Elk Mountain Campground

Elk Mountain Campground is Wind Cave National Park’s developed campground, with loops set between ponderosa pine forest and open prairie. It’s a useful base for cave tours and the park’s surface trails if you want to spend the night inside the park; the entrance is about a quarter-mile north of the visitor center. This is a limited-development campground rather than a full-service RV park.

Loops A–D include wooded and open sites, and Loop A is tent-only. Larger RVs won’t fit everywhere, and campers repeatedly mention sloping or uneven sites. Check the dimensions and grade of your particular site before booking; that matters more here than a campground-wide maximum.

The Elk Mountain Nature Trail starts at the campground amphitheater, which also hosts seasonal ranger programs about the park’s natural and cultural history. In early fall, one program introduces Rocky Mountain elk, then heads out by car to listen for bugles. Campers sometimes see bison near the sites, too, but treat that as a lucky sighting. Dogs must stay leashed and are allowed on Prairie Vista and Elk Mountain Campground trails.

The campground is open year-round. Potable water and flush toilets are seasonal, generally available from late May through September; vault toilets remain available year-round. There are no showers, electric hookups, dump station, camp store, ice, or firewood sales, so plan supplies and trailer dumping before you arrive. Hot Springs and Custer have trailer dump stations.