Campgrounds in South Dakota

Campgrounds in South Dakota may not sound like a luxurious vacation, so why is it that so many crazy parents tote their picky yet loveable children along for family road trips to just that destination each and every year? It could be that though the campgrounds of South Dakota aren’t exactly like sleeping on the beaches of Maui, there are enjoyable family experiences tucked snuggly in the Black Hills where you least expect them. Trust me, grab your kids, make sure they have their portable DVD players, and promise, no pinky swear, that they will have the time of their lives on your family vacation!

Hidden Valley Campground is a particularly noteworthy example of the plethora of popular campgrounds near Deadwood, South Dakota, the area famous for the Black Hills, Devil’s Tower, Badlands National Park, and (drum roll please) Mount Rushmore. For a family centered experience, it is worth bringing the children, as they will adore frolicking on the playground equipment, getting lost in the arcade games, or sitting by the stream while listening to their iPods, ice cold popsicle comfortably in hand. 

Meanwhile, you will enjoy the peace and quiet of your tent or RV while putting your feet up and watching the stresses of your hectic life simply float away on the soft midwestern breezes. When you’ve had enough of that, you can hobnob with some of the other campers on the 55-lot campgrounds and enjoy a beer or two while singing gleeful camp songs around a crackling fire as the kids lick sticky goo off their happy little faces, the residue of the delectable campfire s’mores devoured earlier that evening.

Once comfortably settled into the campgrounds, there is no need to go driving the children to the area attractions since Hidden Valley Campground has gotten that part figured out for you with ATV access to Black Hills National Forest and daily tours to Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Badland’s National Park, and even the famed Wall Drug.

Speaking of Wall Drug, your children will see signs saturating the area as you are driving to the campgrounds; and these colorful and inviting western-style advertisements will reference how many miles you have until you reach Wall Drug. You might question why all this fuss is made over a lowly old drugstore, but let me tell you that it’s an impeccably unique western drugstore experience, with fresh hot donuts, touristy shopping, and even video games. Let’s just say that the kids will likely decide that Wall Drug was the highlight of their entire trip and reflect, 20 years later, about how much fun it was to eat rock candy and participate in life size, realistic video games while you were detained looking at new fishing tackle, locally made jewelry, a gift for the owners of the campgrounds, or maybe even a big huge Wall Drug sign to put over the couch in your living room.

After days of delightful touring, you will probably wonder about other campgrounds in South Dakota and decide you would like to make an annual event out of sampling from the area’s plethora of camping possibilities. Maybe next year you will traverse the campgrounds of the Black Hills National Forest by spending a few days at one of their secluded campgrounds, such as the spots found at Redback Springs, a serene setting where your family can truly get away from it all. Your children, thanking you for keeping your pinky swear, will be begging for more fun times and jumping up and down when you tell them that you will be returning again next year. Enjoy!