Center Lake Campground

One of the few places we could find to camp without reservations. Had to use the phone at the entrance and “reserve” a spot that day, also we were forced to pay via a credit card to make the same day reservation.

We tent camped on the upper loop and it was nice and shaded. The amenities were not as clean as we had hoped but were usable.

Tent square was level and debris free.

Stayed in mid-May, tenting in a site near the water. There was so much space between sites. Tenting only. The bathrooms did the job. Nice location for exploring all of the Black Hills. You can reserve over the phone at the campground if you'd like.

We drove into Custer State Park looking for a place to camp same day. This was that place! A short call with a friendly So Dak state parks representative scored us this cozy little campsite near beautiful Center Lake. Great access to scenic Needles Highway!

custer state park is magnificent and should be a national park. Campground is remote and quiet. Buffalo nearby. No water no electricity so a bit pricey but location is worth it. Great site with private firepit which works well for our dog.

Center Lake campground is a same day campground booking. If you have a big rig call VERY EARLY at 7 am Central time to book a spot. They don’t take reservations but fill up right away each morning. Tent sites are more available. We had no cell service there, but if you take the hike we had cell service at the top of the hike and I’ll admit taking more hikes than I needed just to make a phone call. Center lake had incredible trout fishing! Bathrooms were clean and the staff were incredibly nice and helpful. You could easily stay here for a week and not run out of stuff to do :). Needles, Rushmore, Buffalo all close by

It was a bit pricey for dry camping, but the location made it worth it!

We actually made 4 videos in this area:

Overview of Custer State Park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt_mgwZ5u_w

Center Lake Campground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_GgM3_LvdI

3 Scenic Drives in Custer State Park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-QUtNb3_D0

Must Sees at Mount Rushmore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqLzcw1_ynA

This campground lets you book online same day at 7am. There were many spots open at that time of day - a Thursday. Campground is beautiful. No hookups and it's all shady if you want to charge your batteries with solar. A mix of tent campers and big rigs were here during my stay. With all the pine trees, it's a very still area. If a pin drops, you'll likely hear it, and you'l definitely hear your neighbors. That was the only downside for me, though the neighbors were all relatively quiet. I very much enjoyed walking my dog around the lake every morning. I never ran into other people on that hike. The lake is lovely. The whole area is. I wasn't expecting to enjoy Custer State Park as much as I did. No service in the campground but there is a decent signal for Verizon all around the visitor center.

State park campground with basic amenities. About 45 minutes from Mt Rushmore. Showers were a little run down but better than nothing! Campsites are very nice and mostly spacious. Can walk to lake which was very pretty. Campstore (about 10-15 minutes away) closes at 7 which is where camphosts recommended to get wood. Lots of deer on grounds at night.

Great opportunity to camp last minute!

Great way to find a last minute spot! I would have rated it a 5 but the showers are disgusting. The floor is always dirty and the curtains are VERY moldy!