Campgrounds in the Badlands

http://www.rafterj.com/

We've been there and it is great.

Rafter J is fine for the Rapid City area but for a visit to the Badlands, I would recommend a stop in Wall, SD which is right at the Badlands. Sleepy Hollow Campgrounds was fine for a day or two and it will also allow you time to visit Wall Drug not far from the campground. Visit the Minuteman missile sites that are also there if you get a chance.

Why don't you stay in the National Park? The sunsets and night sky are beautiful.

https://www.nps.gov/badl/planyourvisit/camping.htm

There are 2 campgrounds in the park; 1 with electric and on the paved road and a fee, and Sage Creek which has no hookups, is free with buffalo. it is 13 miles off the paved road. The gravel road can be washboardy. I spent a night there alone and enjoyed it. Vault toilets were clean.

While I love the Badlands, and make it a point to overnight there on my travels west, it is pretty much a drive-through and stop at scenic pull out type of place. Of course there are trails and hikes and interpretive displays - but you can do all the stops in less than a day. Roads are great, but you will find limitations on which pull outs to stop at due to the size of your rig. The park campground is pretty neat, with great ranger led evening programs, but no full hookups. But check site sizes and reserve ahead. It is desert like, so don't plan on any shade.
Just outside the south park entrance is a KOA, near the town of Interior. Well treed on the banks of a river. Very, very nice - and they would have no issue accommodating your rig and providing full hook-ups.

On our last trip through, we pulled into the KOA in the late afternoon, then took the drive through the Badlands the next morning pulling our 30' fifth, stopping in Wall for lunch. Final destination was Devils Tower for the night. But having been through the Badlands a lot, we didn't stop at many of the pull outs.

You will probably want to stay in the Badlands park with A/C this time of year. If can't get in to it there is a decent RV park near downtown Wall with full service and within walking distance to tourist stuff. Think the Sturgis bike rally is the first part of Aug which you may want to avoid.

familyman5 wrote:
My family of seven will be exploring the badlands in about a month and I would like to get recommendations on campgrounds. We plan to spend about a week in Rapid City and ust a couple of days in the Badlands. We are traveling from the east so I was wondering if it is worth camping in the Badlands or just traveling what appears to be an hour or so from Rapid City. If you recommend campaign in the Badlands please let me know which campground you recommend for a 40 foot motorhome. Also are there specific sites to see in the Badlands or is it mostly just traveling through and looking at the scenery?

JMHO, Having visited this region 10-12 times over the years - The Badlands are interesting but not a place I could spend a Day, much less the Night.

We have found that the town of Custer is the place for us - close to everything but not too close - Right outside Custer State Park and just so much more to see and do in the area.

Wind and Jewel Caves - Mt Rushmore - Sylvan Lake - Needles - .......... just too much to see and enjoy.

JMHO,

I tend to agree with the statements about it being hot, VERY hot this time of year. If you try to drive from Rafter J you will spend a lot of time in transit. It does not take long to see the Badlands loop. We have stayed a few times at Arrow CG in Wall. Fifty amp FHU. That would be my choice and just do day trips into the BL. While the area itself is huge, the loop road will allow you to see the typical sites.
If you really want to get into that sort of sight seeing, you can leave Hermosa heading west and into the Pine Ridge Reservation area and see more of the same but not as dramatic as the loop. Populated areas of Pine Ridge are very depressing however

The Badlands get very hot in the Summer and there is no shade. If you stay overnight you will want a campground with at least electric hookups. Others have suggested all of the local campgrounds already, so I won't repeat.

IMO if you camp in the Black Hills it is a waste of time to drive back and forth for a day trip visit to the Badlands, especially since you will be coming from the east in the first place. The Badlands can be done in a 1/2 day drive through with some short hikes if it isn't too hot for that. Wall Drug is unique and is good for an hour or so. After the Badlands you will appreciate the free ice water.

In my opinion, skip Wall which is famous for it Drug Store. The store is nothing more than a tourist trap. We stayed 2 nights at the KOA in Interior. While not a fan of KOA, it was a nice place.

For Badlands, it can be a drive through visit or you can take several nice hikes early in the morning.

We highly recommend the Minuteman Missile Historic Site. Arrive early and sign up for the visit to the launch site. They only take 6 persons per visit. Very interesting!

The Custer area has so much to offer, I would spend most of your time there.