Horse Thief Campground

Our Leisure Travel Vans Group met here for a Rally with 38 RVs. The management went all out to make our stay great including providing the Picnic Pavilion with wood for evening fires without charge. One guy had a problem with the level on his site so the manager added gravel to his site to make it work better. You can't get better than that.

The sites are all large and relatively level considering that you are on a mountain side! We watched the moon rise over the mountain each night. The bathrooms were very clean. AS was the case throughout the Black Hills cell reception was very poor and the WiFi was spotty. Don't expect WiFi in a mountain getaway.

Perfect base for exploring the Black Hills and Custer SP. It’s at the beginning of Needles highway, but before any of the tunnels, so big rig friendly. Well spaced sites with fire rings and picnic tables. Nice office. There are tent sites and cabins, too. We did have a little trouble with the hook ups, as the placement didn’t allow us to hook water/sewer/electric at the same time without either longer hoses or extension cords. Plus the site was a pretty tight fit for our tow vehicle. But the reason to stay here is the scenery and quiet. I didn’t see a better campground anywhere.

Our stay in the Black Hills for four nights at the Horse Thief Campground was relaxing, enjoyable and convenient. We were in our class C while slowly making our way across the country. The park is reasonably large. We had no problems getting a spot here. Sites are gravel for the RV, reasonably level, and very well maintained. Most are pull through. Hookups are in very good condition. Each site had plenty of grassy area with tables and fire pit.  Staff was very friendly and helpful. There are tent sites available, some were secluded.  Cabins were also available.

There was a heated pool that we observed being used daily. Two playgrounds are available along with a large grassy area for play.  Showers and laundry are available and in good condition.  The campground store offers ice, firewood, snacks, and other basic supplies.  There is a wonderful hillside where we saw turkeys and deer.  We were told by another camper that mountain goats have been seen on the mountain behind the hillside. 

Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument are within 15 miles. A steam train ride is available at nearby Hill City.  The area features many other attractions and activities and the campground is in the middle of it all.

The campground is conveniently located a few miles off the highway. There is no noise other than the campground and sometimes turkeys in the early evening..

We had 1 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot was unusable. Cell internet was poor or nonexistent. There are several wifi connections available in the park.  These were okay and allowed us to do basic internet.  Downloads took a long time.

The only reason we give 4 star instead of 5 is the wifi service could be better, though they have made more effort than most places we have stayed.  The playgrounds could use a little maintenance, but were very usable.

We found this to be an excellent place to stay.  We will stay again when traveling this way.

Within 20 minutes, you can be at Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Needles Highway. We were in the 2nd row. Decent width sites with grass and a tree. Water spigot already had a pressure gauge attached. Cannot speak to bathhouses as we did not need them. Campground store is small with a little bit of everything. Large DVD collection for rent. Very friendly staff. Wifi is poor at best. We went to the library one morning to catch-up with their free wifi. If we were to stay here again, I would try for the middle section. Just felt a bit more spacious.

I’m sure that this campground is great if you come with a trailer, but my experience with a tent leaves much to be desired. The main tent sites without power are on a large embankment with a rather generous incline. There are ant hills galore with some mounds having openings wide enough for two fingers (if you don’t mind red ants swarming them) and the nightly deer will leave you many many presents that you will need to keep an eye out for. The roads in the campground are slowly being washed away on both sides of the gravel, bathrooms are clean but very spartan with the non handicap shower not even having enough room to turnaround in. The staff were very helpful, and were willing to relocate me from my original site which was 105 and is best described as level with rocks ants and 3 rain runoff flows.