Sage Creek Campground

Spent one night here after exploring the park. less than a third full in early november. vault toilets clean-ish. wide open spaces, not really any privacy here. pretty sunrise.

My boy Palo and I camped in my Outback for a night. It was a great experience. They have the cleans best smelling bathrooms I have venture into.

This was a free site in the Badlands.  It's a dirt road to get there, washboards, but OK.

The cg is in a prairie dog town so we kept the dog close.

It was full on a Saturday night in September, but we got one of the last sites.  Very basic campground with a few trails to hike.  Views were OK, but nothing great.

Buffalo wandered through camp at dinner time.  We basically camped on the road that circles the campground.

Some picnic tables had a shade covering.  Pit toilets were clean.

Great location to set out to explore the Badlands? Low reception with Verizon in the valley bye still have good contact. Great reception, small hike to the top of the hill.

Free dispersed camping, with clean vault toilets. no water or power you will have to bring your own. Quiet and tranquil location, Surrounded by prairie dogs as you sit in the valley with low rolling hills around you.

I really liked this site, they had tables with shade, out house, flat ground, and compared to the dispersed camping wayyy less windy. We did not see bison today but there were prairie dogs

At first we didn’t love it. It’s hot. No shade. No fires. Some picnic tables have a shade but they were all taken. I guess about 20 sights here I found trails to the creek. Win for me. Up early and holy WOW, buffalo start roaming through camp! 2 came right on through the middle of the campers loop scratching on posts and rolling in dirt behind our tent. Unbelievable. A handful more were roaming around on the other side of the creek. Me may have gotten bitten by prairie dog fleas though and they have a plague. I read the sign in the morning AFTER and we were leaving. I think we will survive. Worth every bite. The toilet house is nice with trash and hand sanitizer. No signal or water or electricity here. Lots of stars at night.

What a sweet little spot! This is a 22 site, first come first served campground - no reservations & a 14 day limit. We visited in June & it was BUSY. The sites were all full by 4pm - but there is room to squeeze in extra tents/cars! There are no fires allowed here but there are two bathroom, and plenty of trash cans. The best part though is I can almost promise you’ll get up close & personal with some buffalo. Be respectful!!!

Campground is basic. Only 2 (very clean) vault toilets, no water or electricity. I got there a little before 3pm on mother's day; it was full by 8. Only a handful of sites have sun covers over the picnic tables. You will be very close to other campers. Most are respectful. I would just recommend getting there before dark to keep from disturbing everyone. Prairie dogs galore in the center and on the periphery of the campground. My dog was fascinated by them. As noted by others, you will most likely be serenaded by coyotes and have morning visits from the bison. I also heard wild turkeys off in the woods.

It is a area about the size of a city block that you camp in the middle of and park around. It is popular so try not to show up late. Plenty of tent camping inside the loop. Parking can be and issue. By 9.pm some small RVs came and couldn't find space left to park. Vault toilets, trails, some picnic tables, scenery. Woke up to a buffalo 30 yards from my tent. Other people said they walk right thru camp. Prairie dogs everywhere, so watch your step for holes. I got yelled at by a prairie dog on my hike up the hill lol. Our stay was short but enjoyable.

Great free campground in the Badlands Wilderness area. Follow Sage Creek Rd and watch for signs for the campground. Made it no problem in a 26’ motorhome, but it is a 12 mile dirt road with a lot of washboard so things get rattled and covered in fine powdery dirt. Totally worth it though because on the way out you get amazing views from the top along the ridge of Badlands plus bison, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and hundreds of prairie dogs along the road on the way. 

The campground is a loop that has parallel parking around it and sites are designated by numbered posts. There is a horse camp area to one side and toward the right as you pull in and many people just made up spots not in the loop but behind the bathroom and along near the horse camp, so if you made the long drive out you should have at least somewhere to squeeze in for the night.

There are picnic tables, some which are covered and two pit toilet bathrooms. Also there is garbage and recycling. There is no water here so be sure to bring enough as temps can get quite hot. Some reviews mention the wind being an issue and though it was windy at first it died down and was calm all night. 

It was nice when we were there in late Sept. There were plenty of empty spots in late afternoon but filled up through the evening. Bison frequently come through the campground and use the posts to scratch themselves. Don’t be an idiot though (we saw some of that) these are huge wild animals and do not want selfies with you! 

There were also a lot of coyotes that came through at night so be aware if you have a pet. 

Weak and spotty cell reception with ATT and Verizon and no TMobile.

