There aren’t many options close to Badlands NP, and this is the closest.

Beware: the wind was WICKED and there was a sudden thunderstorm with hail that had us hiding out in our car for 90 minutes. Our tent miraculously survived (Big Agnes Blacktail 2), but several others’ tents were basically destroyed.

Pros: close to the park and views of Badlands are beautiful.

Cons: mostly caters to RVs, so can be noisy. If you have a tent, make sure it’s sturdy!

Forget waking up at 2am to try and snag a site at Jenny Lake. This off-the-beaten-path campground in Teton NF only has 23 sites, with beautiful views of Lower Slide Lake and the mountains.

Best tent site is #19. Awesome view. (Warning: other tent sites can be a little lumpy and hard to find flat ground.)

Bonus: saw a herd of Bison driving to the campground in Antelope Flats.

Would definitely stay here again!

Got a FF site on a Saturday afternoon, park was very busy, but campground was low-key.

We prefer a smaller, more primitive camping experience, so that was worth the tradeoff of farther driving to park attractions.

Some sites in A loop (70 where we stayed) are close to the highway. It was quiet during sleeping hours, but you noticed the car noise during the day.

The walk-in sites here are stunning—only a short walk from your car to the sites. Scenery is gorgeous, and this is a quiet, off the beaten track campground. Quiet and serene.

Easily found a FF walk-in site on a Friday afternoon, and didn’t fill up.