Bismarck Lake Campground

We had no issue getting our 42' 5th wheel into this area. You can make a reservation, check to see if there is availability on any of the reserved spots, or come to one of the five first come first serve spots. We opted for the first come first serve for which 4 of them were great for our size rig. We had a spot right next to the vault toilet and dumpster, but there wasn't any smell. There are picnic tables and fire pits at every site. There's a beautiful lake for kayaking and fishing. There's potable water, but you cannot hook a hose up to it to fill up. The vault toilets are very clean, but there's no dump station. There is a $2 fee per dog per night.

The Verizon service was good enough for streaming and video calls. Overall the campground is quiet and the camp hosts were friendly. They sell firewood for $5 a bundle as well.

I made a reservation online so that I would have a guaranteed place to stay on my road trip back (after picking up my new Escapade camper). In addition to the nightly fees, a pet fee is required ($2 per night per pet). The camp host sells firewood. The campground has vault toilets and drinking water available. Campsites do not have electric but all campsites have a picnic table and a fire pit/grill. I stayed in early August and the bugs were not bad.

My favorite campsites are:
-Site 8: This was my favorite site/the most private site. This site has a shared water spigot and is across the road from the trail to the lake. It has a lake view, heavy shade, and is a back in.
-Site 4: This site was tied for my favorite and is good if you need solar. It has lake view, light shade, and is a back in.
-Site 5: This is another good option if you need solar. It has a lake view, full sun, and is a back in.

This National Forest campground is directly across the 2-lane "highway" from Custer State Park, a beautiful park with several campgrounds, vintage lodges and cabins, lovely small lakes and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife (we saw bison -- of course! -- mountain goats, wild burros, deer, and turtles). Bismarck Lake campground is small and quiet (except for generators until 10 pm --- grrrr!) with several really beautiful sites. There is water and the vault toilets were super clean. We were in Site 2, one of the worst (right next to the campground road with a slope down to the picnic table/fire pit), but it was still pretty nice. The best sites are 4, 5 and 8 which all have lake views; 6 and 7 which are next to each other on a large rock outcrop, with graded sites for tents -- they are close together though; and 21 (20 on one map) which is in a meadow all by itself (the Recreation.gov and Forest Service maps of the campground have numbered the sites differently; both show site 8 on the wrong side of the road). There is a good graded path down to the lake, a sweet bridge over the dammed part of it, and a boardwalk around one side of it. The lake is gorgeous -- so beautiful at dusk. Across the highway in Custer State Park is Stockade Lake, which has its own little beach and a playground. Stockade Lake South Campground has free showers (you have to pay a $20-per-car one-time fee to get into and use any/all the facilities in Custer State Park -- totally worth it as there is so much to do!). Mt. Rushmore is just over a half-hour away; the Badlands are about 1 1/2 hours. Custer is a pretty cute little town (as opposed to Keystone, near Mt. Rushmore, which is a true tourist trap) with a good little grocery store (Lynn's DakotaMart) and an Ace Hardware, as well as a GREAT pie shop/bakery/cafe.

Spacious sites and the campground hosts provide very clean vault toilets. Campground has a lake with nice options for walking dogs. It is also near Custer which has nice restaurants. Half the sites are reservable in advance. No showers at this campground but available in nearby Custer State Park. The company that contracts to run this National Service campground charges $2 extra a day per dog that you have to pay when you check-in. Would definitely stay here again

This National Forest campground sits almost within Custer SP but it's less crowded. We were able to get a site here on a busy Friday afternoon when Custer was completely sold out. Campground host was friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately...vault toilets but the small lake with a boardwalk makes up for it!

We stayed in non-reservable site area but there are some reservable sites overlooking lake that looked great -- sites 4, 5, 8, 9 10, 11, + 6 & 7 (tent)
Custer SP is a treasure!