Sage Creek Campground

This was an amazing free campsite to set up while we were in the national park. They have a vault bathroom located opposite of the entrance (with two buildings we got scared when the first one didn't open 😅). No water or electric hookups so make sure you plan. Wall is the closest town over, any supplies you might need you should be able to find in town. The pictures of the night sky I have don't do justice. Incredible view of the stars at night, in the morning we were greeted by Bison grazing in the distance, a couple of Coyotes passing through, some beautiful Black-beaked Magpies, bunnies and of course, prairie dogs. Please mind your distance from wildlife, enjoy and help keep sites like this beautiful for the areas inhabitants and those visiting ❤️

We stopped here on our cross-country road trip. Got here at sunset, so we were worried we wouldn't find a spot, but we did. It's a beautiful place to stop. There were lots of Prairie dogs and Buffalos to see. It was peaceful, but my boyfriend had a hard time sleeping due to people running their generators loudly all night. When we woke up in the morning, there were Buffalos napping and grazing all over the hills. It was truly stunning. They also had bathrooms with toilet paper. This was a very nice stop.

Don’t expect luxury out here, two vault toilets for the entire campground and no potable water. That being said it’s a unique campground experience, and the fact that it’s a free and scenic place to rack out is great. Toilets were actually very clean and everybody is friendly. It can be hard figuring out where to pitch your tent when the place is busy but just chat with others who are there and you’ll figure it out. In the evening and morning there was a nosy bison doing a lap around the campground which I guess could throw people off. Just don’t go up to the thing taking selfies like some people were and keep your distance

Sage Creek is first come, first served and typically starts to fill up around 4:00pm. If you go early, you will find a spot; just throw down a tent to claim your spot and come back later. There is no running water or electric but the pit bathrooms were very clean. Buffalo and prairie dogs ran all over camp, it was such a cool experience!

Amazing spot. Free spots for rent and RV. First come, first served. Beautiful location with plenty of Bison and prairie dogs and coyotes. Bring your camera!

I got here around sunset, so all the campgrounds were filled as expected. So I made my way over to the overflow campground and it was even better in my opinion. I had a great veiw of the sunset, the stars were so pretty at night, and waking up to Buffalo outside your tent and Prarie dogs all around is an amazing experience!

Come prepared with water and love the views. We woke up to Buffalo roaming the campground. Many Prarie dogs as well. Nice trails in the campground.

Primitive Campground in Badlands National Park. 12 miles of dirt washboard road but well worth it. Most vehicles can make this trek. The campground offers great views and plenty of wildlife. Definitely get here early for a spot because it is first come first serve. NO OPEN FIRES!! No fire pits here just F.Y.I. the sites are mainly just around this small portion of grass so its very close quarters. Be respectful of your own space. Only 2 bathrooms and bearlocked trash/recycled bins are also around the site. Picnic tables are available and the walking trails around here are perfect for airing the doggos. Prarie dogs here carry the plaque so please have them on leash at all times. Bison like to stroll right through here as well!! Do not be afraid. As long as you don't spook, yell, or scare them, they'll just graze by. I highly recommend coming here and will definitely be coming back. The Milky Way is best to see around 12p.m. to 2a.m. so don't miss it!!

We rolled into this *free* campground once it was already dark. Most of the campers were settling in for the night. There are two pit toilets (enclosed restroom with actual toilet seat) and places for trash/recycling right by it. Some of the sites have the sun shade for the picnic benches, others do not. There are prairie dogs all over, watch your step for their holes when setting up! Beautiful place to watch for shooting stars. I think our groups favorite part was waking up to the sunrise and sound of bison- we hadn't seen one on our trip yet.. saw one as we walked up the hill and then found the entirety of the herd. The bison made their way across the prairie, one came into the camp and enjoyed using the wooden post to scratch himself. Tent camping went without a hitch!

Be prepared do some driving on rough, loose-gravel roads to get to this campground. Easy to find on google maps if you need directions, though it'll be quicker if you take the northern route as opposed to the southern one (from the Ben Reifel Visitor Center). The site itself is a cul de sac of sorts with picnic tables (half had shade cover, half did not) next to the inside part of the road. My fam and I got there on a mid-day Sunday and there were plenty of spots. Set up our tent next to a shaded picnic table. LOTS of cute prairie dogs everywhere--but they mind their own business as they squeak their day away. By nightfall, almost all of the picnic table/camping spots were taken, but everyone was quiet and respectful after dark. The restrooms had vault toilets and were surprisingly clean with plenty of toilet paper and hand sanitizer, didn't stink either, and no random bugs. As soon as dusk came, the prairie dogs all disappeared (for good reason) and the coyotes came out--they were VERY noisy with their constant howling. It was BEAUTIFUL at night, either the moon illuminated everything, or the river of stars--just wow. My kids and I had a great time here. Things to note: 1. Please be watchful of and stay very close to your pets, especially small ones (dogs/cats), PARTICULARLY at night if they need to go out to do their thing. The coyotes will likely see them as food and you won't see/hear them coming. 2. There is a horse campground next door. My only gripe about Sage Creek is that the riders bring their horses through the human campground sometimes and leave horse poop all over the place, despite clear instructions not to do so (it says they must go around the campground and pick up their horse poo). 3. No generators allowed... but pretty sure the horse campground folks had their generators running until at least midnight. :-/ 4. Make sure you have enough water for drinking, washing, etc. There is no water at this site. Please dispose of grey water appropriately. No electricity either. 5. There are a few hiking trails in the area. No map of those hiking trails though. 6. Buffalo are free to roam in the area. They weren't on the campground when I was there, but found them just around a bend when I left the site. Most importantly, have a great time! Be patient, be filled with wonder.

This is primitive camping so no electricity or water but it's free and serves it's purpose. We tent camped, as did 90% of other people there and for a Sunday in late August, it was pretty packed. Make sure your tent can withstand high winds. The smaller the tent, the better. Dome tents work best. The pit toilets were in good condition and stocked with ample toilet paper and hand sanitizer. They didn't stink too bad either! Warning, the Coyotes howled all night long but it's literally the wilderness and completely natural. I'll wear ear plugs next time maybe. Awesome views of the moon here! Woke up to buffalo roaming through the camp ground. They didn't bother anyone, you can tell they're used to people being around. Very cool experience!

100% amazing spot on earth. Of course the drive here was worth every inch, every hour, every mile. Kept stopping because it was so beautiful. Beautiful circular campsite surrounded by heaven.