Wild animals everywhere, you're camping on the ground with the prarie dogs, lots of rabbits, birds, and bison coming through the campground as well. Next to the campground is a small walk up a steep hill to get good overlooks, and trails down to the creek with fossils.

Got in fairly late, was quite busy but we found a spot. The views and nearby trails are unbelievably beautiful at sunset. Just bare in mind (if you’re camping) that the site is very open so, we were struck by very heavy winds in the night due to a storm.

If your looking for a place to crash with no shade and hundreds of Prairie dogs, then this is the place for you.

We showed up about four and every site but one was taken. The site actually stayed busy through the night and most just found a empty spot and racked out.

Overall it’s a nice campsite with a significant number of Prairie dogs and a bathroom that was clean but toilets definitely haven’t been pumped in quite some time.

Pro tip: If I haven’t mentioned Prairie dogs, they have a lot and, they apparently love grapes or anything they can get their little hands on.

On the drive in and out to Sage Creek, I saw all the major mammals of the park (bison, prairie dogs, deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn), and there was even two bison grazing at the equestrian site in the morning. 

The campground is nice and dark and had a great view of the Milky Way. There is no water at camp, which was made very clear on the park website and map. Sage Creek did have some water flow when I went, so I could have filtered some if I needed more. 

My main criticism is that only a handful of the sites had shades for the picnic tables. When I arrived, the campground was less than half full, but none of the remaining sites had a shade. For a park that gets this hot and doesn't really have trees or other shade, I think this should be provided at each site.

beautiful, remote, a bison didn't bother anyone, saw a snake, stargazing

Great views, prairie dogs were so cool to see running around the camp site. Bison everywhere on the drive in and a few even walking around the camp site. Super close to badlands park entrance. Toilets were clean and covered picnic tables were a huge plus! We got there late on a Wednesday night and still found a spot with ease.

Basically in the middle of the park. Prairie dogs all around when you wake up! Pit toilets, covered picnic tables. Bison walked right through the campsite.

First- the coordinates take you to the visitor center, which then allows you to drive through the park on your way to the campground. I highly recommend entering Sage Creek Campground into your GPS at the visitor center, because it was a very long and winding road after that! Or, if you're short on time, put Sage Creek Campground in from the highway and you'll get there a lot more quickly (but miss out on some spectacular views!). Second- the campground was full when I got there, but I'm glad I had this app/read the reviews. People were very accommodating and you really can just pick an open patch of grass if it's full when you get there. Even though it was full, it was reasonably quiet. And I got to see bison and prairie dogs up close and personal...so COOL!!

Came in and saw bison, prairie dog, and rattlesnake! The Backcounty was nice and quiet aside from the prairie dogs squeaking.

Gravel road to get there but so worth it to camp for free in the national park. Definitely a lot of buffalo around. Vault toilets, no running or potable water. Covered picnic tables are great for shade but terrible for rain.

If you keep in mind that this is a primitive campground, you'll be just fine.  Concrete vault toilets, no water, nice covered picnic tables and phenomenal views.

Note that the co-ordinates take you to the visitor centre. The campground is another 30m on windy paved roads, and 12m on gravel roads.....but the journey is worth it. Not only the many stop off points along the way, but the campground is large and spacious, with a single vault toilet at each end - which are very clean, and many garbage cans. Some of the picnic tables have a sun shade over them. Prairie dogs and bison are right in the campsite with you. Saw large wild turkeys and a coyote as well. Would recommend staying at least 2 days, to enjoy.

It’s a holiday weekend and I got here at 7pm. All the spots were filled, but many people still camped and shared spots for tents if asked. That’s what happened for me and it worked out.

As far as wildlife, there are a ton of buffalo around and will sometimes get uncomfortably close. Overall, definitely recommend.

This campground is not just amazing because it's free, although that certainly helps. This campsite is one of the most unique places I've stayed. Wildlife sightings are abundant. We stayed just one night but loved the trails leading up to wonderful sunrise/sunset viewing vantage points. During our stay we were entertained by dozens and dozens of prairie dogs that are active throughout the camp ground. We were also excited when bison appeared out of nowhere and began grazing in the camp. The view of the stars at night is also beyond mesmerizing. Can't wait to visit again.

This FF campground exceeded our expectations. Easy access to the park. You're surrounded by beauty with the likelihood of a bison sighting or two (we had a herd walk through the campground twice). Most sites have ramadas to provide shade. Pit toliet bathrooms were well maintained. No water available. No cell coverage.

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.