Sage Creek Campground

Toilets available, some nice spots to choose from. I was there at 2pm and only 1 other person was there by 8pm people were circling around and leaving because of lack of spots. Unfortunately campers have no etiquette and respect for others (everywhere you go really). I was here on a Friday night so I’m sure that contributed to how busy it was. Overall good experience. Lots of wildlife - prairie dogs, bison, coyotes. Great stargazing location and lots of photo ops!

We visited the campsite yesterday. The views are stunning. The "whistle pigs" we call them are numerous. The Buffalo weren't there that day but when going through last year there was a herd of Buffalo going into the park and in the park.
We talked to the Ranger and he said the signs were gone or crooked because the Buffalo would rub up against them, your tent or whatever they can scratch themselves on. Majestic animals.
It is an oval campgroung and a van your car parks on the outside and you can stake your tent up inside of the oval area.
There is no shade, but several bathrooms and trashcans. There are overhangs on the tables for shade. Plenty of trails.
The Ranger told us last year no RV'S but I took a picture of the sigh and will post it. The Badlands are amazing.

It’s mid October. The rain and snow is on the way. All the green grass you see in the photo from the first review is gone. Gone is the grassy camping spots. Enter pure silty clay that sticks to everything when you add rain. Definitely not the place to camp when it rains. Look at the prairie dog holes. They look like dried up mud pots from Yellowstone waiting for the rain. Time to find me a forest

This free campsite was spectacular. The wild prairie dogs have set up in the campground and are a delight to watch and listen to. The wild buffalo came down from the hills in the morning just after most campers left in the early morning (before the heat). The herd brought their baby, who was funny to watch frolic in the grass. They got within 50 feet of the two campers left, eating the grass on the perimeter of the campground. Then the two males treated us to a bull fight! That was quite a thing to see so close.
The majority of campers there were tent camping. There were five spots open when I arrived at 3pm. All but one filled up late.
The terrain at Badlands NP is absolutely stunning and worth the slow travel over miles of washboard gravel roads. Go slow and enjoy the spectacular scenery.
Get the America is Beautiful pass (veterans, military, and seniors get it free) and you’ll get into the park free.
One bar on Verizon.

We stayed here after visiting the badlands. It IS a long drive down a dirt road but we did fine in our ‘78 van. To get the views of the actual badlands, climb to the hills at the western side of the camp. But the immediate surroundings are still beautiful. Only some sites have sun shades so if you’re going in the hot months definitely bring something for shade! It’s a wide open area, don’t expect privacy. But everyone there when we were there was very quiet and mostly showed up after the sun went down. We did some exploring by hiking up the hills and there is a very refreshing creek with a mud/clay bottom that our dog enjoyed swimming in and we enjoyed cooling off in. We saw two bison in the park and dozens on our ride out! AND, the site are situated in a circular pattern surrounding a grassy area - which is home to dozens of prairie dogs. They are very entertaining and cute. They are around until the sun goes down, popping up and chattering and running around. Pretty cool feature. The bathrooms were clean and there are two buildings so there’s never a line. Place was pretty much full when we got there, we got the last sight. Seemed like a lot of people get there early, set up and take off for the day so get there early to get a spot. Would definitely stay there again but during cooler temps. If it’s hot you’re pretty much trapped under your tarp for the day, but it’s a very fun place to camp and hike around.

Came in mid October passing through to head to the Black Hills. Was free so why not, right? every spot was filled up and people didn't even plan to camp with a tent and parked in front of campsites. Was loud and not worth it. Nice area, but the Back Country is the only place to get peace of mind. Still free as well. Overall it is not bad, just not my cup of joe!