Buffalo Gap Campground

We stayed here over the weekend. Arrived around 2 PM and the camp host met us and recommended a few sites for our 44 foot bus. We chose site number 3 just up from the camp host site. It is a very level site, has a large asphalt pad, nice campfire/picnic area and shaded with no other sites nearby. It was warm during the day but cooled off very well at night into the low 60's. We traveled to Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park which is just a short drive. There are hiking and bike trails available in the campground. Also rode our bikes to Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch to check out their campground with full hook-ups. The Maah Daah Hey single track bike trail runs right by the campground.
Sites up on the hill and in the other loop have less trees and hills to block the interstate noise, we barely heard it, but then again we were out exploring most of the day.
Other sites that would hold a larger motorhome and are fairly level: 11, 13, 24, 29, 30 and 32.

This is a great little campground! Great host. No hook ups, but dump and fresh water in parking lot, plus fresh water spigots throughout campground. Sites are not on top of each other and roomy, some have shade, others more sun. If you’re in a site near the highway there is some noise, but it never bothered me and both times I stayed I was near the highway. Only downside is no connectivity in campground, but if you drive up the hill to a turnout, you can get decent service. $6/nt or $3/nt with Senior Pass. First come, first served.

This small park is the best maintained dry camping location I've ever stayed at. There is a camp host (#1 on the Mandan loop) and he's always around, very helpful. He maintains the park grassy areas like it's his own yard. The Mandan loop has free hot showers and each loops has one comfort station. There is an additional comfort stations in the Pavilion area. The road and both loops, in addition to every spot, was paved. Spots that weren't on hills seemed very level.

When you arrive be sure to drive around both loops before you decide your spot. I disconnected my toad and drove each loop twice (they are small loops) looking for the combination of private spot and sun. The larger spots are marked (RV or Camper only) so tent visitors can't use those spots.

Although there are no services at your spot, there is a threaded spigot by the Pavilion for fresh water and the dump station, also by the Pavilion, accessible on both sides of the station. Most spots are very private, the outside of the Hidatsa loop has mostly hilly tent spots that aren't so private. Lots of rabbits and birds but I didn't notice any other wildlife during my stay.

Internet was basically non-existent in the park because it's down in a little bowl or valley of land. To get internet you'll have to drive (or walk, bike) just out of the park to the top of the hill, closer to the 94 highway. Even with my Weboot I couldn't get 1 tick mark on Verizon.

I especially loved the location I had, there were trees all around my rig but it was open enough to the sky to top off my batteries with solar every day. I had to take off 1 star because of the dead-zone the park was in, otherwise I would have booked a week!

We had considered Cottonwood CG within the NP but saw a review talking about the bugs and decided to come here instead. What a lucky choice. We stayed in Hidatsa loop (the other one is Mandan loop) because we have solar and found a spot that had enough trees for shade but open enough for the panels to get sun all day. Hidatsa loop is closer to the highway (I-94) and we had a bit of noise during the day but virtually none at night. The sites are EXTREMELY private with lots of space and vegetation. Our site was level though it looked that some of them would only be so for smaller rigs. The CG was relatively busy while we were there (midweek end of Aug) but never full and people coming in after dark still found a site. If the weather is hot I would recommend avoiding Hidatsa loop sites on the south side although tent campers should be able to shelter on the left side of the road along this strip.

There is water as you come in with nice long water hoses, next to the pavilion up the hill from the dump site. The shower house is in the Mandan loop and as has been stated in other reviews the water is hot. The pressure if more than one person is using them (there are 3) is a bit low but not terrible. The dumpster is also in the Mandan loop. There are vault toilets in each loop.

As you enter the road to the campground there is a small hiking trail to the top of a little hill which is excellent for watching the sunset/rise.
The CG is very convenient to Medora and the South Unit of the NP and only just over an hour from the north unit (IMHO the better of the 2)
It is self check in-find a site then go back. One note: we have the Senior access pass but, except for a space to fill that number in) there is NOTHING indicating that it can be used for the 50% off. It can be so for those with it the sites are $3, otherwise $6.
We had VERY little internet and it varied. Sometimes it came in in the morning, other times after dark. WE have a booster which seemed to make some difference, but we went from No Reception to 3 bars pretty consistently all 3 days.
During our travels around the park and Medora we spoke to 3 different travelers who'd booked in other campgrounds in the area and all of them were unhappy. We highly recommend Buffalo Gap as we had none of the problems they had.

