CampFinder Blog

Bismark Lake

Black Hills National Forest · South Dakota · Recreation.gov

Bismark Lake cancellation alerts

Bismark Lake is usually sold out. Get a free email when a cancellation opens: pick your dates and we check Recreation.gov every 30 minutes.

★ 4.6 (242 ratings) · 21 sites · $30/night · Tent · RV · Trailer · Caravan/Camper Van · Pickup Camper · Fifth Wheel · Pop up · Boat · Hammock

Watch Bismark Lake for free  Book on Recreation.gov · Google Maps

View of LakeBoardwalkBoardwalk to the Lake Entrance Main Sign

About

Bismarck Lake Campground is set amidst a scattering of aspen groves and Ponderosa pine on the southeast edge of Bismarck Lake at 5,000 feet. This is a great place for visitors seeking recreation and relaxation in the Black Hills National Forest. Acess to this campground is through Custer State Park near the West Highway 16A entrance.

Sites in the campground are widely spaced and open up to views of lakes, providing adequate privacy for visitors.For facility specific information, please call (661) 702-1420.Bismarck Lake Campground has sites able to accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs. Access to the lake is within walking distance and there is a beautiful boardwalk and with fishing piers along the waters edge.  The campground has picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water; however, electrical hook-ups are not available.   Located in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, Black Hills National Forest encompasses nearly 1.25 million acres of rugged rock formations, canyons and gulches, open grassland parks, tumbling streams, deep blue lakes, and unique caves. Derived from the Lakota language, the words "Paha Sapa," meaning "hills that are black," honor the dark, pine-covered hills rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie.

Wildlife in the area abounds. Bighorn sheep navigate mountainous terrain, while elk, deer and pronghorn gather in forests and prairies. Bald eagles, hawks, osprey, peregrine falcon, and hundreds of other bird species can be found in the forest, especially along streams, lakes and rivers.Possible day trips include Custer State Park with its many buffalo and other wildlife, Crazy Horse Monument and Wind Cave National Park as well as Jewel Cave which is the second longest cave in the world at 159.29 miles. It features sparkling calcite crystals and other rare formations, as well as some of the largest concentrations of passageways in the world. Bismarck Lake Campground is within a couple of miles of the start of the beautiful Needles Highway scenic drive . The forest offers accessible recreation for all ages and abilities. Visitors can take advantage of opportunities for hiking, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and riding off-highway vehicles (OHVs) on moderate terrain.

At the campground, a short foot trail traverses the forested shoreline, offering opportunities for birding in early morning or picnicking in the afternoon.

For those seeking higher elevations, a day-long trek to the summit of nearby Black Elk Peak is worth the effort. Black Elk Peak is the highest natural point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Most of the summit is bare granite and offers expansive views of the surrounding area. An old stone tower (Harney Lookout Tower) at the top, once used as a fire lookout, is still open to hikers.

Adjacent to the campground is Bismarck Lake, an ideal spot for fishing and boating. The lake supports populations of rainbow and brown trout, a variety of sunfish, smallmouth bass, northern pike, and catfish.

Amenities

Availability at Bismark Lake

CampFinder checks Recreation.gov every 30 minutes, around the clock, and emails you when a booked-up night opens back up. That catches most cancellations, which sit open for hours; at the few campgrounds that refill in seconds it can miss the race. Set up a free availability alert for Bismark Lake.