Stockade North Campground — Custer State Park

This lovely pine-filled campground is set off the main road just enough to keep away the road noise. Some of the sites will need a bit of leveling as it’s very hilly. The bathroom/shower building is older, but very well maintained and clean. Sites for Custer start booking a year in advance, so snag one early to experience all this wonderful park has to offer.

The park is awesome.  We drove the Wildlife Loop Road twice, once late morning and saw about 1000 buffalo blocking the road and a few other things, then again in the evening. It was beautiful up on the higher elevations.

The north campground is quiet. The bathhouse was clean and ok to use. The water was hot and the shower itself was quite large. They have vault toilets in certain areas if you need them. There is a nice walking path that drops down to the lake from the south part of the campground. I literally walked across the road from SN33E and stepped on the trail to walk my dogs. Very cool. 

There are two dump station locations. One in the Game Lodge Campground then two just south on the entrance to the wildlife loop. Could be problematic because the bison were standing on the dump station when we drove by in the morning. Guess we will see soon.

good campground with amenities - free showers! very few tent sites. mostly RV’s. Our tent site 21E was VERY close to the neighbors. close to stockade lake which was much more peaceful than sylvan lake.

We stayed at a tent site for four nights in late September. The campground is very convenient to all the local attractions. The sites are slightly closer together than we prefer, but at least it doesn't feel like you're right in your neighbor's lap. And it was extremely quiet while we were there; everyone was very well-mannered and polite.

The restrooms (including the pit toilets at the far end of the loop) are all extremely clean and nice, and the showers were the best I've ever used at a campground. They went the extra mile and included a swinging (and locking) stall door, with a few feet of dry space before the shower with a separate curtain. So you have plenty of private space to do what's needed.

The host was friendly. No firewood was available at the campground as far as we could tell but it's readily available many places nearby.

No buffalo coming through the campground while we were there (the annual roundup had just happened) but every night we could hear coyotes in the surrounding area. And did I say this campground was quiet? We loved it.

This will probably be our go-to place from now on when we return to the Black Hills.

I stayed two nights here in June, in addition to nights at 2 other campsites in Custer State Park and Stockade Lake North was by far my favorite. There is SO much space between sites (I was at 14 and 9–I’m convinced 14 is the best site in the entire campground) and the entire campground is very quiet and peaceful, plus easy to access. The bathrooms look fairly recently renovated, but unfortunately were less clean (but not filthy!) than other campgrounds I stayed at, but I would have been there right before they were cleaned.

First time at Custer state park, super nice place, camp site was clean, bathroom clean, very big state park with lots to do, I entered on the east side but campsite was on west side, only stayed two nights, so we will definitely be back !

Nice quiet Campground, we were camping mid week in early July. Campground is at 5300 get so it was a bit cooler,slight breeze and no bugs. Sites are spaced out nicely among the pines. Love all the Custer State Park has to offer, however we pulled in after 4 nights of boondocking and asked where the dump station was. Host said it was 8 miles down the road at game lodge Campground. Wish I knew that earlier. But that was the only inconvenience of our time here.

Stayed here last year and enjoyed it so much we came back again and stayed 6 nights. Nice location and large sites that are spread out. Some have electric others do not. 2 water spigots in the campground. Dump station located near Game lodge Campground. Hosts are super nice. Showers and bathrooms are very clean. Saw deer and wild turkeys roaming the campground. Kayaked stockade lake and saw turtles and osprey. Would come back here again.

This campground seems easier to book than other Custer State Park campgrounds and we aren't sure why. In comparison to other park campgrounds, it is wooded, has spacious sites, and is located near a gorgeous lake. The showerhouse was clean and the campground was well cared for with kind hosts. The walk around Stockade Lake was a great hike with some beautiful views, especially near sunset.

Nice camp ground in Custer State Park. Nice size Rv spots with good room between sites. Restrooms and Showers were very clean.

