Wild Pitch Camp

Free & dispersed camping in South Dakota

We currently track 64 dispersed and free-camping locations in South Dakota, drawn from public OpenStreetMap data and cross-referenced against BLM, Black Hills National Forest and National Grassland. South Dakota sits in the Northern Plains and offers some of the most generous public-land access in the country for self-reliant campers. Unlike the reservation-driven world of state-park and KOA-style campgrounds, the sites listed here are largely first-come, first-served, with minimal infrastructure and a 14-day stay limit on most federal parcels. Expect dirt roads, no hookups, and zero cell service — that's the appeal. The trade-off is that you carry the responsibility for water, waste, fire safety, and respectful land use. Browse the directory below by name, then click into any listing for facility detail, GPS coordinates, and field notes specific to that pitch.

Directory
64 named campsites
 Regions
2 curated zones in South Dakota
 Rules
Permits, fire, stay limits
64 documented sites Region: Northern Plains

Curated regions in South Dakota

The dispersed-camping inventory in South Dakota concentrates in a handful of regional zones. Each one has its own brief — managers, named pull-outs, season, elevation.

May–October

Black Hills

Black Hills National Forest

Region brief →
April–October

Badlands & Buffalo Gap

Buffalo Gap National Grassland; Badlands NP (limited)

Region brief →

All documented campsites in South Dakota

Sorted alphabetically. Tap any row for facilities, GPS coordinates, and a 300+ word field-grounded write-up.

