The Black Hills. The Badlands. The topography around Mount Rushmore may sound rough, but it's actually quite scenic. Tourists come from around the country and the globe to gawk at the iconic, gigantic mountainside carving of U.S. presidents in South Dakota. And they likely won't leave before becoming mesmerized by a terrain populated with stony mountains, forestland and large swaths of lunar-looking landscape and high grass prairies. No camping is allowed at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, but some notable spots are close by for striking camp with your motor home or tent.
When Closest Is Best
- For many visitors to the Black Hills, the closer they can camp to Mount Rushmore the better. The closest camping area is 2 miles west on South Dakota Highway 244 at the Horsethief Lake Campground. This is a 36-site National Forest campground with limited facilities. The only amenities here are drinking water and toilets. What the campground lacks in amenities it more than makes up for with its pristine, forested lakeside setting. This is a popular campground so advance reservations are highly recommended, especially in the summer and shoulder seasons.
Favorites With RVers
- An array of private campgrounds are scattered throughout the Black Hills, most of them catering to RVers. The Good Sam Club, an organization devoted to RV campers and their lifestyle, has singled out four campgrounds in the Mount Rushmore area -- Rafter J Bar Ranch Camping Resort, Beaver Lake Campground, Custers Gulch RV Park and Heartland RV Park. Each business receives high marks for its facilities, cleanliness and overall appeal. All are within 25 miles of the Mount Rushmore memorial.
Tent Campers Welcome
- Two private campgrounds within a 5-mile radius of Mount Rushmore welcome tent campers. Both the Mount Rushmore KOA and Kemp's Kamp offer a tent-friendly camping environment at certain sites on their property. Kemp's Kamp is in the tiny town of Keystone, the closest town to Mount Rushmore. The KOA property is a few miles west along Highway 244; this campground provides shuttle service to the park for its guests to view the nightly lighting ceremony of the stone-faced presidents.
Primitive and Free
- For many campers, primitive and free is best. In Badlands National Park east of Mount Rushmore, Sage Creek Campground doesn't charge any camping fees. This campground borders a wilderness area where bison sightings are common. The bison have been known to wander through the camping area at times. Bring your own drinking water, and everything else you'll need, since no services are available on site or nearby. Also, come prepared to see the Milky Way in the nighttime sky more resplendent than you've likely ever seen it before.
