Spokane Creek Cabins and Campground

Camping at the Spokane Creek Cabins and Campground offers easy access to Custer State Park, which sprawls across more than 71,000 acres to the south. It was the first park to be established in South Dakota and holds the title of being the largest in the state. A highlight of Custer State Park is its 1,500 free-roaming bison, which can be viewed along with the scenic drives that wind through the protected area. Browse the natural and cultural exhibits that are displayed at the Peter Norbeck Center or visit the Badger Clark Historic Site, which protects the former home of Charles Badger Clark, who was renowned for his “cowboy" poetry. There are also numerous hiking trails where you can stretch your legs and catch sightings of the park’s resident white-tailed deer, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep. Directly west of the campsites at Spokane Creek Cabins and Campground lies the Black Hills National Forest, which encompasses more than one million acres along South Dakota’s border with Wyoming. It’s home to the tallest mountain in the state, Black Elk Peak, which overlooks the dramatic granite cliffs of the Black Elk Wilderness. In addition, there are impressive views of the iconic Mount Rushmore sculpture along the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and wide expanses of grassland prairie and ponderosa pine forest that provide habitat for large numbers of roaming elk. Drive in the other direction from the Spokane Creek Cabins and Campground, and you’ll arrive in the Badlands National Park, which is renowned for its dramatic canyons and sprawling grasslands. It’s easily explored along the Badlands Loop Road, which winds past various lookouts where you can spot bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs, as well as access a series of trailheads. Begin your visit at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to learn about the ecology and cultural history of the park before exploring the short Fossil Exhibit Trail.