Horsethief Lake Campground
Black Hills National Forest
Write a Review Horse Thief Lake Road Keystone, SD 57751 605-673-4853 605-673-9200 Reservations: 877-444-6777 Official WebsiteGPS: 43.8965, -103.4854
Overview of Horsethief Lake Campground
Last Price Paid: $22
Reported by ccclimb on 9/10/2022
Longest RV Reported: 40 feet (Class A)
Reported by Cheryl & Howard on 10/5/2020
Number of Sites 36
Reservations yes
Open Seasonally Yes
Elevation 4,986 ft / 1,519 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes







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Q&A - Ask the Community about Horsethief Lake Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 605.673.4853
Rocky asked on 2/3/2022
Is there a dump station at Horsethief Lake Campground? Thanks!
Stacy N. asked on 3/11/2020
Can anyone tell me if the tent sites (not walk up sites) have parking for your vehicle?
Reviews of Horsethief Lake Campground 19 people have reviewed this location.
“Friendly Hosts, Great Spot”
Reviewed 9/10/2022
Nightly rate: | $22 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Loved this spot, great swimming, stars visible, no cell or internet, fairly quiet
ccclimb would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Friendly Hosts Great Site”
Reviewed 9/10/2022
Days stayed: | 4 |
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Site Number: | 0000 |
Great site, awesome swim hole. No internet or phone. Loved it!
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Peaceful and Beautiful ”
Reviewed 7/29/2022
Nightly rate: | $38 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 07 |
The campgrounds are nice and clean. The campsite had a level concrete parking pad, fire ring, and picnic table. Hosts was friendly and quickly guided us to our campsite. The camp grounds had a vault toilet and fresh water was available.
Thunder Gray would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wonderful park close to Mt. Rushmore”
Reviewed 9/27/2021
Nightly rate: | $38 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
This campground is a gem - enough so that I hate stating it publicly, knowing it may make it harder to get in here the next time we are in the area. I don't recall the site number we were in, but it was in the first loop heading toward the lake and had a gravel, not concrete, pad. We arrived here without a reservation and weren't sure ... more
This campground is a gem - enough so that I hate stating it publicly, knowing it may make it harder to get in here the next time we are in the area. I don't recall the site number we were in, but it was in the first loop heading toward the lake and had a gravel, not concrete, pad. We arrived here without a reservation and weren't sure how long we would stay, but we liked the campground so much that we stayed three nights. The location is perfect to visit the Rushmore memorial, but is also conveniently located to visit the local towns, Custer State park and Wind Cave NP. The lake is very scenic and has a trail to visit the water's edge or walk around to take in the views. The only negative, as mentioned by others, is the noise from the helicopters flying overhead occasionally while giving tours. We stayed here in the last week the CG was open, and I imagine the helicopters are even more frequent and annoying during peak tourist season. Still, a wonderful campground.
ElliottM would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“A Few Miles from Mount Rushmore”
Reviewed 9/12/2021
Horsethief Lake Campground is located within the Black Hills National Forest just several miles from the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Horsethief Lake Campground is one of the most popular campgrounds in the Black Hills National Forest. In this video, I give you a walking tour of the campground and show you the best campsites. The... more
Horsethief Lake Campground is located within the Black Hills National Forest just several miles from the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Horsethief Lake Campground is one of the most popular campgrounds in the Black Hills National Forest. In this video, I give you a walking tour of the campground and show you the best campsites. There was no cellular service at this location for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. There are no flush toilets or showers at the Horsethief Lake Campground.
LivingOurDreamNow would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good campground.”
Reviewed 7/21/2021
Nightly rate: | $26 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 21 |
We were looking for a 1st-come 1st-serve site., and this was the first place we checked when we entered Black Hill NF. Some campsites are paved, but the 1st-come sites are not. That didn't bother us. Horse Thief Lake is a great little lake for swimming, fishing and kayaking. We spent most of our time on the lake. The negative. ... more
We were looking for a 1st-come 1st-serve site., and this was the first place we checked when we entered Black Hill NF. Some campsites are paved, but the 1st-come sites are not. That didn't bother us. Horse Thief Lake is a great little lake for swimming, fishing and kayaking. We spent most of our time on the lake.
