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Camping in South Dakota

“The Mount Rushmore State” contains three national parks (Badlands, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave) and 60 state parks. South Dakota’s notable regions include the Great Plains, Black Hills, and Missouri River Valley. Campers visiting South Dakota can camp in iconic landscapes and see diverse ecosystems and historical sites firsthand. While camping in South Dakota, you might observe bison, prairie dogs, and bighorn sheep. Notable attractions include Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and Black Hills National Forest.

Camping in South Dakota - Black Hills National Forest
Photo: Black Hills National Forest
Camping in South Dakota - jb10okie
Photo: jb10okie
Camping in South Dakota - mypubliclands
Photo: mypubliclands
Camping in South Dakota - mypubliclands
Photo: mypubliclands
Camping in South Dakota - vwcampin
Photo: vwcampin

EXPLORE OUR MEMBERS’ FAVOURITE CAMPGROUNDS

Top-rated campgrounds in South Dakota

Black Hills National Forest

The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to 7,242 feet (2,207 m), is the range's highest summit. The name of the range in Lakota is Pahá Sápa. It encompasses the Black Hills National Forest. It formed as a result of an upwarping of ancient rock, after...

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Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park is a national park of the United States located 10 miles (16 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. Established on January 3, 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was the sixth national park in the U.S. and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is notable for its calcite formations known as boxwork, as ...

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Mount Rushmore National Memorial

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota, United States. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed the sculpture, called Shrine of Democracy, and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of...

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Jewel Cave National Monument

Jewel Cave National Monument contains Jewel Cave, currently the fifth longest cave in the world and second longest cave in the United States, with 220.01 miles (354.07 km) of mapped passageways as of May 2024. It is located approximately 13 miles (21 km) west of the town of Custer in Black Hills of South Dakota. It became a national monument in 1908.

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Lewis And Clark Lake

Lewis and Clark Lake is a 31,400 acre (130 km2) reservoir located on the border of the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota on the Missouri River. The lake is approximately 25 miles (40 km) in length with over 90 miles (140 km) of shoreline and a maximum water depth of 45 feet (14 m). The lake is impounded by Gavins Point Dam and is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District.

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Cold Brook Lake

Cold Brook Dam is an earthen dam located near Hot Springs, South Dakota, in Fall River County in the southwestern part of the state, in the southern Black Hills. The earthen dam was constructed in 1953 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers with a height of 127 feet and a length at its crest of 925 feet. It impounds Cold Brook Creek, a tributary of the Cheyenne River for flood control pu...

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Cottonwood Springs Lake

Cottonwood Springs Dam is a dam in Fall River County, South Dakota in the southwestern part of the state, south of the Black Hills. The earthen dam was constructed in 1969 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with a height of 123 feet and a length at its crest of 1190 feet. It impounds Cottonwood Springs Creek for area flood control. The reservoir it creates, Cottonwood Springs Lake, has a wate...

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Lake Sharpe

Lake Sharpe is a large reservoir impounded by Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River in central South Dakota, United States. The lake has an area of 56,884 acres (230.20 km2) and a maximum depth of 78 ft (24 m). Lake Sharpe is approximately 80 mi (130 km) long, with a shoreline of 200 mi (320 km). Lake Sharpe is the 54th largest reservoir in the United States. The lake starts near Ft. Thompson and ...

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GET SPOTS AT SOLD-OUT South Dakota PARKS

How to scan South Dakota parks for cancellations

Is the South Dakota park you want to camp at sold out? We can help! Campers often cancel their camping reservations. Campnab monitors South Dakota parks and can text you when a suitable campsite one opens up! 🙂

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A map of campgrounds in South Dakota

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Campnab scans these South Dakota parks for cancellations

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