When it comes to choosing any campground in a National Park – knowing your priorities is a BIG FACTOR. Especially in the bigger parks, it may be beneficial to have the top things that you want to do BEFORE you pick a location. In the Badlands, however, everything is relatively close compared to bigger parks – so main choice is here are your priorities.
Sage Creek is a hidden gem – In my experience so far, I’ve seen 2 free campgrounds that have vault toilets and this is the only one with trash. Free campgrounds are, unfortunately, not the norm. And they usually have ZERO amenities. Which typically means, no bathroom.
💰Cost:
Sage Creek: $0
Cedar Pass: $36/night
📅Reservations:
Sage Creek: FCFS – we did not have a problem securing a site and there were sites leftover that evening. However, if you NEED to know that you will have a place to camp and aren’t cool with boondocking in other locations – Cedar Pass may be the better choice for you.
Cedar Pass: Reservations recommended during the busy season.
🚙Accessibility, Drive Time, and Convenience:
Cedar Pass: Located a stone’s throw from the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, a small convenience store for simple groceries, ice and supplies, and a 5 min drive from the most popular trails in the park – you really can’t get more convenient than this campground. Also has coin operated showers (I believe it was $1.25 for 4 minutes?). Honestly, the showers weren’t the best – the water was hot and the cold without a way to adjust…but after hiking in the hot sun all day – it was still very welcome!
Sage Creek: Honestly, it’s free – what more do you want? Vault toilets and trash – but no water so make sure to bring your own. Located about 20-25 minutes from Wall, SD and about 1 hour from the Ben Reifel Visitor Center and the most popular trailheads in the park.
Consider your gas expense with the additional driving. For us in our Honda Fit, it would be about $6 more per day + 2 hours of time driving.
🦌Wildlife: When we stayed at Cedar Pass Campground – we drove the loop road to see the Bison – we found a couple at one of the entrance stations, but we wondered…where are all the Bison? Turns out, it appears that they like the Sage Creek Wilderness…which is right by the …you guessed it…Sage Creek Campground. When we stayed at Sage Creek, we got to see a WHOLE HEARD of buffalo at a safe distance and even hear Bison noises at night. It was so cool! We also saw a coyote and heard coyotes howling in the distance at night from Sage Creek.
For us, Sage Creek makes the most sense. It’s wonderful, peaceful, and FREE! If you are choosing Sage Creek, plan on arriving on a Tuesday or Wednesday or earlier in the day on any day – for a better chance of securing a spot!
Grab my full Badlands On A Budget Itinerary Here – it will save you up to $931, show you how to snag campsites, download offline maps, and show you exactly which hikes I would recommend!