Sage Creek Campground
U
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2021

A treat of a campground!

I was on a cross-country road trip earlier this summer, and had to make a quick decision of heading towards the BLM nearby, or driving a few miles extra to the Sage Creek Campground, and so glad I did end up here.

It's few/several miles of driving on unpaved road, directly south of Wall, SD, but it's rather well maintained, a packed washboard gravel road, no major potholes to report. I saw my first bison on the winding road, heading down into the valley where the campground is.

It was still daylight but late afternoon/early evening, so I wasn't sure if they'd be a spot for my car, thinking that perhaps all spots are already full, especially since it's a FREE campground within Badlands NP boundaries. To my happy surprise, the campground is laid out along a big circular drive, with cars parking along the circle. There are extra spots off to the sides. There are 2 pit toilets, several modern shaded picnic tables along the large circular grassy area (although most were already claimed by other campers). There are trash and aluminum recycling bins next to the toilet building. There is no potable water source as far as I could tell.

The entire campground is in a valley, therefore somewhat protected from winds (which apparently the nearby BLM area is on a ridge and super windy). There are hiking paths that start at the campground for some vista views.

The best part, and most surprising, were the animals right there at the campground. Praire dogs - 100s if not 1000s of them - peeking out from their holes and barking like dogs. I didn't know what praise dogs were prior to coming here. They're like large squirrels, tan color, live in the ground, and bark like small dogs! Bison were munching on grass off in the distance and apparently right at the campground in the early morning. People camped in tents on the circular grass / prairedogs area, but I slept in my camper car. Things to remember that the wildlife is wild despite appearing harmless, they're wild, so keep that in mind.

Overall 5 stars for being a free campground, having toilet and trash facilities, for being in a beautiful spot with vast vistas, for the road being an easy access gravel road, for the fun and surprising animal presence. If you're looking for privacy, this might not be the spot for you as you're next to other people. If you don't mind being amongst other people, this place is great. As a female traveling solo on this stretch of my trip, I felt very safe here.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Morning at the Sage Creek campground. Soundtrack provided by birds and praire dogs. Beautiful spot.
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  • Morning sounds and views at the Sage Creek Campground.
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  • Praire dogs at the campground. There are 100s if not 1000s of them at Sage Creek and in Badlands NP.
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