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.
Kept our camper there while we did a night of backcountry camping in Wind Cave National Park and we really liked how private and quiet it was. We felt safe leaving the camper there overnight. Definitely recommend!
Great campground. $18 per spot. First come first serve and the ranger said in 20 years, it has never filled up. It's is on the edge of a forest in a little valley. I took a walk outside the campground at dusk and on a ridge nearby was a lone wind cave bison just eating grass among the crickets. They also have a small ampitheater where rangers give talks every night during the summer at 9pm.
Nice campground tucked between two hills, one side wooded, one side grassland. Wild life, hiking, fire pits, nice tables, level sites with water available but not for hook up.
In the off season, you get bare bones ie a pit toilet. Lots of space for tents and rvs. The RV sites do have water. You check in by filling out a slip and using the envelope provided. There is a beautiful open expanse to hike a buffalo literally right outside the camp ground. Take a tour of Wind Cave National Park while you’re there too.
Although most people simply make Wind Cave a one-day or even half-day trip, we decided to stay two nights at Elk Mountain Campground and we are so glad we did. Beyond the Cave tours at the park, there was plenty of hiking and scenic drives around the area to make our time there more fulfilling.
The campground itself was cozy. Your basic, national park campground, with standard amenities like a picnic table, flush toilets, and a great evening ranger program about wildlife sounds at night.
The biggest thing we learned about this campground is the fact that it has rarely ever filled up, even though people fight for campsites in the Rapid City area during the busy season. Elk Mountain must not be on the tourist radar, which was perfectly fine with us.
We really enjoyed this park: we took the Natural Entrance Tour, which offered a great lead-up to entering the cave itself. We also took the Park Loop Scenic Drive and hiked Ranken Ridge, the highest point in the park.
You can read much more about our two days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Wind Cave)
Simple and beautiful campground near the caves and not far from many other features of the Black Hills. Feels very secluded but not far from towns either.
Yay: Not as crowded even in summer (according to the hosts) and very quiet. Great ranger programs frequently in the summer. Lots of wildlife, including bison.
Nay: Some loops have very open sites but they are quite spread out. Some are not very level. No reservations, but apparently it rarely fills up.
Surprise: you might see a bison almost too-close when you get up in the morning but they are fenced off. We saw golden eagles!
This national park campground is located less than a mile from the visitor’s center and is in the beautiful Black Hills area of South Dakota. Wind Cave is worth a stop, as it is one of the most unique caves we’ve seen. It is surrounded by grasslands, so not many trees in the main campground which can be quite hot during the summer months -- bring a canopy for shade. All RV sites are simply pull outs from the main road, which doesn’t allow for a great deal of privacy during the busy season. No hookups available, but drinking water and dishwashing sink is available during the main season. If the water is not turned on yet, the visitor’s center has a water bottle filler that you can use. Each site has a nice fire pit and picnic table. Bison and other large wildlife are kept out of the campground with fencing, but mountain lions have been seen in the area. Firewood is by donation onsite. Fee during the off season was $9 per night!
I had some time to kill while my wife took my two oldest kids through the caves and I had the three little ones with me. We took a drive through Wind Cave National Park. Our drive was quicker than expected so we stopped at the Elk Mountain Campground.
It was beautiful. There were campsites on the bottom of the hill and on the top of the hill. The campground was clean and had space for RVs and spaces for tents. It was a good mix with a fire ring in every campsite. The campground was only half full in June. It is also conveniently located only about a mile from the Visitor's Center where the cave tours begin.
If you have time for a hike, checkout Rankin Ridge Trail.
If you are going to visit the Wind Caves it's worth spending a night at Elk Mountain Trail.
We stayed at the Elk Mountain Campground in Wind Cave National Park in January 2016. It was definitely the LOW season, as roads were a bit icy and we were the only campers all weekend. During the off-season, part of this campground is closed off, but there still remains an ample amount of campsites available, including pull-throughs. There is a pit toilet building in the center of the campground. Flush toilets and water are available during the busy season. The campsites are situated in a small valley, placing it away from noise and traffic, aside from bison and other animals that might wander through. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, and firewood is available for purchase at the campground entrance. Best of all, this campground is located very close to the Visitor Center, even up for a hike on a nice day (not in January!). Speaking of hiking, one of Wind Cave's Nature Trails is located off the back loop here, the Elk Mountain Nature Trail. There is also a small, semi-dry creek that wanders along the northern edge of the campground. Please note via NPS.gov: the Elk Mountain Campground will be closed from noon, August 5, 2016 until the morning of August 7, 2016.
We had a great one night stay here on our way through the area.
The tent camping site we had was on a fairly steep hill but they had a level pad for one tent.
Flushing toilets, large sink and a water hydrant.
Fire wood was available with donation. That was great .
Over all we were very happy with it and would stay here again.
Did a couple nights of tent camping here before getting fancy and going to cabins at Custer State park. Our site was unfortunately a bit unloved, but it was in a pretty prairie type setting with rolling hills and sporadic trees. Campgrounds were quiet compared to other area campgrounds and the park is still close to many attractions.
