Grace Coolidge Campground

We got a site on short notice. It was close to the road, but backed to a pond area which was lovely to enjoy. Road noise wasn’t bad, and would be fully deminished if staying further into the campground closer to the creek. Showers were clean and flush toilets were in the campground. Good cell service. Spots were wide and accessible.

Grace Coolidge is small and intimate with only about 20 sites suitable for RVs (there's a small tent camping area across 16A), nestled in the heart of an amazing state park. The absolute best sites are the ones by the creek and of these 6, 10, and 12 are the best for larger rigs, though we barely fit. Sites in the middle are nicely shaded and still get good creek sound, while the sites facing 16A are the largest and are in the sun with stunning views of granite cliffs. Road noise is minimal to nonexistent at night. All sites are paved and reasonably level. While the interior sites don't have the same level of privacy as those on the outside of the loop, there is still decent site separation. Plus, the campground is tiny. The bathhouse was immaculately clean with plenty of toilets and showers, and offered nice long hot showers. The Grace Coolidge Walk-in Fishing Area and trail is directly across 16A from the campground, and the paved Creekside Trail travels from the campground past the park office and Coolidge General Store to the State Game Lodge. The central location is great. The only ding for us was a complete absence of cell service on AT&T, but in an emergency service can be reached by just going a few miles up 16A toward the Game Lodge.

Custer’s Last Stand may not have gone the way he hoped, but the state park that bears his name may be one of the most amazing camping destinations we’ve ever seen. And our stay at Grace Coolidge Campground will always be a treasured memory.

There are many campgrounds spread around Custer SP. Coolidge is a small-ish one set along the banks of a creek. There are about 20 sites here, most of which are tucked in the trees, providing plenty of shade.

We checked in right at dusk, after a long day of driving. The campground attendant introduced himself, and pointed out our spot. There’s potable water at the bathroom/shower building, and he asked if we wanted to fill up before we parked. (We didn’t, but it was nice he asked.)

Our spot was nice and level, the perfect place to tuck in our teardrop for the night. Though the campground was full, everyone observed the quiet hours, and it made for a pleasant evening of watching the stars.

In the morning, we took our pup on two short, but beautiful, hikes, before hitching up and heading to our next destination.

If all the campgrounds at Custer are as nice as Coolidge, we may just have to spend a month staying at each of them.

Arriving in Rapid City we had little idea of all the places we wanted to see and had planned to stay in a federal CG. We planned the first night in town at the Central States Fairgrounds and then thought we'd go from there. It became rapidly apparent that many of the places we wanted to see, Wildlife Loop Road, the Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Rd, were all in Custer State Park where there is a $20 entrance fee (that is for a day or a week.) But the hunt for a campsite was futile. I was finally able to find 1 (ONE!) site for one night at Grace Coolidge CG. We'd been advised that Blue Bell is the best but were then told that Grace Coolidge's size (20 sites) made it really nice. The site was an ADA one so we were advised that we might have to move though "a site would be provided" (I didn't question where it could come from but...)
We then arrived at GCCG on a cold and rainy Friday and most of the CG was empty. The host assured us that most sites would be filled by that night but as soon as we arrived we decided to see about 2 nights. We were able to but in the process found out the "idiosyncrasies" of the SD State Park reservations system. It is handled by a large organization, not local,; when there is a no show there is no system for cancelling the reservation so if a site was booked for a week it will show as taken when it fact, as was the site we ended up getting, it has been empty for 5 days and is still available. Moral: if you want to stay at a particular CG stop by and ask the host which sites are empty and then call the reservation line and ask. Be aware as well that the $25/night fee does not include the $20 State Park permit and another $9 in fees (if you are a non-resident) for the reservation. Our stay, although officially $25/night really cost $41.50/night although our permit covered us for a week and we'd been able to visit twice before.
The campground:
The sites were almost level to level, the ones along the stream are very small and will not fit anything longer than a short trailer or van, all except 3 along the road side, have trees. The ADA site and the 2 others are in full sun and would be good for solar though all sites have 50 amp electric.
Potable water is on the side of the washhouse, so if you need to fill you'll drive all the way around and then back to your site in a circle.
The dump is 2 miles east just after you enter the Wildlife Loop and there is potable water there as well.
The washrooms are immaculate with great showers (though set at one nice temp and operated by a push button giving 3 minutes each push), with only 20 spaces they are close to every site.

