Stockade South Campground — Custer State Park

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!

Campgrounds at Custer seem to fill up fast, but this one was great for us and got us close to everything we wanted to do! It’s a bit of a walk from the campground to the lake though.

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!

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.

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$

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

We stayed here at site 13E for two nights in late August 2020. Nice campground with pine trees and good distance between sites. There’s a nice short loop hike from the campground to Stockade Lake.

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.

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.

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.

Custer State Park is beautiful and this did not disappoint. Clean bathrooms with showers and nice sized, quiet sites.

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.

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.