Camping

Although there are no campgrounds within the boundaries of Mount Rushmore National Memorial or Jewel Cave National Monument, there are several in Custer State Park and another in Wind Cave National Park, plus those in the Black Hills National Forest and privately operated campgrounds. Many commercial campgrounds offer free shuttle services, nightly entertainment, pools, convenience stores, and horseback riding. Reservations are recommended. Choice spots are often filled by midmorning, so arriving at popular campgrounds early in the day is advised.

For more information on camping opportunities, contact South Dakota Tourism. For information on National Forest Service campgrounds, contact the Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest, 1019 N. 5th St., Custer, SD 57730 (tel. 605/673-9200; www.fs.fed.us/r2/blackhills), or contact Forest Recreation Management, Inc., 12620 Hwy. 244, Hill City, SD 57745 (tel. 605/574-2525).

Inside Wind Cave National Park

In the pine forests 1/2 mile north of the park visitor center, Elk Mountain Campground has shady sites suitable for tents and recreational vehicles. The campground fee is $12 per night per site mid-May through mid-September and $6 per night per site the remainder of its season, when water is turned off. Park rangers give campfire programs at the amphitheater in the summer. Backcountry camping is also permitted (contact the park office for details), and backcountry campers are encouraged to practice low-impact camping and hiking techniques.

Inside Custer State Park

Campgrounds here require park entrance fees as well as camping fees.

Each campsite has a gravel or paved camping pad, drinking water and showers, fire grates, and a picnic table, and all campgrounds but Center Lake have flush toilets. About 270 campsites and 50 new camper cabins throughout the park may be reserved beginning in January, while other sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Campsites range from modern to primitive. There is electricity at campgrounds throughout the park.

For information and reservations, contact Custer State Park, 13329 W. Hwy. 16A, Custer, SD 57730 (tel. 800/710-2267 or 605/255-4515), or www.campsd.com.

Blue Bell Campground is in a mature stand of ponderosa pine near French Creek, not far from the site where Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry discovered gold in 1874. It offers easy access to the Wildlife Loop Road, horseback riding, stream fishing, and fabulous hiking.

Game Lodge Campground was designed for larger RVs, but tent campers will find cool, shady sites and an occasional bison along the banks of Grace Coolidge Creek. It's near the park's Peter Norbeck Visitor Center and the State Game Lodge.

Legion Lake Campground is centrally located in Custer State Park, with fishing, boating, and hiking opportunities right at your doorstep. Historic sites are within walking distance, as is the Legion Lake Lodge across the highway.

You'd probably have to camp in Yosemite Valley to get a better view than the one at Sylvan Lake Campground. This mountain retreat is just off the incredible Needles Highway, near 7,242-foot Harney Peak, the highest point between the Rockies in the west and the Swiss Alps in the east, and offers the best Black Hills hiking and mountain climbing. Its campsites fill quickly, so make your reservations early; all sites are reservable.

The park's other three campgrounds are Center Lake, 5 miles northeast of the junction of U.S. 16A and S. Dak. 87; Grace Coolidge, 13 miles east of Custer on U.S. 16A; and Stockade Lake, just inside the park's western boundary on U.S. 16A.

Reservations are accepted at all campgrounds and camper cabins except Center Lake, which is all first come, first served.

Inside The Black Hills National Forest

You can make National Forest camping reservations by calling tel. 877/444-6777 or online at www.reserveusa.com. Below are just two of 19 campgrounds in the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota and Wyoming.

Horsethief Lake Campground, a mile west of Mount Rushmore, offers scenic sites adjacent to picturesque Horsethief Lake. At a 5,000-foot elevation, the campground has 28 sites for tents, travel trailers, and RVs; eight sites are for tents only. Sites not reserved (50% can be reserved) fill quickly, so you need to claim yours early in the day.

Roubaix Lake Campground, off U.S. 385 on FDR 255, is nestled in a ponderosa pine forest next to scenic Roubaix Lake, which offers great fishing and swimming at a 5,500-foot elevation. Spaces fill fast; some can be reserved.

Commercial Campgrounds

A variety of private campgrounds provide all the usual RV hookups and other services.

American Presidents Resort, 1 mile east of Custer on Hwy. 16A, P.O. Box 446, Custer, SD 57730 (tel. 605/673-3373; www.presidentsresort.com), is a perfect base for touring the southern Black Hills. The campground's 40-by-60-foot heated pool and Jacuzzi are popular, as are its miniature golf and horseshoes. The campground, with 70 sites, has a store and fishing nearby. A 10% discount is offered on reservations made before May 15. Also available are 45 full-service cabins, some with kitchens, that sleep from two to eight people and a 15-unit motel (call for rates).

Big Pine Campground, R.R. 1, P.O. Box 52, Custer, SD 57730 (tel. 800/235-3981 for reservations, or 605/673-4054; www.bigpinecampground.com), secluded from traffic noises, offers level, naturally shaded sites plus fireplaces and wood, a store, game room, playground, hiking, and horseshoes.

Miners RV Park, P.O. Box 157, Keystone, SD 57751 (tel. 800/727-2421 or 605/666-4638; www.minersresort.com), in the heart of the former mining town of Keystone, is close to numerous attractions and only a stone's throw from Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The campground and its adjacent 43-unit motel offer cool shade and a gurgling brook, as well as a store, gas, ice, gifts, restaurant, heated pool, and hot tub. Take a fun walk down Keystone's Main Street while you're here.

Mount Rushmore KOA, P.O. Box 295, Hill City, SD 57745 (tel. 800/562-8503; www.mtrushmorekoa.com), part of the Palmer Gulch Resort, is among the best campgrounds in the region. With 500 sites and 55 Kamping Kabins, two pools and spas, a water slide, American Indian dancers, movies, miniature golf, fishing, hayrides, a restaurant, tours, and car rentals, this is what many commercial campgrounds want to be when they grow up.

Rapid City KOA, P.O. Box 2592, Rapid City, SD 57709 (tel. 800/KOA-8504 [562-8504] or 605/348-2111; www.rapidcitykoa.com), is on Rapid City's eastern flank. This large KOA offers a grand pool and spa. Bus tours and car rentals are available, and shopping, sightseeing, and Rushmore Plaza Civic Center are nearby.

Whistler Gulch Campground, 235 Cliff St., Hwy. 85 S., Deadwood, SD 57732 (tel. 800/704-7139 or 605/578-2092; www.whistlergulch.com), is in one of Deadwood's famous mining gulches. The campground offers 100 full-service RV sites and secluded tent sites. Facilities include a heated swimming pool, a sport court, and a small store. The town trolley takes visitors to Deadwood's casinos and historic sites.