Sage Creek Campground

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!

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.