Elk Mountain Campground — Wind Cave National Park

Elk Mnt -Wind Cave NP 10/24

(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 4 for stopover convenience, setting, and exploring the NP Price 2024: $ 6(the off season, no water price) w interagency pass Security: no Usage during visit: light - this cg is shutting down in a few days. Only 1 loop is now open. Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: no Site Spacing: pull over sites in Loop B were 50+ feet apart.
Pad surface: gravel Reservations: yes Campground Noise: quiet Outside Road Noise: none Through Traffic in campground: none Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: no Dump Station: no Potable Water Available: yes, but currently turned off Bathroom: pit toilet is clean and open.
Showers: no Pull Throughs: Some pullovers- in b loop have nice view of grassland rolling hills. However, not all will allow for a driver’s side slide. Our site, #15 did have room,barely. Cell Service (AT&T): no bars. Setting: attractive rolling grasslands and pine forest. Recent Weather: highs in the 70s. Solar: yes Insects: none Host: none this time of year.
Rig Size: some sites will probably allow for a 40’ or so trailer. Check carefully when reserving on rec dot gov.
Sites: 16, 20, 18, 15: I like these pull over sites, because they have a nice view of the rolling grasslands. However, in our site, number 15, we were able to barely get our slide out without it protruding over the campground road. Some of the other pullover sites in B loop offer less room for a safe slide out usage. Other loops have wider pullover sites for trailers with slide outs. I took pictures of some of these sites with their numbered posts.

Smaller campground. Tent only section is small, but sites have reasonable amount of space between sites. Plenty of water and restroom is not too far off (but needs a deep clean and update). First couple of sites have no shade. Camp hosts were great (there’s almost no signal in park so they came through to warn us on tents that a huge thunderstorm was heading our way so we could prepare—thank goddess they did: it was a long and intense storm).

Lovely little campground in a underrated park that was fantastic!!!

Host jumped right in to help you book the site. The site was right on the road which I didn't love but huge site and not a lot of traffic. Site was level. Bathroom was right next door and clean enough...no showers ..

Would definitely camp here again. Rangers came by to tell you a storm was rolling in and to stay in. They had a nighttime hike and the trails were right off campground...smaller than some parks but great!!

We arrived on a Monday afternoon without reservations, and there were many sites to choose from.  The Campground Hosts helped us to complete our reservation (no cell signal here).  Very clean and well maintained campground.  There were nightly Ranger Talks at the Amphitheater.  Campground is very close to the Wind Cave Visitor Center and the tours there.  We took a half-day trip to do a tour at Jewel Cave.  Restocked supplies in Hot Springs.

Staff and other campers were great. Even had one staff member walk around and show me their favorite parts of the grounds.

Very clean sites and easy access.

We cowboy camped here at site #11. Did not get wet during the night, and the bugs weren’t bad at all. The site had an incredibly level dirt tent pad, although most everything else (picnic table, fire ring, parking, etc) was on a slant. Beware of the pine sap!! Wildlife (particularly bison) aren’t an issue, as there is a fence with a cattle guard surrounding the entire campground. Bathrooms were close with flushable toilets and a camper sink. This campground provides ranger run evening programs at the amphitheater. While we were there, the talk was on prairie dogs. Would have stayed longer if we could have! Limited AT&T service available.

Some national parks offer all kinds of surprises, and the little-known Wind Cave NP is one of them.  While many of these will be found on the guided ranger tours below the surface, many lie above.  This park has some great hiking and cycling opportunities– just beware that the bison freely roam both road and trail and they always have the right of way.

The campground harkens back to the simpler days of canvas tents and checkered table cloths, and to be fair, not much has changed in this lovely and simple campground since it was constructed.  Most of the sites are pull through, but there are no services offered at the sites. The campground is kept very clean and has both pit and flush toilets (closed during the winter) and fresh water, but no showers.  The partially wooded prairie offers some shade for summer time heat or sunshine during the cooler shoulder season.  We had plenty of sun to keep our solar powered system charged up, even in April.   Cell phone service is available just outside the campground gate.

This visit to Wind Cave was our third in 10 years and we've always found this campground to be nearly empty when we come during the shoulder season...and it's half price if they don't have the water turned on.  Tip!  Get some drinking water at the visitor's center.

If you want to take your camping experience to another level, the nearby town of Hot Springs offers some unique experiences, like the Moccasin Springs Spa which has offers excellent hot pools, as well full-service spa amenities. The individual shower rooms are worth the experience alone.  The town is tiny but has a few good restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations.

I’m blaming my low rating on it being too early in the season. Only the B loop was open and I had to tent among the RVs. Quiet time was not enforced - neither from the bass from the latest superhero movie in an RV at 11:30 PM, nor the multiple generators beginning at 5 AM. Beautiful setting with coyotes in the evening. I’m sure I’d have enjoyed it if I could have camped up on the hill.

