Big Pine Campground

We decided to explore the Black Hills area, and did plenty of research on "base camps" to park our RV during our stay. Big Pine seemed to have the best reviews, so we called a couple months in advance, and booked 10 nights.
Our site (#38) was water/electric only - but next to a great toilet. It was also a very short walk to the shower/restroom facility. I have never been one to rave about a campsite shower, but oh my gosh! Their facilities were cleaner than most hotels I've stayed in!

The site was absolutely perfect. There was free WiFi, and our antenna even grabbed a couple of PBS stations. There were plenty of sites with full hookups- but this place books up pretty quickly in the peak season, for obvious reasons. The lack of sewer hookup at our site was a non-issue, since the super-clean toilet next to our site was ideal and not used by anyone else, since the tent site on the other side of it was empty.

I could go on and on about how great the owners are...but you're not picking a campsite just because the owners are awesome people.
You want to know what's around here.
And let me tell you - there is no better location in the area to choose to rest your wheels each night.
Like others have noted, a lot of the local campgrounds are quite literally just flat gravel lots with no trees, no real separation of sites, and seemed to lack any indication of a peaceful setting. Big Pine is nestled in the pines, it's quiet, and it's just fantastic.

The small town of Custer is less than 2 miles away. There's a grocery store in town (Lynn's Dakotamart) where you can stock up on all your supplies. There are a couple of restaurants in Custer, but know that the town kinda rolls up the streets around 8pm, so if you're looking for entertainment - build a fire at your campsite and crack open your beverage of choice.

Location - location - location!
Big Pine is close to Jewel Cave. It's 15 mins from Sylvan Lake and the entrance to Custer State Park. It's half an hour from Mt. Rushmore and Keystone. It's 6 miles from Crazy Horse (although that's not as impressive as you'd hope). It's the perfect location to begin your drives on the Wildlife Loop, Iron Mountain Road, and Needles Highway.

I know you could read all about how great I think this place is - but know that you won't really appreciate my review until you're driving from Rapid City, and see all the really crummy gravel lot campgrounds that are squished together, and far from all the real sights. Then, you pull into Big Pine and let out a huge sigh of relief because you've obviously made the right choice by booking a site here.

During our 10 day stay, we:

• went to Rushmore twice
• Crazy Horse (meh)
• Devils Tower (about 3hrs away, in Wyoming - and totally worth the drive!)
• Belle Fourche, Sturgis, Deadwood, and Spearfish Canyon (in one little day trip)
• Keystone via nearby Hill City's 1800 train
• Bear Country, USA (extremely enjoyable- even for a childless couple in their 30s!)
• Wind Cave (meh)
• Jewel Cave
• Custer State Park nearly every day, including all the loop roads and Sylvan Lake
• Hot Springs for the Mammoth Site
• Badlands (about 2hrs from the campsite, but worth it)
• and so much more.

If you don't have 10 days to spend in the area, you could easily enjoy the area in 4 or 5.
I'd suggest not missing Rushmore, Custer State Park and all the loop roads, Badlands, and Hot Springs' Mammoth Site. The rest are nice, but not "must-dos" in my book.

In summary, if you're looking for a nice quiet area to park your tent or RV while you explore the beauty of the Black Hills area, you can't do better than Big Pine Campground.

We booked 5 nights at Big Pine Campground and loved it here. It’s a perfect location for a base camp to visit the many, many attractions in the area. It’s also a lovely campground. The owner/hosts work hard all day, every day to ensure you have a great experience. The campground has a variety of site types (FHU 50 or 30 amp, W/E only, tent area) and can accommodate everyone from large RV’s to tenters.

We were in site #25 which is a 50amp FHU site. There is adequate separation and lots of trees to provide some shade. However, the lack of undergrowth under the pines means there isn’t much real privacy between sites. Although the campground is situated on a hill, our site was very level.

You really are nestled among the big pines. After check-in the owner will lead you to your spot and help you get backed in if needed. The campground is well maintained; the laundry facilities were spotless. There is a small game room/arcade and camp store. For just $4 you can get a generous bundle of firewood delivered right to your site. While the campground is conveniently located off of Hwy 16, the road noise is negligible and we were closer to the road than many of the other sites.

The campground offers free WiFi which actually works pretty well. I initially had trouble with it dropping my connection and mentioned it at the office. They immediately checked it out and resolved the problem. We had 2 bars of Verizon 4G unboosted.

When it came time to leave, there was a weather advisory for 45mpg wind gusts and we opted to stay another night. Luckily our site was available, so we didn’t need to move. There are many camping options in the area – we saw a lot of “RV Resorts” that were just RV parking in an open field which would have been miserable. You can’t go wrong with Big Pines campground!