Pactola Campground

Price is with an "old fart" discount, $28 is full price. I read the review that site 48 and up was like a strip mall parking lot in a camprground. I almost did not book because of that lousy review. I am so pleased I booked. Wooded area with lots of open grass areas. Quiet in June, and only busy on weekends. Potable water nearby, but no hose hookup, only buckets. Clean pit toilets. Wonderful host(ess). The set up is they put about 3-5 sites to share 6-10 large parking spaces. Each has a nice table, and BBQ. I had a fireplace also. The access to the tables angle off into a more private area and cary in depth. An efficient set up. There is a launch ramp for boats within a mile. Some nice trails throughout the area. I stayed 7 days and they gave me a coupon to use for a free day. 15 minutes to Hill, SD. , Rapid City about 35 minutes. Rushmore about 30 minutes.

The loop we stayed in was beautiful. Two paved pull thru sites. Did not have reservations. You can rent a boat if you want and general store just down the road.
Yes, the higher numbered sites are less appealing but they are also paved. There was a ton of mud on non paved sites after a night of rain. We were very happy to find this place through Campendium.
Note: we paid $13/night with Senior Pass

Warning regarding sites 48 and higher: It is a parking lot. We had reservations for a site with a 30 foot driveway suitable for an rv and cancelled when we saw the "driveway." It is a parking lot. Literally. There are picnic tables and fire rings in the grass beyond the parking, but it is crowded. This is NOT a proper campground. It is essentially a strip mall with fire rings instead of stores. the number of sites should be cut in half and it should be tent only, walk in.

We stayed in Loop B. The spot for the RV was actually a parking lot. You back your camper into a parking space (there’s even a curb- it’s a parking lot) and you just unhook and park your truck next to the camper. The people next to you do the same, so your camper is between trucks.

Our firepit and picnic table were up a small hill, it was nice. The entire Loop B was mostly tents. It’s dry- there’s no electric or water hookups. Generators are allowed. Quiet hours (no generators are from 10pm-6am) but people stayed up partying until 11:30pm. If you’re looking for a relaxing stay in the Black Hills, I would not recommend this place due to the noise.

Loop B does NOT have lake views, even though it’s advertised that it does. There is a great hiking trail to the lake, probably the only good thing about this campground. There is a $2 pet fee, but the host charged us $4 for our 1 dog. Cash/check only.

All in all, it’s a parking lot with nice trees and a hiking trail. No amenities, no bathrooms (vault toilets only), no electric, no dump station, no water hookups. There are small water fountains throughout the campground.

As we drove out, Loop C looked nice. I would highly recommend that over Loop B.

Very popular campground and many sites reserved for the season. There area lot of walk-in sites, but folks come here that cant get in to Custer SP. Modern pit toilets clean & low odor. Water available for fill jugs, non-threaded hose bibs nearby. Firewood $6 at host(s) sites. Many sites not level for tent camping, but there are great dedicated tent sites, also. Driveways are short but easy to level coach. All sites have fire pits & concrete hybrid picnic tables, not all on the same level as RV pad. Site 28 is great for under 30’ coach. Pine trees & shade are abundant. Solar is a challenge here due to abundant trees. Mild days & cool nights at 4600’ AS here. Generators allowed 6 am - 10 pm, only one noisy open-frame generator was heard for a few minutes before sunset. Some noise from boat traffic during daytime. Lots of noisy happy camping families enjoying their stays. We found it very peaceful & relaxing here, plus 3-4 bars of cell signal with actual data rates! The 2-mile road in from HWY 385 is narrow & contains a few potholes, go slow!