Beautiful area which had plenty of availability. We were pleasantly surprised at how few people were in the campground considering that most of the other campgrounds in the area were booked solid.

This campground has an interesting set up. The sites large enough for our 24 ft Class C were gravel pullouts along the main road and one small loop. There is a separate loop for tents only.

The campground is FCFS, but didn’t seem to fill completely in mid September.

There are water spigots throughout the campground, but the one closest to us wasn’t working.

It was one of the quietest campgrounds we’ve stayed at and is in a great location to explore the area.

Really liked the vibe of this campground.  First come, first serve, but plenty of sites available when we arrived mid day.  No hookups, but plenty of potable water spouts and clean bathrooms (no showers).  Great hikes and cave tours in the NP

I checked on this campground for our stay and the campground told me there are no electric hookups.  The Dyrt website says there is.  FYI

Stayed the first week of May.  Sites are road side pull offs, there were some back ins the other loops were closed since it was early in the season but it was a nice place to camp for a few days while we visited the area and Wind Cane NP.  No water camping fee was $4.50 Some great hikes in the area and the cave tour was excellent.  Not the typical wet damp cave tour. Since it was early in the season with not water (water was available from a spigot at the NP Visitor Center.  Close to many attractions if you can handle a 30 to 45 minute drive to Custer Mt Rushmore etc..  If in the area again I would definitely stay there.

This campground is located in Wind Cave National Park and hardly ever fills to capacity. It is first-come, first-serve and $9 a night until they turn the water on and it increases to $18, but it’s a nice serene area with bison just outside the gates! You are surrounded by wildlife, and they have wonderful trails, 2 of which are pet-friendly. I stayed overnight to camp and got in line early to get tickets to the Entrance Cave tour. The tour was wonderful!

I only stayed for one night but it sure was beautiful! It’s a mile from the Wind Cave visitor center. I was there during the off-season so was only $9/night so no flush toilets or water. The vault toilets were very clean though. The sunset was beautiful and it was fun to watch the bison and prairie dogs. Be sure to pack in everything you need. Closest grocery is 15 minutes away. No cell service but loved unplugging and meeting neighbors!

This is a great campground within the wind Cave national Park. It has both tent and RV parking. The RV parking is somewhat limited and mostly the RVs park along the road. Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring and the bathrooms have running water and flushing toilets during the warm seasons. There are no showers available. The campground is in the middle of the national park and just outside of the campground there are hiking trails everywhere. You will see herds of Buffalo and herds of deer everywhere. The cave was not accessible due to a mechanical problem with the elevator. It has been an ongoing issue and I would check the website before you go. Not a big loss to see the cave as the hiking was fantastic

Holy cow we would go back here again and again. First of all, as you drive into the park you’ll just see plains of buffalo hanging out! So cool to see them up close. Secondly, the camping was nice a secluded from the traffic of the park and there were plenty of options. We picked a site on the end of the campground and were able to hike around to see different landscapes etc. We woke up the next morning and walked to the visitors center which is just full of cool information! We signed up to do the cave tours before we departed and it was just the coolest experience.

Passing through South Dakota rests a very unique park unlike any other you will find.    The Wind Cave National Park in its own right is emoting of great majesty, a unique preserved ecosystem in the midst of a world which has moved in and managed to destroy so much of the grassy prairie lands through development.    Passing into the park is passing into a piece of history.   

While the cave itself is something of a wonder, the park itself is a ground which should also be noted.     It is a place where wild bison roam free, elk pass through and can be found thriving, prairie dogs bark adamantly and so many more unique native animals and plants can be observed and appreciated.

It is in this area that you will find Elk Mountain Campground.     

When I drove through this area I wasn't sure what to expect.   The rolling prairie plains were beautiful however did not offer much in way of shade and that somewhat concerned me as I drove closer and closer to camp, however the world began to roll as hills turned and transitioned into a forest of wonder and lush green grasses.   

The campground looked like a different world from the world which I had been driving in coming from Hot Springs.     Tall trees shaded sites and provided a soft bed for tent campers, large pull ins offered RVs options for a variety of sizes and styles of camping.    Each site was adorned with the standard fire rings and picnic tables and depending on your desire you could stay in a location which was completely shaded or had sun exposure.

Bathrooms here are flush toilets with running water, including a wash basin room for dishes and though there were not showers it didn't seem to be an inconvenience with all the beauty around.

Group sites offered large grassy knolls and in some cases pavilions for use and with winding paths around camp to differentiate the loops through sites were close together they seemed to have privacy.

Although this campground does have an honor box there is also a campground host which does keep track of campers and park rangers patrol throughout the day and evening to ensure safety.     This makes for a very secure feeling camp in such a unique location.

TIPS:

• If visiting call ahead to see if the cave is open.   When I visited the elevators were not operating and this limited access to the cave itself.
• Try hiking in the park, unlike many parks which only allow trail hiking this park encourages you to explore fully.
• Keep your distance from wildlife.    Wildlife is wild here even if it looks tame they are not!!  Bison can run up to 35 miles per hour and most incidents with the wildlife occur from people trying to encroach upon the animals for photos.

