Black Hills National Forest encompasses more than 1.25 million acres. Given its vast size, it should come as no surprise that the forest offers a wide range of camping opportunities. Black Hills National Park is home to more than two dozen campgrounds, most of them primitive, secluded sites best suited for tents and small campers. The 34-site Comanche Park Campground is one of the closest to Hot Springs, and the campsites here are wooded, quiet and include picnic tables, campfire rings, and access to vault toilets and drinking water. Hookups are not available, but tents and RVs are equally welcome. Reservations are available by phone or through Reserve America, and a handful of campsites remain open year-round. The area around this campground includes access to many miles of hiking trails and Jewel Cave National Monument, which is currently the third-longest known cave in the world. The nearby Bismarck Lake Campground offers 23 tents-only sites with drinking water, flush toilets and access to 27-acre Bismarck Lake.
Sharing a border with Black Hills National Forest, the landscape of 71,000-acre Custer State Park is a widely varied one, with quiet pine forests, crystal clear lakes and rugged granite rock formations. These features make the park a major attraction for hikers, boaters, fishermen and rock climbers. Ten campgrounds provide accommodations in Custer State Park, with hundreds of individual campsites. Most of these are modern sites with electric hookups and access to flush toilets and hot showers. If you prefer something a little more rustic, primitive backcountry tent camping is permitted throughout the French Creek Natural Area, where hikers can follow French Creek through a lush valley and pitch a tent anywhere more than 50 feet from the stream.
Wind Cave National Park is less than 20 minutes from Hot Springs, and this 34,000-acre park includes more than 30 miles of hiking trails and guided tours of several caves. While there are no developed campgrounds, the northwest corner of the park is open to backcountry camping. Several maintained roads and hiking trails traverse this vast area of prairie and mountain forest, but camping is restricted to areas that are at least 100 feet away from trails and water sources and 1/4 of a mile from roads. A backcountry use permit is required, and you can get one for free at the Wind Cave visitor center. Backcountry campers are responsible for carrying all necessary supplies with them and leaving no trace of their presence in the wilderness. Ground fires are not allowed, but self-contained cook stoves are permitted. The National Park Service advises hikers and backcountry campers to bring all the water they need with them. Water sources are few and far between, and all water from springs and streams must be treated, filtered or boiled before drinking.
About 15 minutes south of Hot Springs, Angostura Recreation Area sits on the shore of 4,400-acre Angostura Reservoir, one of the few large man-made lakes in western South Dakota. The lake offers excellent fishing for walleye, crappie and smallmouth bass -- a current South Dakota fishing license is required -- and its waters are also open to swimming and boating. The recreation area includes four campgrounds within walking distance of the shoreline, with electric and nonelectric sites for RVs and tents. Restrooms, drinking water, picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, and each campsite has a paved or gravel camping pad. Reservations are available 90 days in advance through the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks website.