Electric only, one water spout in each of the two loops. Hilly sites, will take some work to get level. Only 1 dump site in this park - be prepared to drive, with your rig, to dump- no blue bell

Lots to see, good trout streams all over and the bison roam even near the campgrounds so keep your eyes open. The wild life loop is very scenic, make sure to gas up first. I though a state park would be smaller but this place is huge. There are numerous smaller scenic 1.5 lane roads to check out with a postcard perfect view everywhere. The lakes are pristine and even the rustic store is well stocked and taken care of. Be sure to buy the annual state park pass- it is not much more than a day or two. The horse camps are pretty neat to see when venturing down dusty trails. There are 10 different areas to camp….yes. 10 campground areas with numerous sights and different scenery.

We stayed at center lake campground and easily obtained a same day reservation.

This place is on the same level as a national park it is massive. We saw 100s of wild Bison on the wildlife loop, but also saw dozens of bison throughout the park in a more wild setting. Home to many species of wildlife and tons of beautiful roads to drive on. Campsites are generally quiet and remote semi remote feeling for a state park.

This is by far the best camping park I’ve ever been to. Because of early presidential interest (Coolidge & Eisenhower, it’s a combo of NP vista’s & experiences, State Park amenities in stellar shape, & Resort level lodges, shops & restaurants. Hiking, kayaking in several lakes. The Bison and Begging Burros, elk, deer, etc. amazing!!!

Good campground with big spots. Accessibility is also good. Came here with 23ft RV

Spent 6 nights in Custer state park. Prettiest part of the country I’ve been in so far. From trout fishing to hiking to watching the herd of bison as well as nearby attractions of Sturgis, Deadwood, and Mount Rushmore, there’s always something great to do. Highly recommended trip!!!

We just loved our campsite in Custer! Very private and close proximity to the bathroom and lake. We stayed at Center Lake. Apparently, this campground is a same day reservation only campground. The campsite hosts were so nice and came around to each site to make sure all of our questions were answered and that we didn’t need anything.

The park was beautiful during our stay and we were lucky enough to see Bison and Elk.

Really cool area with prairie, rock formations and forest all rolled into one place. Super quiet during the end of the season so plenty of picturesque photo opportunities!

Definitely bringing the daughter and granddaughter next year! Beautiful area, awesome drive with scenery and WILDLIFE! I thought more about Teddy Roosevelt then Custer while here. Roosevelt was all about wildlife , etc. the park has the animals you relate to “the West”. The park had the feel of cowboys/covered wagon era. I enjoyed my visit so much, a surprise around every curve. Wind Cave National Park and the Badlands are an easy drive from here so you can continue the experience. Nice campground , well maintained and nice staff.

Beautiful park with a bison right on the road ! Campsite nestled in the pines, gorgeous lake !! Can’t wait to go back !

We love this park. There are lots of campgrounds within this State Park. We have almost camped in everyone of them. See "RV Camping Journal" for details.

Love love love! Stunningly beautiful, breathtaking, rush to this place if you haven’t been. It’s AMAZING! Yes I am shouting but I am in awe of this place. Maybe it’s because I am from Louisiana and this is so very different from bayous and alligators but this is the sort of place that you leave wanting more! I highly recommend you visit. We barely scratched the surface of the wonders in this place during our visit. Also convenient to Wind Cave national park.

Loved Custer State Park and camping was great. Quiet campground plenty of space between sites and the amenities were in good condition. Loved all the drives through the park, up Needles highway or up thru the south end of the Park from Wind Cave.

Campground Review:

The Stockade Lake North Campground is located just inside the west entrance to Custer State Park in Custer, South Dakota. This prime camping location is 15 minutes from Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, and just minutes from historic Custer, the Gordon Stockade, and a scenic jaunt to the State Park Wildlife Loop.

The sites at this campground are reservation-only, even on same-day arrival. In order to secure a campground, campers need to call the reservation number. However, once the reservation is made, campers can proceed to their campsite without having to worry about checking in with on-site staff, and no hassle with hanging a tag on the campsite post.