  1. 127

    Standard · 43.692, -101.927

    Fee: unspecified

  2. Alkali Creek Campground

    Basic · 44.375, -103.468

    Fee: unspecified

  3. Badlands Interior Campground

    Basic · 43.729, -101.979

    Fee: unspecified

  4. Beaver Creek Campground

    Basic · near Hill City · 44.075, -104.050

    Fee: yes

  5. Big Stone Rearing Pond

    Basic · near Big Stone City · 45.337, -96.490

    Free

  6. Bismark Lake Campground

    Basic · near Custer · 43.775, -103.511

    Fee: yes

  7. Black Fox Campground

    Basic · near Rochford · 44.145, -103.845

    Fee: yes

  8. Boxelder Forks Campground

    Basic · near Nemo · 44.198, -103.535

    Fee: yes

  9. Byre Lake Recreation Area

    Basic · 43.930, -99.837

    Fee: unspecified

  10. Canyon Lake Cottages

    Basic · 44.057, -103.295

    Fee: unspecified

  11. Canyon Lake Cottages

    Basic · 44.058, -103.295

    Fee: unspecified

  12. Castle Peak Campground

    Basic · near Hill City · 44.080, -103.727

    Fee: yes

  13. Center Lake Campground Lower Loop

    Basic · 43.805, -103.422

    Fee: unspecified

  14. Center Lake Campground Upper Loop

    Basic · 43.807, -103.421

    Fee: unspecified

  15. Chris' Campground

    Basic · 44.471, -103.826

    Fee: unspecified

  16. Colman Campgrounds

    Basic · 43.979, -96.810

    Fee: yes

  17. Custer Trail - USFS

    Basic · near Hill City · 44.025, -103.799

    Fee: unspecified

  18. Dalton Lake Campground

    Basic · near Nemo · 44.230, -103.476

    Fee: yes

  19. Ditch Creek Campground

    Basic · 43.960, -103.842

    Fee: unspecified

  20. Dude Rach DFG

    Basic · near Chaberlain · 43.781, -99.425

    Fee: unspecified

  21. Dutchman - USFS

    Basic · near Hill City · 44.023, -103.781

    Fee: yes

  22. East Campgound

    Basic · 45.401, -96.658

    Fee: unspecified

  23. FRENCH CREEK HORSE CG

    Basic · 43.715, -103.455

    Fee: unspecified

  24. Fish n Fry Campground

    Basic · near Deadwood · 44.302, -103.678

    Fee: unspecified

  25. Flandreau Municipal Park Campground

    Basic · 44.056, -96.568

    Fee: yes

  26. Freeman City Park Campground

    Basic · near Freeman · 43.356, -97.431

    Fee: yes

  27. French Creek Campground

    Basic · 43.662, -103.023

    Fee: unspecified

  28. Grizzly Creek - USFS

    Basic · near Keystone · 43.877, -103.440

    Fee: yes

  29. Group Area

    Basic · 45.534, -98.622

    Fee: unspecified

  30. Group Area

    Basic · 45.535, -98.621

    Fee: unspecified

  31. Group Area Camping

    Basic · 45.541, -98.613

    Fee: unspecified

  32. Group Campground

    Basic · 43.767, -103.520

    Fee: unspecified

  33. Hanna Campground

    Basic · 44.275, -103.852

    Fee: yes

  34. Hecla Day Use Area

    Basic · 45.878, -98.192

    Fee: unspecified

  35. Hieb Memorial Park Campground

    Basic · near Marion · 43.426, -97.265

    Free

  36. Ingalls Homestead Museum

    Basic · near De Smet · 44.367, -97.541

    Fee: yes

  37. Kodako Kampground

    Basic · 43.837, -101.521

    Fee: yes

  38. Lake Hendricks LUA_GFP

    Basic · near White · 44.480, -96.477

    Free

  39. Lake Prior City Park

    Basic · near Woonsocket · 44.057, -98.278

    Fee: yes

  40. Legion Lake Campground

    Basic · 43.763, -103.466

    Fee: unspecified

  41. Little Jon Park

    Basic · near Rapid City · 44.149, -103.269

    Fee: yes

  42. Maxwell Park Campground

    Basic · near Arlington · 44.365, -97.134

    Fee: yes

  43. Melgaard Park Campground

    Basic · 45.445, -98.478

    Fee: unspecified

  44. Memorial Park County Park Campground

    Basic · near Huron · 44.369, -98.193

    Fee: yes

  45. Menno Lake Rec Area

    Basic · near Menno · 43.263, -97.609

    Fee: yes

  46. Mountain View Campground

    Basic · 44.472, -103.826

    Fee: unspecified

  47. North Shore -COE

    Basic · near Fort Thompson · 44.067, -99.478

    Free

  48. Northland Park Campground

    Basic · near Arlington · 44.361, -97.130

    Fee: yes

  49. Old Fort Thompson - COE

    Basic · near Fort Thompson · 44.060, -99.448

    Free

  50. Rafter J Bar Ranch

    Basic · 43.891, -103.593

    Fee: unspecified

  51. Right Tailrace - COE

    Basic · near Fort Thompson · 44.036, -99.439

    Fee: unspecified

  52. Roubaix Lake Campground

    Basic · near Deadwood · 44.199, -103.662

    Fee: yes

  53. Sage Creek Campground

    Basic · 43.894, -102.414

    Fee: unspecified

  54. Shady Rest Youth Area

    Basic · 43.778, -103.415

    Fee: unspecified

  55. Spokane Creek Cabins & Campground

    Basic · 43.835, -103.377

    Fee: yes

  56. Steamboat Rock Picnic & Tent Camping Area

    Basic · near Nemo · 44.158, -103.470

    Fee: yes

  57. Stockade Lake Campground South

    Basic · 43.764, -103.523

    Fee: unspecified

  58. Strawberry Picnic & Tent Camping Area

    Basic · near Deadwood · 44.311, -103.691

    Fee: yes

  59. Washington Park

    Basic · near De Smet · 44.386, -97.560

    Fee: yes

  60. Waubay City Campground

    Basic · near Waubay · 45.341, -97.298

    Free

  61. Wessington Springs City Park

    Basic · near Wessington Springs · 44.076, -98.572

    Fee: yes

  62. West Ball Park Campground

    Basic · near Canton · 43.299, -96.602

    Fee: yes

  63. West Campgound

    Basic · 45.404, -96.667

    Fee: unspecified

  64. Whitetail Campground

    Basic · near Hill City · 44.013, -103.803

    Fee: yes

Rules at a glance

  • Stay limit: 14 days on Black Hills NF
  • Trust permit: Not required
  • Fire authority: South Dakota Wildland Fire

Full rules →