Black Hills National Forest
Dispersed camping is generally allowed
On national forest and grassland, camping outside developed campgrounds is generally permitted unless an area is posted closed or a local order says otherwise. Stay on existing surfaces, camp away from water and trailheads, and check the forest's current orders before you go — fire restrictions change through the season.
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 2,402 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 49
- Longest rig
- 99 ft
Where the land is, and what fits
The official Forest Service boundary with every campground we hold inside it. Tell it how long your rig is and the map keeps only what takes it — public land rarely matches the shape people picture, and neither does what you can actually get into.
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 49 campgrounds shown
- Antelope Springs TrailheadSeason not published
- Bear Gulch (Group Site)Season not published
- Bearlodge CampgroundSeason not published
- Beaver Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Bismark Lake Campgroundto 83 ft · 24 sitesSeason not published
- Black Fox CampgroundJanuary
- Blacktail TrailheadSeason not published
- Bluebird TrailheadSeason not published
- Bogus SystemSeason not published
- Boxelder Forks Campgroundto 60 ft · 14 sitesSeason not published
- Camp 5 TrailheadSeason not published
- Castle Peak CampgroundJanuary
- Coal Ridge TrailheadSeason not published
- Comanche Park Campgroundto 71 ft · 35 sites · Pull-throughSeason not published
- Dalton Lake Campgroundto 55 ft · 12 sitesSeason not published
- Ditch Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Ditch Creek TrailheadSeason not published
- Dutchman Campgroundto 99 ft · 45 sitesSeason not published
- Grizzly Bear Campgroundto 54 ft · 20 sitesSeason not published
- Hanna CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Hawkwright TrailheadSeason not published
- Horsethief Lake Campgroundto 99 ft · 42 sitesSeason not published
- Iron Creek (Horse Camp)to 50 ft · 10 sites · Pull-throughSeason not published
- Merritt SystemSeason not published
- Newton SystemSeason not published
- Ogden Creek TrailheadSeason not published
- Oreville Campgroundto 99 ft · 26 sites · Pull-throughSeason not published
- Pactola CampgroundSeason not published
- Piedmont TrailheadSeason not published
- Red Fern TrailheadSeason not published
- Red Lake TrailheadSeason not published
- Redbank Springs CampgroundMay
- Reuter Campgroundto 45 ft · 13 sites · Pull-throughSeason not published
- Reuter TrailheadSeason not published
- Richardson TrailheadSeason not published
- Riley Hill TrailheadSeason not published
- Rod & Gun CampgroundSeason not published
- Roubaix Lake Campgroundto 99 ft · 59 sitesSeason not published
- Schroeder TrailheadSeason not published
- Shanks TrailheadSeason not published
- Sheridan Lake North Cove (Group Sites) CampgroundSeason not published
- Sheridan Lake South CampgroundSeason not published
- Spearfish Quarry TrailheadSeason not published
- Stageyard TrailheadSeason not published
- Summit Ridge CabinJanuary
- Sundance (Horse Camp)Season not published
- Timon CampgroundSeason not published
- Whitetail Campgroundto 76 ft · 18 sitesSeason not published
- Willow Creek (Horse Camp)to 60 ft · 9 sites · Pull-throughSeason not published
Black Hills National Forest
Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, United States. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres (5,066 km2) and is managed by the Forest Service. Forest headquarters are located in Custer, South Dakota. There are local ranger district offices in Custer, Rapid City, and Spearfish in South Dakota, and in Sundance, Wyoming.
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
No vehicles past these lines
Designated wilderness is closed to every wheeled vehicle, including bicycles. You can walk in and camp; you cannot drive or park a rig inside one.
- Black Elk Wilderness13,534 acres
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
National parks close enough to pair
Drive to Black Hills the long way
Byway plans the road in, not just the destination — real places along the way, weighted to what you like, with nothing invented.