As other reviewers have said this is a hidden gem. Sites are well maintained with fire pit, picnic table and gravel pad. Many sites have shade for various times of day while still having options for solar. Restrooms with running water, hot clean and free showers. . We decided to stay 2 nights. Arrived in the evening 5pm and still had plenty of site options with a helpful host offering suggestions. Cell reception is limited for both AT&T and Verizon but with our booster we had no issues getting enough LTE to work while at our site. Dump station and clean water available and at $6 @ night you cannot go wrong staying here.

Cannot say enough about this hidden gem. Plenty of level sites, restrooms with running water, hot (now free) showers, great walking/biking right from campground - only $6. We decided to stay 2 nights. Super convenient to highway - there is some noise highway noise in the park. Sites to accommodate rigs of all sizes. We arrived at 2pm and had our pick of sites. By 6pm nearly all sites were taken. The trails from the campground are awesome for walking or biking. No campfire wood available on site. Friendly hosts. Dump station and clean water. Met a few folks who had been camping in Medora and decided to move to Buffalo Gap for the remainder of their stay. Good choice! We climbed the butte to watch the sunset. Easy path & a bench to sit on at the top.

We were more than surprised to find a paved, level site for our 42’ Class A MH. Easy in and out. Our site, #15, was shaded morning and afternoon. Secluded, relatively quiet in our loop. Some road noise but not to the point that it kept us awake. The bathrooms, including showers, were exceptionally clean (better than a lot of private campgrounds). No hookups, but we are self contained so that was no problem for a few nights. Cell service, however, is virtually non-existent. Located just 9 miles from the gates of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and the little town of Medora. The campground host was very friendly, eager to answer questions and give useful information. We enjoyed our stay immensely. I would highly recommend this campground.

This was my last night camping for my 37 day road trip to and around the PNW and I can easily say this is the best deal I got - bar none. $6 for a national grasslands campground would be enough. But on top of that, there’s actually shade trees and the parking spots are level. Then throw in the FREE showers and the flush toilets and this was a no brainer! It’s in a wonderful location just west of Medora & Theodore Roosevelt N.P. I also got the best star gazing experience of the trip too, though that has more to do with weather. ;) But it’s out away from everything, 2 large loops so the sites aren’t right next to each other, no lights away from the toilets, the sky is so dark and it was a magical experience. Top marks to this place.

Dan & Jaclyn are world travelers, having kicked the dirt in over 100 countries and sailed within all 7 seas. Currently, we are full-time, location independent, perpetual travelers, roaming around North America.

We found a home base at the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands campground so as to visit the town of Medora and the entire Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

This campground is located 1 exit past Medora. Medora is the entrance point for the busier portion of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. That 1 exit makes all the difference in obtaining a camping space that feels like you are miles and miles from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Arriving to the campground, there is a pull in round-a-bout to gather knowledge about the campground before entering. Speaking with the hosts upon arrival, we discovered the sites within the campground that DO have cell service. That said, we needed a robust connection to do our work and in our site, boosted, we were more than happy with the strength of the signal at our chosen #12

WHAT OTHERS MAY EXPERIENCE
Throughout our stay the campground was pretty full, although the spaces are a fair distance apart and therefore you are able to enjoy your outdoor space without feeling obligated to interact. We did not have access to amp service or sewer, although our specific site did have water access.

SPECIAL EXPERIENCE
The property has a bathhouse with running water and more importantly FREE HOT SHOWERS. Individual rooms for you to get yourself clean. That said, I did discover that the campground is in the middle of upgrades and things like hot showers will not be free forever. Once the upgrades are complete, we can expect that $6 per night fee to be in the wind.

I noticed that other reviewers mentioned highway noise. We being world travelers, we truly do not sweat the small stuff, although that said, with our open windows at night, we never noticed. Others have mentioned water quality. We found the water access at our site unacceptable. Cloudy! Very!

That said, we did discover the picnic pavilion and its water access for both our internal jugs and our onboard system was pristine quality.

I would have to say that we were happy with the campground, facilities and the locations.

RATING - CAMPING MET OUR EXPECTATIONS

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