Campground · Custer State Park
Pine shade, tent pads, and cabins beside French Creek.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Custer Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Custer State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Custer audio tourRecorded for this place
Blue Bell: Creekside Dining and Horseback Rides“You're approaching the Blue Bell Lodge and stables area. For a meal, the log lodge serves ranch-style food, including bison dishes, with a patio overlooking French Creek.”
Plays as you drive up to Blue Bell Campground in the Parkwolf Custer Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We recently toured Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and more! We learned so much from this app as we toured each of these sites. The audio tours are worth the money.”
Guide
Blue Bell Campground is a developed overnight area in ponderosa pine forest beside French Creek, off SD Highway 87 in the southern part of Custer State Park. It has tent and RV sites as well as cabins, so it works as a base for a stay in this side of the park rather than a short roadside stop. The campground and cabins are seasonal, generally running from May into early November; check the dates and availability for your year.
Campers describe the spacing differently: some find close neighbors and tight internal roads, while others report more room. Site layout varies, so if you’re bringing a long RV, confirm the specific site’s fit before choosing it. Recent campers also report that electric sites do not have individual water or sewer hookups; drinking-water points and a dump station serve the campground.
Blue Bell Lodge is next door with its own restaurant, store, fuel and laundry. The restaurant serves seasonal ranch-style meals, including bison alongside beef, chicken and fish; its patio faces French Creek. Horseback riding is available nearby at the stables, and trout fishing is another activity around the creek.
Wildlife
993 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
91 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
260 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
85 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
259 sightingsBurroMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
711 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Custer. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
Easy2 Hour Trail Loop2.1 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA compact circuit tucked among the French Creek routes.
ModerateHeddy Draw Horse Trail7.1 mi · 4 hr · 1.8 mi awaySteep Black Hills horse trail with a long descent into Heddy Draw.
ModerateSaw Mill Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 2 mi awayA forested ridge traverse links two mapped Saw Mill sections.
ModerateMount Coolidge Trail3.3 mi · 1.8 hr · 2 mi awayClimb the fire tower road for Black Hills views and CCC history.
EasyHeddy Lookout Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 2 mi awayA short wooded walk to a covered overlook above Heddy Draw
ModerateParker Canyon Loop4.4 mi · 2 hr · 2.6 mi awayA moderate loop links Parker Canyon with a meadow and Centennial Trail.
ModerateGalena Trail6.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA 6.4-mile out-and-back on a marked, shared-use Custer trail.
EasyBadger Clark Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 2.9 mi awayRock-lined tread, poetry signs, and a loop beside Badger Hole.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayBlue Bell Lodge StablesA guided horseback ride into French Creek’s pine-lined backcountry.
Store · 0.2 mi awayBlue Bell StoreA handy fuel and supply stop along the Wildlife Loop.
Lodging · 0.2 mi awayBlue Bell LodgeA Black Hills cabin base with a creekside patio and backcountry cookout.
Entrance station · 1 mi awayBlue Bell Entrance StationA quick pass checkpoint at the start of Wildlife Loop
Campground · 1.4 mi awayFrench Creek Horse CampA creek-side base camp with two corrals at every site.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayMount Coolidge Fire TowerClear-day views reach Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Needles.
Scenic pullout · 2.1 mi awayHeddy Draw OverlookA short walk to a covered shelter and broad Black Hills views.Sight · 2.9 mi awayBadger Hole Historic SiteA poet’s furnished cabin with a short, story-filled woodland loop.Parkwolf’s Custer ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
