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.