One Of The Best Campgrounds In South Dakota Is Open For Adventure Year-Round
By Tori Jane|Published January 17, 2024
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
South Dakota is a state for adventurers: agree or disagree? I definitely agree, and for a lot of reasons – many of them being our jaw-dropping natural wonders (and the fact that you can camp at or near most of them). Our little corner of the world is a hidden gem, often overlooked in favor of more famous places. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get out and enjoy the amazing wonders this little state has to offer, and I think camping is by far the greatest way to do that. Better still, despite the bitter cold of winter, there are plenty of campgrounds in South Dakota open all year. Perhaps my favorite year-round campground in South Dakota is the one at Wind Cave National Park; its beauty is unmatched, and the wonders there never seem to stop.
Welcome to Wind Cave National Park - one of the most beautiful places in the US.
It's vast, wide-open at points while forested in others, and it's 100% worth traveling to experience. Even if you don't explore the cave (you should), you'll be bowled over by the beauty of this landscape.
There's just one campground here: Elk Mountain Campground.
I do recommend booking your site well in advance, though, as this campground tends to fill up quickly. It is, after all, one of the most beautiful places in South Dakota.
If you're not a huge fan of sharing a campground with others (I get it), no worries - you can also do dispersed camping in the northern part of the park.
The campground has 62 sites, and you might have large swaths of the place to yourself should you come out in the cold to brave the winter outdoors! With enough to keep you warm and safe, it's a wonderfully chilly and low-key time of year to camp. Fees are half-price in winter, too!
Reservations are required from May through September, and it's first-come, first-served all other times of year.
Camping at Wind Cave National Park is so awe-inspiring on its own that you might even forget there's an entire, enormous cave system to explore - one of the biggest caves in South Dakota, at that.
But you won't be able to forget the breathtaking natural beauty of the area...
To learn more about Elk River Campground and to reserve your campsite in advance, be sure to visit the official National Park Service website. Once you’ve been to this year-round campground in South Dakota, you’re sure to return again and again! Planning on hiking while you’re here? Good plan. Check out our epic hiking trip packing list for all kinds of inspiration.
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