The negative.
1)The campground host is a misogynistic a-hole, who questioned why I was letting my wife back the trailer. Then had stated that he hoped she followed directions well. Not friendly at all.
2)The constant droning of helicopters overhead, from 8am to dusk. The NP in Black Hills, has allowed commercial helicopter tours of the park, and there is one flying overhead every 10 minutes.
Shawn McC would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Fabulous Campground”
Reviewed 10/5/2020
Nightly rate: | $26 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 21 |
We were looking for a c/g close to all of the sites in the Black Hills. We also need a first come, first served site as we had no reservations. Luckily, we got one of the last two sites available and enjoyed our time so much we stayed one night longer than planned. This is a well-maintained, lovely place. The lake is mainly for fishing... more
We were looking for a c/g close to all of the sites in the Black Hills. We also need a first come, first served site as we had no reservations. Luckily, we got one of the last two sites available and enjoyed our time so much we stayed one night longer than planned. This is a well-maintained, lovely place. The lake is mainly for fishing, but there is also a wonderful trailhead for hiking a few hundred feet up the road. (one can also mt. bike or horseback ride along certain sections) and Mt. Rushmore is just 3 miles down the road the other direction. While there was no cell service at our site, there are certain areas where a bar or two of cell service was accessible. We would definitely recommend this NFS campground.
Cheryl & Howard would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“ Ear giant stone faces, clean bathrooms.”
Reviewed 8/18/2020
Nightly rate: | $26 |
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Paying for camping is proving more and more difficult as we discover more and more free, exquisite spots like those found in abundance throughout Wyoming. $5 or $10 seems worth it though, if for the access to the vault toilets alone. Packing out all of the nastier bits you’ve packed in is probably the only downside to free camping, but... more
Paying for camping is proving more and more difficult as we discover more and more free, exquisite spots like those found in abundance throughout Wyoming. $5 or $10 seems worth it though, if for the access to the vault toilets alone. Packing out all of the nastier bits you’ve packed in is probably the only downside to free camping, but we’ve decided that catholes are no longer plausible with the multitude of campers in the forest these days.
Horsethief is not an Abe Lincoln affair, despite being just 2 miles or so from his visage as the only social distanced President on Rushmore. At $26, we’re scrounging for quarters to make the full payment. Here in the Black Hills, where dozens of campgrounds host hundreds of campers,–and with such “high” fees–a credit card system would be nice.
We score the largest of three remaining sites at 6 o’clock on a Wednesday in August, during Sturgis. The spot behind our van is RV Park close, but the forest in front of us obscures us from most other campers.
The pristine lake for which the campground is named is immediately accessible, with soothingly frigid waters easily accessible right from the campground. The tacos I cook please everyone in the family. The campground hostess, while not initially over-friendly, smiles and approaches my newborn baby, which I quickly shield for reasons of current affairs. However, she realizes my uneasiness, keeps her distance and does not offer him a poison apple, and so our host to camper relationship is improved.
No Verizon. Clean vault toilet.
Nathan @ Wand'rly would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great campground and even better hosts”
Reviewed 8/7/2020
Nightly rate: | $13 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
We've stayed here twice - three times if you count the one nighter in the nearby horse camp, Beautiful setting with mostly private and spacious sites, Near Rushmore, Custer SP and several awesome USFS back roads. On both occasions, the hosts went out of their way to get us a site (we didn't have reservations) and to make sure we enj... more
We've stayed here twice - three times if you count the one nighter in the nearby horse camp, Beautiful setting with mostly private and spacious sites, Near Rushmore, Custer SP and several awesome USFS back roads. On both occasions, the hosts went out of their way to get us a site (we didn't have reservations) and to make sure we enjoyed our stay.
Huachuca would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet and yet close to Mount Rushmore.”
Reviewed 8/5/2020
Nightly rate: | $26 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Good for those who love boondocking ( I don’t). There is also no cell service, something to consider for seniors.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- fishing
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- restrooms: vault
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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