Sage Creek Campground

This is an ideal free campground in the Badlands. Approximately 22 first-come first-serve sites though a few solo travelers easily found space in the middle of the camping area.

I drove by around 10:00am to check out the site and was sold once I saw all the prairie dogs. My tent is situated less than five feet from prairie dog burrows on either side. They are literally everywhere.

Brilliant view of the starts. Be sure to watch the sunset at one of the overlooks though.

Road getting here is insanely rough. Easily traversable for all vehicles but there seem to be grooved tire tracks that ensure a consistently bumpy ride.

Be careful of the Bison after sunset. They are ALL OVER the roads.

If you are looking for free camping though, absolutely go with Nomad View Dispersed Camping. I stayed there the first night and here the second.

Approached the Badlands from the west and south of Wall. This is a circular campground with active prairie dogs in the middle. Amenities are wind blocks, vault toilets and picnic tables. Be sure you have adequate water as there is no shade and it can get into the 90’s easily.
Was able to photograph the Milky Way and night sky while listening to coyotes gleefully howl. Rattlesnakes near Sage Creek and lovely little hills to climb for a view. Sprint - no cell coverage. Lots of youthful campers passing through enroute to Western destinations, some with whom we shared our water.
Slightly washboarded connection road to/from the campground.

Sage Creek Campsite was a perfect place to set up camp for the evening. The site is right outside of Badlands, away from all the hustle and bustle. Drove a compact car into the site and didn't have any trouble on the dirt road. We set up our tent for one evening. The site was mainly dirt, had restrooms and picnic tables for first come, but no fire rings. We hiked to the top of the hill to watch and sunset, it was the most beautiful sight. Lots of wildlife like prairie dogs, bison and at night you can hear coyotes. Didn't have any troubles with bugs. We both had Verizon and did not have service on the campsite, perfect time to disconnect. Would recommend this site.

We came in late (8pm’ish) on a Tuesday and luckily got a site right as a group was leaving. I would recommend Arriving in the morning, especially on weekends or early afternoon at the latest during the weekdays. Bathrooms are well kempt and the valley views were great. To watch a great sunset, hike up the East trail and watch from the top of the valley.

I just had bad luck with my tent camping here. I pulled in around 2pm and the place only had 3 tents. Found a place far from others. By 6pm the place was packed and very noisy. 2 young travelers pitched their tent next to mine and ended up drinking and making noise until about midnight. Then snoring so loud I thought an engine was running next to me. I ended up leaving at 3am. Drove down the road and slept in my truck.

Also, watch out for the biting flies. They destroyed my arms.

I would have been better off taking my tent and hiking into the back country.

Probably a good spot if you have an RV that has some sound proofing and bug proofing.

Stars at 3am were AMAZING!! And the prairie dogs were fun to watch.

I just had bad luck with my tent camping here. I pulled in around 2pm and the place only had 3 tents. Found a place far from others. By 6pm the place was packed and very noisy. 2 young travelers pitched their tent next to mine and ended up drinking and making noise until about midnight. Then snoring so loud I thought an engine was running next to me. I ended up leaving at 3am. Drove down the road and slept in my truck.

Also, watch out for the biting flies. They destroyed my arms.

I would have been better off taking my tent and hiking into the back country.

Probably a good spot if you have an RV that has some sound proofing and bug proofing.

Stars at 3am were AMAZING!! And the prairie dogs were fun to watch.

Wow, hands down already one of my favorite free campsites! The dirt road to get there is gnarly - beveled to slow traffic and it will make you think your car is coming apart. But it’s worth it! Campsites are located in a meadow — all around are wild flowers and hills (there’s also a little trail with a pretty good vista of Sage Creek and a good first taste of the signature badlands bluffs). The sites fill up quickly so definitely come by early — as others mentioned, most only stay a night so many come and go. Prairie dogs are everywhere during the day, be careful not to camp on a burrow. At night, you will hear coyotes howl and see many many stars. One of the nights I camped an intense thunderstorm came through most of the evening and night — the meadow floods a bit so beware. The site I was at (19) seemed to flood more than the others - namely just where the picnic table stands / where the car was parked. A properly set up tent should fare just fine. Bathrooms are pit, but overall good. Lots of trash/recycling cans. A buffalo did come visit us in the AM!

Nice campsite in the middle of the park. Only toilets available, no water. Very busy campground, people come and go quickly. Was a great stop to see buffalo, bighorn sheep, epic views in the park. Dont park or set your tent on top of prairie dog hole, theyre everywhere! Unbearable mosquitos at night, thought the dog and I were going to need a blood transfusion! If youre pulling a trailer, there is horrible washboarding for most of the 12 mile road coming in, double your travel time for those 12 miles if you have a trailer.