Camping at Elk Mountain Campground near Hot Springs | Basecamping

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At a glance

RV sites up to 36 ft
Length limits vary by campsite.
No hookups
Pets welcome
Vault toilets

17 available sites

Available only17 open of 63 sitesTypeRV lengthSortLoopInclude group sites

Site 19

RV · Up to 36 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

Site 22

RV · Up to 19 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

Site 16

RV · Up to 36 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

Site 24

RV · Up to 36 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

Site 29

RV · Up to 36 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

17 (Accessible Site)

RV · Up to 36 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

Site 15

RV · Up to 36 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

Site 18

RV · Up to 32 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups

Available all 2 nights

$24 for 2 nights

$12/night · before taxes & fees

View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Availability on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 65 sites.

Site

Fr
13

Sa
14

Price

15

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

16

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

17 (Accessible Site)

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

18

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

19

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

20

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

21

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

22

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

23

rv nonelectric

✓

✓

$12

24

rv nonelectric

Trip idea

Ideas for your stay

An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.

Day 1 · Arrive and settle in
- Check in and set up camp.
Day 2 · Get out and explore
- Hot Air Balloon Flight Over Black Hills 15 mi · 2 hr–3 hr · from $375/person
- Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Tour with Two Meals and a Music Variety Show 38 mi · 9 hr · from $164/person
Optional full-day extension
Longer tours — plan travel time before and after.
- Bus Tour of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills 38 mi · 9 hr · from $133/person

Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

Tent camping here: 33 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 36 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

2019 Keystone RV Bullet Ultra Lite- BUNKHOUSE

2019 Keystone RV Bullet Ultra Lite- BUNKHOUSE

Travel trailer · 33 ft · sleeps 9 · 35 mi from campground

$180/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

Forest River Shasta Freeport - Sleeps 7

Forest River Shasta Freeport - Sleeps 7

Travel trailer · 25 ft · sleeps 7 · 36 mi from campground

$125/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

Make Black Hills Family Memories

Make Black Hills Family Memories

Travel trailer · 33 ft · sleeps 10 · 37 mi from campground

$160/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

Things to do

Activities near Elk Mountain Campground

Bookable tours nearby

Paid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Hot Air Balloon Flight Over Black Hills

Hot Air Balloon Flight Over Black Hills

15 mi · 2 hr–3 hr · from $375/person

Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Tour with Two Meals and a Music Variety Show

Mount Rushmore and Black Hills Tour with Two Meals and a Music Variety Show

38 mi · 9 hr · from $164/person

Bus Tour of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills

Bus Tour of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills

38 mi · 9 hr · from $133/person

See 6 more bookable tours

PREMIER PRIVATE Tour: Mt Rushmore, CrazyHorse & Custer State Park

PREMIER PRIVATE Tour: Mt Rushmore, CrazyHorse & Custer State Park

38 mi · 9 hr · from $475/person

Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

Off-peak Oct 1–Dec 31: Tent $12–$45, RV $12, RV & Tent $12 per night
Off-peak Jan 1–May 21: Tent $12–$45, RV $12, RV & Tent $12 per night

Sites open for booking 10 months ahead; stays up to 30 nights (Recreation.gov rules).

Share of site-nights open, booked and closed on Recreation.gov for the next months, checked Nov 7. Months further out may not be released for booking yet.

Month	Open	Booked	Closed
Nov 2026	30%	1%	69%
Dec 2026	31%	0%	69%
Jan 2027	31%	0%	69%
Feb 2027	31%	0%	69%
Mar 2027	31%	0%	69%
Apr 2027	31%	0%	69%
May 2027	28%	3%	69%

Seasonal loop closures in this window: A (Nov 2026, Dec 2026, Jan 2027, Feb 2027, Mar 2027, Apr 2027, May 2027); C (Nov 2026, Dec 2026, Jan 2027, Feb 2027, Mar 2027, Apr 2027, May 2027); D (Nov 2026, Dec 2026, Jan 2027, Feb 2027, Mar 2027, Apr 2027, May 2027).

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Elk Mountain Campground

For June weekends, book about 103 days ahead. Three in four June Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 20 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns

Arrival month	Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least	A quarter at least	Other days: half booked at least	A quarter at least
March	—	—	2 days ahead	19 days ahead
April	0 days ahead	6 days ahead	3 days ahead	26 days ahead
May	31 days ahead	90 days ahead	17 days ahead	71 days ahead
June	20 days ahead	103 days ahead	18 days ahead	95 days ahead
July	10 days ahead	55 days ahead	13 days ahead	86 days ahead
August	8 days ahead	42 days ahead	7 days ahead	49 days ahead
September	5 days ahead	29 days ahead	2 days ahead	36 days ahead
October	0 days ahead	3 days ahead	0 days ahead	2 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (14,553 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.