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Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park

CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Stockade South Campground, near Custer State Park, is a cozy spot that offers a peaceful escape amidst the stunning Black Hills of South Dakota. With a mix of tent sites, RV accommodations, and cabins, it caters to a variety of camping styles, making it a great choice for families and solo adventurers alike.

Visitors rave about the cleanliness of the facilities, especially the bathrooms and showers, which are often described as the cleanest they've encountered in a campground. The friendly camp hosts are always ready to help, providing tips on local sights and ensuring a pleasant stay. One camper noted, “I was blown away by the bathrooms and showers. They were spotless and dry!”

The campground is conveniently located for those looking to explore the natural beauty of the area. It’s just a short drive to iconic attractions like Mount Rushmore and the Custer State Park wildlife loop, where you can spot bison and other wildlife. Some campers mentioned that while the walk to the lake is a bit of a trek, the scenic views make it worthwhile.

With its quiet atmosphere and well-maintained sites surrounded by trees, Stockade South is perfect for those seeking a relaxing getaway. Whether you’re roasting marshmallows by the fire or hiking the nearby trails, this campground offers a welcoming environment for all who visit.

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Location

Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park is located in South Dakota

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

43.763899307951576 N
103.52416043159364 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site

Connectivity

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    VerizonLTE
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    AT&T5G
    Excellent Coverage

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Cabins

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • 30 Amp Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

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Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

18 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 25, 2025

Family Friendly Campsite with Electric Sites & Clean Showers and Restrooms

This was a really nice campground. Very family friendly, lots of kids running around. Not very much privacy at all between the sites, but what do you expect at a busy place like Custer State Park? The bathrooms were very clean, and had showers with hot water. The showers are free of charge, and each time I used them the water was always plenty hot.

We stayed in site 2E, and it was a nice site. Extremely flat and level. It does have a trail running next to it, so all the visitors will be walking a few feet away from your tent/camper all day and night going to the bathroom.

T-Mobile cell service was pretty much non-existent, with no 5G signal at all, and only a sporadic 1 bar of LTE signal. I was able to make a phone call, but it kept dropping out every 10-15 seconds. Starlink worked great from this site, with a moderately clear view of the sky.

Site2E
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Jacob V., June 25, 2025
Reviewed Jul. 24, 2024

I loved everything about this spot!

I feel lucky to have scooped up two nights last minute. The camp hosts were wonderful, the lake was beautiful, and the campers were quiet and respectful. I was blown away by the bathrooms and showers. They were spotless and dry…seriously I’ve never seen camp bath houses so clean! They had a big floor fan to keep the moisture down too. I highly recommend this campground! The camp host also told me of the spot across from me being open for the next night so I could move there and spend an extra night!

Site4E and 5E
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Stephanie W., July 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Stephanie W., July 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Stephanie W., July 24, 2024
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Sep. 13, 2023

Compact but cozy

Small campground. Extremely nice host and park staff. Host was very informative and helpful on sightseeing. Bathrooms and showers very clean. They do a good job of trying to make sites level given that the campground is on a hill. Sites have gravel pads and some have more gravel than others. Sites are in the trees so sites have packed dirt around them. Unfortunately it poured rain the day we arrived which made our site very muddy- couldn’t be helped!

Site3E
Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Jul. 24, 2023

Great, but some construction noise

I enjoyed this campground, but ultimately preferred Stockade Lake North and South is a bit less secluded and has less privacy/space with other campers. My site seemed to offer a higher level of privacy than some due to the angle, and had a lot of space overall while other sites toward the back felt more cramped. The bathrooms were moderately dated, but always clean and the shower was HOT. There was no camp host while I was there, but there was almost always park staff and rangers there to assist campers, which was really nice.

My only complaint was the digging/trenching through one side of the campground to bury some kind of line. That work lasted for the 3 days I was there, but should be all wrapped up by now.

Site2E
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Cari E., July 24, 2023
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2022

We love Custer State Park

We’ve stayed in several campgrounds in the park and Stockade South is one of our favorites. It’s small and quiet and positioned nicely to do either the Needles or the Wildlife Loop and is also close to Custer if you need supplies. Folks are super friendly here. Flush toilets and hot showers. We camped in our van with electric h/u but there are also tent sites and cabins. Some sites have nice big stone fire pits and ours did not, so don’t choose site 13 if that’s important to you. 25$

Site13
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Aliza  N., August 31, 2022
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2021

Quiet with convenient access to everything the Black Hills have to offer.

Whether you are tent camping, pulling a trailer or want a cabin this campground has it all. The shower facility on site is very clean for a state park. A quick drive to Mt. Rushmore, Iron Mt. Road,  Needles HWY, or Crazy Horse. The unbelievable Custer State Park wildlife loop is less than 15 minutes away. Don't miss the wildlife loop.

Site3E
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Greg B., October 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Greg B., October 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Greg B., October 21, 2021
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jul. 30, 2021

Beautiful spot-walk to the lake Stokade NORTH

We had a lovely grassy and wooded space Hike to the lakeshore and marvel at the amazing rocks all around. PBS channels came through on digital scan TV - we love some TV now and then. Lightning struck in the campground while we were there in July. Power went out for a short time. Loud cracks of thunder, at the mercy of the powerful storms.

Site19E
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Jessica M., July 30, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Jessica M., July 30, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Jessica M., July 30, 2021
  • (9) View All
Reviewed Jul. 28, 2021

Hidden Gem

We didn't know what to expect because I couldn't find very many pictures of the actual campground or our site. I was so surprised with this hidden gem! It was probably my favorite campground on our whole South Dakota trip. The bathroom was really nice and clean, the sites were spacious and the campground had lots of mature trees. No water views, but you were a very short drive away from the lake. I wish I would have booked more nights here!

