible! We awoke to fog that quickly cleared and the squeaks of prairie dogs. There is a little trail that takes you up the hillside for a spectacular view. Saw a lot of bison droppings but didn't actially see one until the drive out. Then we saw a whole herd! This is definitely worth the trip. Mind you, no electric, no water, no sewer so go prepared. A tenter's paradise and an RVer's opprtunity to get back in touch with nature. The subsequent drive through the Badlands was breathtaking!

Holy cats it was windy when I set up camp here. It's so flat that when the wind comes through, it just does not stop. AND the ground was SO hard. Super glad I had a real, metal hammer in my car to get my stakes in the ground. 

Lots of available spots when I arrived mid-afternoon, but the sites with covered tables were all taken. Lots of prairie dogs. 

Vault toilet was fine, but a line formed during busy times and ran out of tp. 

THERE IS NO WATER HERE. And the spigot at the entry was broken, so I had to drive to the complete other end of the Badlands to get more water. Bring your own in if you can. Sage Creek could be used with a filter, but it was pretty shallow, slow moving, and a nice sage green color. I took the drive.

Nice and friendly people with plenary of small hikes around. Great spot for a free night of camping.

Nice, clean campground in the national park. The campground itself is free but you need to purchase a pass for the park. No host or registration required. There are some marked sites in the center of the loop but you can camp pretty much wherever you can find a spot, as long as you're within the campground area. While we were cooking dinner a buffalo walked right through! Clean restrooms, but no water so remember to bring some. There were hiking trails around the campground and the sunrise was beautiful from the top of the hill.

Super nice spot. No real negatives for free camping. Only problem I had was a ton of late arrivals keeping me up with lights and noise, but once again for a free night of camping I couldn’t care less.

Free camping within the badlands! There are designated spots but also people just randomly popped up their tents/RVs! Lots of prairie dogs and buffalo around!

We stayed here for one night as our first stop on our road trip and we were SO impressed! The prairie dogs were right there in the middle of the campground and bison roamed the fields around it. We stayed in our tent and there was plenty of spots even into the evening. Nice hiking trails right off the campsite loop.

A crowded, but nice, site right in Badlands National Park! A great scenic drive in on awesome and well maintained gravel roads. Large loop site with tons of space for tents and parking. Definitely noisy, but well worth being inside the park. Overall well maintained bathrooms, tons of little trails, and a creek nearby. Stunning sunset views and distant views of Badland choss formations! One thing to mention—there is a massive prairie dog CIVILIZATION living in the campsite, so be prepared for squeaky little neighbors.

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.

Our one night in Sage Creek has to be one of my favorite campground camping memories and is probably #1 for experiencing the National Parks. It's a strange spot. Just a big circular drive with not trees, spots are sort of marked by tables, but it gets too crowded for people to limit themselves to one camper per table. It's enough of a drive out there and people get there at hours, that people will just crowd in even if its officially overfilled, not that there an easy way to tell if it is or not. So definitely not your typical camping experience. But it is a free place to camp in a national park and doesnt require any reservations. There was a prairie dog colony right in the middle of the campground. You wont see the typical bonkers badlands geological features on this side of the park, but the grasslands are gorgeous and the flat spot where the campgrounds are is nestled between hills that were fun to scamper up. No water or fires. Come for the camaraderie, not the isolation.

We came in late, and although its seems like there are only about 10 designated sites with tables and the like, there's a bit off allowance for overflow and no one seemed to mind.  Got to the Badlands just in time to see it in the fading light while our eardrums got used to the silence. After that we had to force our way though a herd of bufallo, but they weren't hostile or scared. It's a long trek to get back there, just don't get in a hurry.

There is one vault toilet and some trash cans scattered about.

You have to travel down 12 miles of gravel road in the Badlands to reach this campground but it is so worth it! The campsites are all on the outward edge of a big circular road, pretty close together, but still very quiet and respectful. There is NO COST and there are 2 vault toilet facilities provided. The adorable prairie dogs are everywhere but go to sleep with the sun. During the evening, a wild bison came to the campground edge to graze. The campground filled up by dark, so be sure to get there early for a place to camp. Picnic tables are also provided, some with sun shades.

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.

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

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.

A primitive campground without drinking water or electricity. Fires are not allowed. There is is space for RVs and horses. It is a national park so check on pet regulations. 

The upside, Buffalo can wander through your camp. Or pose in the prairie next to the camp. Great hikes into the park.

Oh, all the things they say about being careful around buffalo, they mean it. I saw a couple who walked too close to a buffalo. Lucky for them the startled animal went away but they were in serious danger.

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!

Fun, open style campground. Heard distant coyotes at night, and woke up to bison strolling through in the morning. Make sure you have water, there is none available. If you can snag a spot, camp near one of the covered picnic tables. Amazing stargazing. Best of all, it is free!

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.

Not much to this place. Two pit toilets, picnic tables, and trash service. we had some rainy weather and part of the campground was muddy but it held back the crowds. Prarie Dogs and Bison are right in camp along with the idiots who get way to close to the wild animals! A great find though and easy to access.