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53_willys
Explorer
Oct 25, 2021

Glacier National Park and Mount Rushmore campgrounds

wanting to know your favorite RV parks / campgrounds near Mount Rushmore and Glacier Nat Park. We are in the process of planning a 6 to 8 week trip for the late spring early summer of 2022 and are welcoming all suggestions for campsites. we will be traveling in our class A towing our jeep. We will also be spending time in Idaho, Montana ,Wyoming, Colorado , Nebraska any and all suggestions welcome .
  • http://www.glaciercampground.com/
    West Glacier CG. We have stayed here several years ago. Restaurant on site. Had a bear on site behind our site also ;) Wery nice folks running the place.
    No sewer so we had to use the dumpstation.
    Wooded sites in most of the CG. Very close to the GNP entrance and the West Glacier Village if you want to hike over for a look around. We went in July and they had just cleared the Going to the Sun over the pass
  • Black Hills is a relatively small area, about 60 miles N-S and less E-W. You can stay anywhere from Spearfish to Hotsprings and see it all, many good campgrounds in the area. Depends on what you want to see and what hookups you need.

    I stayed at Spearfish City Campground with my motor home and rented a car and did all my touring that way.

    Charles
  • We did Rafter J for Rushmore and KOA for Glacier. Both were good. Get reservations. We had to beg and scramble for a few of the nights.
  • Rafter J Bar outside of Hill City would be the best for a class A as they have areas with large sites. It is also more of a 'Nat'l Forest' feel to it.

    Custer S.P. is an excellent choice but I don't think a class A would have as many choices.

    At Glacier, there are many private RV parks that will work for you.
  • Mt Rushmore area there are 2 that we have been to. Custer State Park and Rafter J Bar. Custer puts you right in the action. Make sure you stop at the visitor centers,drive the Wildlife Loop and Iron Mountain Highway. Rafter J if you need full hookups and a pool.
  • A tip.
    In my previous carreer(pipelining) we learned to not always choose the town or camp nearest our point of interest.
    Look at it this way, draw a circle of the places you want to visit, If you only visit any of those places once, then any lodging within the circle will amount to the exact same amount of travel time and mileage to see them all. If you go to the same attraction more than once, of course it is smore ensible when sites are equal to stay closer to it.
    Camps that have that claim to fame have rates to reflect the proximity, not necessarily the experience.
    We choose our camps on the camp not on its proximity to the attraction.
  • Spring is probably too early to see much at Glacier, but we had a good time at the nearby KOA on the west side. We also really liked a couple of the spots on the east side, but it's a very different experience. Make sure to bring your passport in case you decide to dip your toes on the other side of the border.

    For Rushmore, look for someplace in the nearby Black Hills. We liked Hill City.