The campground is open for camping from the beginning of May to late September, weather permitting. There are 42 campsites available, many with electricity and several pull-through sites, but no full hook-ups. There are both vault and flush toilets, a shower house, and drinking water available. There is also a nice little playground in the center of the campground and an adjoining amphitheater where they may show informational films in the summer. Campsites here are well-spread among the trees, offering relative privacy and quiet space, with enough room to hang a hammock or two!

The campground is just a quick walk up from Stockade Lake, where you can fish, swim, put your boat in, view wildlife, and enjoy the small beach and playground. Across the small highway is Bismark Lake, in Black Hills National Forest, which is stocked for fishing, and provided us with a delicious fried trout meal our second night! There is also a pair of osprey that are seen frequently between the two lakes, and are a joy to watch as they fish and soar over the lakes.

We stayed on opening weekend in our small RV with electric on site 32E, and the campground was relatively empty. Our site was a bit unlevel, but very scenic and shady. Only one other site was close to ours, and luckily, no one was in it over that weekend. Sites are all gravel, and each one has an aluminum picnic table and fire ring. Most of the sites appear wide enough to accommodate slide-outs on RV units. Although there are long sites available, we did watch two large rigs struggle to back in their vehicles due to the narrow, curved campground roads. When viewing the reservation map, those sites that appear distanced from others truly are - try to reserve those if you can. Another pro tip: If you need to buy firewood, there is a Lutheran church just west of the state park entrance that offers wood for a donation, and supports their youth programs.

SInce it was the beginning of the camping season, the vault toilets were exceptionally clean and smelled great. We did not use the showers, but they looked to be in great shape.The drinking water was easy to find, and there is even a place to fill the RV tank before heading to your site.

For a video summary of our campground and the backpack, see our YouTube video: https://youtu.be/pElJjB1t4XA.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time, and since we knew we would be out all day fishing and hiking, we took along the Renogy Solar Backpack (https://www.renogy.com/renogy-solar-backpack). We wanted to be able to keep our electronic devices such as our cameras and phones charged throughout our weekend adventures! This backpack is exciting! It sports a 5.6-watt solar panel and you can connect any usb device with its 5V charging port (maximum 1.2A output).

The weather all weekend was partly cloudy with isolated showers, and yet the backpack was able to charge a battery bank for our electronics 3/4 of the way in about three hours. We believe that if the sun had been out constant all afternoon, we would have easily charged bank one full and a second bank at least half way.

Other highlights of this backpack include the nicely padded strap-side that rests against your back, a slot on the left strap for sunglasses, an expandable water bottle (or other small gear) pocket, and plenty of space inside for jackets and other layers that were shed throughout the day as it got warmer. Thanks to a plethora of inside and outside pockets, we carried water bottles, battery banks, two phones, a tablet, headphones, snacks, a sweatshirt, and a jacket all at the same time with ease and comfort. A smaller laptop would also fit nicely inside the main compartment.

This backpack can be used without the solar panels exposed, with a quick zipper flip-around, and it looks great! IAt only 2.2 lbs, it also carries the inside pack weight very comfortably for a range of sizes, from a 6’ 4” father to 5-foot, 11-year-old son. Both mentioned that they felt the backpack was a nice way to carry their gear for a day of hiking and fishing.

My father, daughter (8yo), and myself stayed at Stockade North campgrounds Saturday night through Wednesday morning. We had an overall positive experience. Rangers and host were very friendly and very helpful. I did not use the vaulted toilets but my father said they weren't too terrible. The shower house was nice and clean, free, warm showers. Downfalls-- I felt like this camp ground was geared more towards RVs than tent camping. I picked our site online, it had a picture that made it look very appealing, however it did not accurately portray the topography of the site. Therefore we had one tent on fairly even ground the other, not at all. The neighbors seemed pretty close by and the trees were too young to provide much cover.

This place was filled with kids and was really fun associating with them . Y=there are ranger programs and the sites are the one of the best. The rangers were really friendly and the night wasn't too cold. The sites are a little difficult to get because this is a pretty popular place to camp. There are a lot of animals and you can pet them.