Site3
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Shana D., July 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Shana D., July 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Shana D., July 28, 2021
  • (18) View All
Reviewed Jun. 26, 2021

Everything we wanted!

Stockade South is a Quiet, small campground. Smaller campers and tents only in this campground. It's underrated in my opinion - we drove through other Custer campgrounds and preferred ours. Clean bathrooms, very nice hosts, spacious sites. We had site 2 and it was one of the best (if you come prepared with leveling blocks), with plenty of trees and room to play. Close proximity to the rest of the park, hiking, and many SD attractions. Only drawback is no dump station - there is only 1 in all of Custer.

Site2
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Sarah M., June 26, 2021
Reviewed May. 29, 2021

Quiet Area

Nestled amongst the Pines Stockdale north was a quiet campground to visit. The hosts were extremely friendly and accommodating. There was one main bathroom with showers… Probably the cleanest bathroom I’ve ever been in. Additional outhouses were on each loop.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Erin W., May 29, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Erin W., May 29, 2021
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Erin W., May 29, 2021
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Sep. 13, 2020

Clean & Friendly

Stayed in the Stockade South Campground in early September. Very clean, nicely spaced campsites. Bathrooms very clean. Gorgeous park with tons to do. Hosts were very friendly and helpful.

Reviewed Nov. 30, 2018

Fabulous!

Such a quiet and peaceful campgroud. It's clean, well maintained, the camp hosts are super friendly and helpful, the views are stunning and wildlife wonders through the campground often.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Houston B., November 30, 2018
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Houston B., November 30, 2018
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Houston B., November 30, 2018
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Oct. 16, 2018

One of the nicest I’ve been to

Spent 10 days at Custer SP at the Stockade Lake South campground with our son and his family in July. Great site on the outside of the camping loop, with a great fire place and lots of room. We had our travel trailer and they had a tent and we had lots of room for 8. Deer walked through the site most afternoons. Convenient to Mt. Rushmore, Custer, the Black Hills, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave.

  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Joel R., October 16, 2018
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Joel R., October 16, 2018
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Joel R., October 16, 2018
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Jun. 18, 2018

Delightfully Quiet Retreat

Have stayed here in the Camping Cabins seven times in six years. This is the quietest campground in the entire Black Hills-- away from the highway, yet asphalt road leads to entrance. Near Stockade Lake- beach, fishing pier, boat launch. Campground shower house could use an upgrade, but is kept in very good cleanliness. Road to/between cabins can become a little dusty. upper cabins could use a modern rest room a little closer. Water good, hosts are helpful & accommodating. Cabins kept in good & clean conditions with really nice, unique decks on each cabin. Lakeside group site is fantastic area for groups/ family reunions who like to camp together , yet by themselves.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park by Michael M., June 18, 2018
Reviewed Aug. 28, 2016

Lovely sites in ponderosa pines

Quieter sites than Stockade N, because you are away from the highway (a plus during Bike Week). Grounds are clean, but it was difficult to find a level spot for our tent - we slid downhill in our tent through the night. The Custer State Park campgrounds are quite popular and it's well worth making a reservation - it's also cumbersome to find and pay for a site without a reservation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Stockade Lake South Campground located in Custer State Park?

Stockade Lake South Campground is located in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It sits near Stockade Lake, away from the highway which makes it a quieter option. The campground is accessible via an asphalt road leading to the entrance. Its location provides convenient access to both the Needles Highway and Wildlife Loop Road. The town of Custer is nearby for supplies. The campground is positioned approximately 15 minutes from the Wildlife Loop and offers a strategic base for exploring Mount Rushmore, Iron Mountain Road, and Crazy Horse Memorial.

How do I make reservations for Stockade Lake South Campground in Custer State Park?

Reservations for Stockade Lake South Campground are recommended, especially during peak season, as Custer State Park campgrounds are quite popular. You can make reservations through the South Dakota State Parks reservation system online or by phone. Booking well in advance is advised, particularly if you're planning to visit during summer months or special events like Bike Week. Both campsites and camping cabins can be reserved through this system. For specific site recommendations, sites on the outside of the camping loop tend to offer more space and privacy.

What activities can I enjoy at Stockade Lake when camping at Stockade South Campground?

Stockade Lake offers numerous activities for campers staying at Stockade South Campground. You can enjoy swimming at the beach area, fishing from the pier, or launching a boat from the boat ramp. There's a nice short loop hiking trail that connects the campground directly to Stockade Lake, perfect for morning walks. Wildlife viewing is excellent, with deer and other animals frequently wandering through the area. The lake is surrounded by impressive rock formations worth exploring. For photography enthusiasts, the lake provides stunning views, especially during sunrise and sunset.

What amenities are available at Stockade Lake South Campground?

Stockade Lake South Campground offers clean bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers, which are well-maintained. The campground features spacious sites with fire rings and plenty of room for tents and smaller campers. There are camping cabins available for those who prefer not to tent camp. The sites are nestled among pine trees, providing shade and natural surroundings. While most sites are suitable for tents and smaller campers, finding a perfectly level tent site can be challenging due to the terrain. The campground also has friendly camp hosts who are helpful and accommodating to visitors.

How does Stockade South Campground compare to other campgrounds in Custer State Park?

Stockade South Campground stands out as one of the quietest campgrounds in Custer State Park, primarily because it's situated away from the highway. It's smaller and more intimate than other park campgrounds, making it ideal for those seeking a peaceful experience. Unlike some of the larger campgrounds, Stockade South accommodates primarily smaller campers and tents rather than large RVs. Visitors who have explored multiple Custer State Park campgrounds often prefer Stockade South for its spacious sites, clean facilities, and tranquil atmosphere. While other campgrounds like Legion Lake might offer different amenities, Stockade South is considered by many to be an underrated gem within the park system.