Swimming

Sandager Park Pool and Campground

19 RV Sites

Sandager Park Pool and Campground in Lisbon, North Dakota, offers 19 RV sites on the Sheyenne River, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet. Full-hookup, electric-only, and dry camp categories give three clear price points, with an outdoor pool, mini-golf, ball field, and sports courts. Nineteen sites span back-in water-electric-sewer 30/50-amp, back-in electric only 50-amp, pull-thru electric only 50-amp, and dry camp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 50 feet. Read the category carefully — the electric-only and dry tiers carry no water or sewer at the site and price accordingly, which is a useful range to have. A dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. This is a self-service campground: no check-in is required on arrival, as all sites with electricity need prepaid reservations. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with mini-golf, a ball field, sports courts, tennis, basketball, volleyball, a playground, pavilion, and dog park filling the rest. The river carries fishing, canoeing, and kayaking, with biking and swimming besides. Pets are welcome. The Lisbon Park District operates the campground as a community facility, which shows in the pricing and in the range of public recreation on the grounds — the pool and ball fields serve local residents as much as campers. Ransom County sits in the Sheyenne River valley of southeastern North Dakota, a genuinely scenic wooded corridor cutting through open prairie, with Fort Ransom State Park and the Sheyenne National Grassland close. Summer is the short, intense season. Reserve ahead for July and August.

from $25/night

Dead Colt Creek Recreation Area

25 RV Sites, 13 Tent Sites

Dead Colt Creek Recreation Area in Lisbon, ND, offers 25 RV sites and 13 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 75 feet. Sites come in three types — water-and-electric back-ins at 30-amp, water-and-electric back-ins at 50-amp, and water-and-electric pull-ins at 30-amp — each with a fire pit and picnic table. These are partial hookups: there's no sewer at the site, so plan on the dump station. At 75 feet the sites take long rigs. A bathhouse with showers and a pavilion are on the property, and pets are welcome. One rule to plan around: one vehicle per site, with a nightly fee charged on arrival for each additional vehicle. For a city-operated recreation area the amenity list is unusually good — an outdoor pool, a boat ramp and boat docks, a ball field, sport courts for basketball and volleyball, and a playground, with swimming and fishing on the water. Lisbon sits in Ransom County in the Sheyenne River valley, in the rolling glacial lake country of southeastern North Dakota. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Bring only one vehicle per site if you'd rather not pay the extra-vehicle fee.

from $12/night

Badlands Hotel and Campground

26 RV Sites, 26 Tent Sites, 21 Hotel Rooms

Badlands Hotel and Campground in Interior, South Dakota, offers 24 RV sites, 21 hotel rooms, and 26 tent sites one mile from Badlands National Park's south entrance, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 100 feet. Full-hookup, water-and-electric, and no-hookup categories serve every budget in one of the country's most isolated park settings. Twenty-four sites span 30-amp back-in, 30-amp water-and-electric back-in, 50-amp water-and-electric back-in, no-hookup back-in, and pull-through categories, sized to 100 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and site WiFi. The no-hookup option suits self-contained rigs at a lower rate. Twenty-one hotel rooms, a two-bedroom apartment, and 26 tent sites round out an unusually broad lodging range. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, and on-site dining handle the practical side. Campfires are permitted, subject to any posted restrictions. An outdoor pool anchors the warm months, with walking trails, picnicking, hiking, boating, and birding from the area. Pets are welcome. The one-mile distance from the park's south entrance is the whole proposition. Badlands National Park protects one of the most visually striking geological landscapes in North America and one of the largest intact mixed-grass prairie ecosystems left on the Great Plains. This is genuinely remote country — the nearest significant commercial infrastructure is an hour away, which makes a property with hotel rooms, a store, and a restaurant unusually valuable. Summer is peak. Reserve well ahead.

from $24/night

Sturgis View Campground

Sturgis View Campground offers full-hookup RV sites with water, sewer, and electric, plus cabins, on a hillside 1.5 miles from Sturgis's Main Street, with 360-degree views of the Black Hills. An outdoor pool, hot tub, bar, and on-site dining have served motorcycle rally attendees since 2004. Full-hookup back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric with fire pits, picnic tables, and site WiFi. Cabins round out the accommodations. A general store, dump station, restrooms, showers, and a pavilion handle the practical side, with on-site dining and a bar for evenings. The property also serves as a wedding venue and includes a barn. An outdoor pool and hot tub anchor the property, with walking trails, hiking, picnicking, and swimming from the grounds and stargazing across the open Hills sky. Planned activities run through the season. Wine tasting is nearby. Pets are welcome. The hillside position is the whole idea. Elevated and set back just enough to catch a breeze and some perspective, the campground puts riders close to the rally without being swallowed by it — which is why it has held a loyal following since 2004. Downtown Sturgis is 1.5 miles away, with Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Badlands National Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Bear Butte State Park all within day-trip range. The August Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is the defining event and books out far in advance at premium rates — if your stay falls anywhere near rally week, reserve as early as you possibly can. The rest of the Black Hills summer runs busy on park traffic.

Black Hills Station

36 RV Sites

Black Hills Station in Piedmont, South Dakota, offers 36 full-hookup RV sites just off Interstate 90 between Rapid City and Sturgis, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet, open all year. An outdoor pool, clubhouse, and cabins sit at the entry point to the Black Hills. Thirty-six sites run in 30-amp back-in, standard back-in, and pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 40 feet. Note the 40-foot cap before booking a larger rig. Cabins serve guests without a rig. A dump station, restrooms, showers, and WiFi handle the practical side, and the campground stays open year-round. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with inflatable water toys, a clubhouse, billiards, corn hole, and walking trails filling the grounds. Off-roading and a casino are nearby. The amenity set is practical rather than elaborate, which suits a property where guests spend their days out. The position is the real asset. From this single address, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park, Spearfish Canyon, and Deadwood are all reachable as day trips — a lineup that would otherwise constitute a full two-week South Dakota itinerary with multiple relocations. Summer is peak across the Black Hills. The August Sturgis rally is the sharpest constraint, given the park sits directly between Rapid City and Sturgis — if your stay falls anywhere near rally week, reserve as early as possible and expect premium rates.

from $36/night

Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort & Cabins

100 RV Sites

Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort and Cabins in Spearfish, South Dakota, offers 100 full-hookup RV sites on the historic Frawley Ranch, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted up to 140 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Back-in and pull-through categories join an outdoor pool, hot tub, disc golf course, and tennis at the northern gateway to the Black Hills. One hundred sites run in back-in and pull-through categories, both carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 140 feet. One hundred forty feet is among the most generous length allowances anywhere and accommodates anything on the road — worth knowing if you tow a trailer behind a long coach. The paved, level pads back up the resort's reputation. A general store, laundry, propane fills, showers, and on-site dining handle the practical side. An outdoor pool and hot tub and sauna anchor the property, with a disc golf course, sports courts, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, golf cart rentals, walking trails, biking, a playground, and dog park filling the rest. Planned activities run through the season, and a golf course is nearby. The Frawley Ranch carries more than 140 years of pioneering heritage and National Historic Registry status, which gives the grounds a genuine western character that most resorts manufacture. Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, and Devils Tower are all within reach. Summer is the short, intense Black Hills season, and the Sturgis rally fills the entire region. Reserve as early as you can for August.

from $55 $48/night