While on 16A, the main road through the park, there is NO noise at night and very little during the day. There are reported to be animals, including buffalo, wandering through the campground however, and probably due to the Winter in Spring weather, we saw none.

There is a nice 3 mile hike from the CG to Center Lake and you are 2 miles from the Visitor Center and the eastern entrance to the Wildlife Loop, about a mile from the Coolidge General Store, and a few miles from the entrance to Needles Highway.

There is no cell reception though boosted we got intermittent data. There is a public phone on the washhouse.

We stayed 2 nights in early July 2020. We really enjoyed our time here!

We had a nice shady spot. We camped in July and were grateful for the shade, it was hot! Over half the sites are shady, but a couple are in the direct sunlight. The reservation website has pictures of each campsite. FYI, you have to make the reservations early, the campground fills up fast. Because of the high demand, you can make reservations up to a year in advance.

Nice to have electricity to have air conditioning during the hottest part of the day.

We stayed 2 nights and checked out the sights. We no cell service at the campground, we hit the needles highway and wildlife trail at crack of dawn. It was great, early morning traffic very light.

I took my dog for a morning walk and you could see and hear mountain goats running around on the top of a tall cliff. They must be really sure footed because a fall would have been life threatening for the goats.

No water or sewer, but we brought our own water.

We stayed here in August and loved Custer State Park. So much to see and do in the park. The bathrooms were very clean. No cell service in this campground but there is some in various parts of the park. The picnic table and fire pit were on the wrong side but site was fairly level and paved, sites are small we have a 21’ TT and did ok. No dump station but there is one in the park not far from the campground. Also close to Mount Rushmore.

Of all the State Park gems we have stayed in while in South Dakota, this is easily the best of them all. What an unbelievable State Park. We camped for 9 nights in site 13, which is out in the sun (which was no problem in early June) and next to the road (which is quiet at night, very busy during the day). Our site was paved and level, and very easy to back into. Potable water fill at the bath house with a dump station a couple of miles down the road. Plenty of room at our spot. Not a lot of privacy, but there was a great view of some granite cliffs just out our door. There is a paved walking trail which goes for several miles toward the Visitor Center which comes right into the campground. The highlight of this camp was the near-daily buffalo grazing which took place mere feet from our door. Amazing!! The only downside here is the complete lack of a cell signal in the campground. A signal could be had (Verizon) a couple of miles down the road.
Hiking trails here are absolutely spectacular and too numerous to list. Three stunning lakes offer ample paddling opportunities and there is just a ton of things to do from a wildlife loop drive, to Mt. Rushmore, to the Needles Highway, to the town of Custer, to Wind Cave Nat'l Park, to.... well you get the point. We could have easily spent another week here.
Several other campgrounds here, all of which looked quite good, though Center Lake would be tight in some places for a large rig.

Of all the campgrounds at Custer State Park, this is my favorite. It is centrally located near visitor centers and park restaurants/bars, hiking trails, and a short distance to the single dump station and water fill. Campground has beautiful shade trees, the cleanest & nicest restroom/bathhouse you will find at any campground, electricity pedestals, grills & firepit. Gravel pads were level, plenty space between campers. There was a 3 mile paved bike/hike trail that originated at Grace Coolidge. A herd of bighorn sheep came through the campground almost daily. The other nice campground within Custer is at Sylvan Lake, but it's fairly remote from most of the park. Sylvan seemed to have a great selection of hiking trails. For cell service, take a short drive up the road to Pavillion or Visitor Center.

The Custer State Park Grace Coolidge Campground is located on US Highway 16A. In this video, I give you a walking tour of the Custer State Park Grace Coolidge Campground. I show you the best campsites and other campground amenities. I did not find a dump station or fresh water fill at this campground. A speed test failed for cellular service on AT&T, and there was no cellular connectivity for both Verizon and T-Mobile at this location.