Very spacious campground that, according to the ranger, has filled to capacity maybe three times in the last decade. I got in during the evening and found a great spot up from the road on a small hill. I imagine it would’ve been hot during the day because there was no shade there, but good for just one night I figured. Unfortunately, a t-storm rolled through around 2am (my fault for not checking the weather before - no service here - nor did I check the bulletin board for weather) and I figured it was best to move my tent to the wooded area. Not fun to do in the middle of the night but at least I staked it back in about ten seconds before the storm reached me (next 1.5 hours was rough though).

The wind cave itself was closed for exploring while I was there which was too bad. A knock on the park, though, not the campsite. Was right around the corner from the visitor center/cave entrance otherwise which is convenient.

I arrived in August 2019 to find the caves closed until September. I was very disappointed as coming back wasn't an option. I did camp at Elk Mountain--you find your site and then reserve it. There are few options for sites that aren't in the sun. Although according to the ranger the camp doesn't fill up, I would recommend getting your site early to ensure some shade. Bathrooms are nice and clean. No showers (at least where I was). Pleasant stay overall.

Really spacious campground with plenty of spots. Didn’t feel as crowded or too close to each other like a lot of other national park campgrounds. The Elk Mountain Campground is conveniently located to the visitor center and cave entrance. The Elk Mountain hike starts at the campground and is a nice little hike to do before you settle in for the night.

Simple campgrounds in Wind Cave National Park. The campground was well maintained and in great condition. The location can't be best as you're only 1 mile from the visitor's center and central to the park.

There is a hiking path nearby that gets you up so you can view the amazing area surrounding you. We heard lots of animals through the night and loved it.

Our only complaint was that the lights from the very simple bathrooms were so bright at night they ruined our night vision. Do not choose a site near the bathrooms.

The campground is secluded and quiet. You can see the bison as you come into camp if you’re lucky. There was also a wild turkey that was wandering around the whole time we were there

We loved this camp site! The surroundings were beautiful, and the bison were just outside the gate in the morning. Clean bathrooms and attentive host. They had a campfire program with the rangers the night we were there, but we already had a good fire going and didn't want to leave it unattended. Very close to Wind Caves!! Get there before 10am to book a tour... Business picked up about then.

Nice place to stay if you are looking for first-come first serve sites!  The campground wasn't very busy which was nice because the sites were not overly secluded. Kinda a grassland area, but since it wasn't too busy and we were in the tent area it was a good fit for just the night.

The main attraction for visiting this park was a cave and cave tour- awesome!  Highly recommended :)  I actually retained a decent amount of the information we learned!  The tour was through but they kept it fun as well.  We were pleasantly surprised to see a plethora of bison (when we were in Custer that had rounded them all up so seeing them in the wild was nice!) 

*remember to wear something warm if you are doing a cave tour- it's chilly down there!

Nice quite campground with bathrooms close to beautiful hiking trails

The campground rarely fills up which means there’s no rush to get there. Because you’re in the rolling grasslands there is little seclusion between campsites but sites are spaced far enough that you still have some privacy. Great views of the nearby hills and spectacular evening and morning light! Wind caves is also an easy day’s drive from the Badlands and well worth getting off the main routes westward.

This is the only campground in Wind Cave NP and has four loops with just over 60 sites. Loop A is for tents only and is the only loop with designated tent pads. Loop D has group sites that are reservable.

Some sites are in or near trees, but many are in grassy areas with little to no shade.

Each loop has restrooms with flush toilets and running water. There are water faucets for every couple of sites, however at the time there were a few that were not working.

Each site has a fire ring and picnic table.

There is a shed at the entrance where firewood/kindling are available for a donation.

There were lots of wildlife in/around the campground: mule deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bison.

Just south of the campground is the visitors center where tickets for the cave tours can be purchased.

This campground is centrally located for visiting Jewel Cave, Badlands NP, Mt. Rushmore, and exploring the Black Hills region.

My only complaint is that many of the sites (on loops B-D) are more for RVs just to park and don't have much space for tents. As a result, several sites can only accommodate small tents because there's not much space with a fire ring and picnic table too.

We opted to spend the night here on our way back to the Twin Cities from Colorado. We stayed at C4- it was nice and private enough from our nearby neighbors. Going to the Wind Cave was really neat- be warned the elevator is currently out of service so you would have to go through the natural entrance. While we were there it was dry enough so that there was a fire ban.

Wind Cave is about an hour away from Reptile Gardens (which definitely exceeded my expectations).

This campground is centrally locates to some great activities in South Dakota. We made day trips to visit the Badlands, Wall Drug Store, Wind Cave and Mount Rushmore. The Rangers had a presentation at the campground at night. There are bathrooms but no showers or electric. There are water pumps available for water. Dogs have to be on a 6 foot leash.