Sully Creek State Park

As of the end of September 2022, exit 27 off I 94 was closed so we followed the signage to exit 24 where we easily followed the signs to Sully Creek SP. We were early so no one was in the check-in trailer/office. We proceeded to fill fresh water near the dump station. The potable water pressure was low, about 10 psi so it took a long time to fill our tank. While we were filling the tank, the ranger came by and let us know we were good to go as we had purchased the ND state park pass at our last stop. We then proceeded to pull through site 8 with electric only (50/30/20 AMP) in the Whitetail Flats Campground (CG). There are three campground areas: Whitetail Flats with electric, Little Muddy Breaks (horse camping only with electric plus stalls), and Cedar (dry camping with very nice campsites in a wooded setting). Whitetail Flats is essentially a large field with sites periodically set about and not crowded together. The Cedar CG has a 10’ height restriction with sites set into the trees. We received no OTA channels and satellite connection was not an issue as there are only a few trees in Whitetail Flats. We received 1 bar on both Verizon and T-Mobile. We were impressed with the shower house. Though older, the shower house had been remodeled and the fixtures were in great shape. The shower rooms have a sink and regular house-type showers. We enjoyed great water pressure and hot showers. Pls note that there are no toilets in the shower house, but there’s a vaulted toilet adjacent near the office. We were here towards the end of September, and glad we had wasp spray. Bring several cans just in case as there is no place to purchase bug spray in Medora. If you like to golf, Bully Pulpit Golf Course is a great 18-hole course with some fantastic views and challenging, but fun holes. We enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to come back.

Sully Creek State Park campground is located about 10 minutes outside of Medora, ND. It's convenient to interstate 94, the main thoroughfare through the State of North Dakota. There are several hiking trails in the park, but I didn't have time to experience them.

I stayed on the Whitetail Loop. The sites are pretty far apart, but there aren't any trees/bushes to provide either shade or privacy. This is great if you're using solar power, but can get warm in the summer. I recommend bringing some type of shade tent for relief. The electric hookup worked fine and the area was quiet at night. There were six shower rooms, each with a sink, bench and electric outlets. The bathrooms were pit toilets in a separate building. I had consistently good cell service from Verizon.

There were a few drawbacks. Check in is at 4pm, which can work either in your favor or against it. I prefer to arrive earlier, set up camp and then explore, so this didn't appeal to me. Also, the shower house, bathrooms (pit toilets) and potable water spigots were pretty far from most of the campsites. That made for a long walk through the grassy field , sometimes in the middle of the night. This isn't something the park staff can change, it's simply a design flaw.

Overall, I'd still choose Sully Creek's campground over the noisier, busier campground in Medora if I were visiting the area.

We couldn’t get into the campgrounds at Theodore Roosevelt Nat’l Park so rolled the dice on this campground and we were pleased. It’s a short drive to TRNP. Our site was shaded, with scenic views, although no hookups. Showers were clean. I’d stay here again without hesitation if we couldn’t get a site within the park. We were here October 6-9, 2021.

We thought for sure that we could stay in the National Park, given it was offseason, but the campgrounds were full. The ranger kindly suggested Sully Creek State Park, and it was a great choice. We stayed in the primitive/tent camping area, so no hookups, but the sites were very private and spaced well. The views of the rock wall were amazing, and we enjoyed walking around the campground and on the trails. The restrooms and showers were very clean, too. The RV sites with hookups were wide open and essentially in a field, which isn't how we like to camp, so be prepared if you want privacy and hookups - this really isn't the place for that.

Overall, we liked it here and would stay here again.

This is a very pretty park only about three miles from Medora. The sites in the Whitetail campground are very spacious, most are pull thru, and they have electricity. The bathhouse seems almost brand new and the showers were spotless and functioned perfectly. The toilets are in a separate building and are vault toilets. There is potable water on site. There is an extensive hiking trail which runs right by the park and the hike to the south was particularly nice.
All in all, a very nice state park. Cell service is minimal but a mini antenna made it usable.

I can’t review the horse camp in the back of the campground, but the front loop where we stayed was unpleasant. It’s just a big open field with almost no shade, but lots and lots of red dust. The loop around the campsites is essentially a dirt road, and every vehicle that goes around kicks up a large cloud that covers your rv. In addition, the ranger who collected our daily fee for the privilege of entering this “park” didn’t bother to tell me, as I learned at the next ND park at which we stayed, that I could save by purchasing an annual pass at the senior rate. I also received no receipt for my cash payment?

This is a great place to stay near Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the little town of Medora.

Pros: Spacious, electric, clean and free (for now), right on MahHahDee Trail. Water available (not a hook-up). Dump station.

Cons: Pit toilets (clean but still…), lots of flies (see pit toilets), website seems to advertise water hook-ups but that is not the case.

Very dry and dusty when we were there. Great wildlife at TRNP. Horses can camp on one of the loops so lots of horses around. Serenaded by coyotes.

Campsites in Whitetail flats are very large. Some tree coverage on peripheral sites. No shade in center spots. All pull through.

Sully Creek is a great place to stay when visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Just 2 miles out of Medora, it's quiet and beautiful. The Whitetail Flats area can accommodate large rigs, the sites are spacious and the electricity is needed for hot weather. There is a dump station and potable water available, but only electric at the site. Sites 7, 8 and 9 are all really nice with great views of the butte. Site 8 has a couple of trees, perfect for a hammock, The shower house is cleaned daily and contrary to the website, free.
The Maah Daah Hey multi-use trail is right next to the campground. We enjoyed walking along the Missouri river, through a forest, across pastures and into the hills. Very nice and dog friendly. I highly recommend reserving early as there are only 9 sites with electricity and they were full every night we were there.

The park is a great option if you can’t get into TRNP or don’t want to for some reason.

Site 14 is a wonderful site for tent camping especially. One obvious spot for your tent is nestled in the trees. There’s another potential spot a little deeper in the woods. The other spot doesn’t have as much privacy as the other two potential spots for tent camping do.

There was some poison ivy encroaching the site in several places.

There is water near the entrance to the tent camp area however from site 14 the only bathroom nearby is quite a bit of a walk. Maybe we missed one closer but the only bathroom we found anywhere close by was over by the horse camp. The map online confirms it.

There was a fire ban in effect when we were there which nearly everyone ignored. There was no park staff around when we arrived after 8 pm to alert. Most people respected an idea of quiet hours but it was not the quietest camp site I’ve ever stayed at.