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Badlands National Park RV Camping: Cedar Pass & BeyondRV camping in and near Badlands National Park, SD — Cedar Pass Campground, the White River KOA, and Nomad View boondocking — with rates, rig access, and heat tips.
National park · Badlands National Park · South Dakota
Cedar Pass Campground is the main National Park Service campground in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, sitting beside the Ben Reifel Visitor Center with the buttes rising right behind the sites. It suits RVers who want to be inside the park for sunrise, sunset and the dark night sky, and who treat the Badlands as a one- or two-night highlight rather than a week-long base. Our Badlands guide covers it in detail as the only in-park campground with any hookups.
| Hookups | Electric; no full hookups |
|---|---|
| Max RV length | Exact site |
| Cost | $38 electric |
| Fees | $38 covers two people; $4 per additional person. |
| Reservations | Concessioner reservation |
Source-backed: Official NPS fee table (checked 2026-07-18). Rates and site details change — verify with the operator before you book. Compare it with every other park we track in the price index.
Cedar Pass Campground is the main National Park Service campground in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, sitting beside the Ben Reifel Visitor Center with the buttes rising right behind the sites. It suits RVers who want to be inside the park for sunrise, sunset and the dark night sky, and who treat the Badlands as a one- or two-night highlight rather than a week-long base. Our Badlands guide covers it in detail as the only in-park campground with any hookups.
The picture: 96 sites on flat, open grassland, 22 of them with 30- and 50-amp electric, the rest non-electric, plus two accessible sites. Electric sites are $38 covering two people, with $4 per additional person, and there are no full hookups anywhere in the park. Flush toilets, potable water, picnic-table shade shelters, a complimentary dump station in the group loop and summer coin showers at the adjacent Cedar Pass Lodge round it out; the lodge also runs a restaurant and small store. Rigs up to about 40 feet fit. Campfires are prohibited, though propane grills are fine. The season runs roughly late March to mid-October. The trade-off is heat: midsummer regularly tops 90 to 100 degrees with no shade, so an electric site for air conditioning is worth booking specifically.
Excerpts from the RV Parks Guide articles that cover this campground. Each links to the full guide.
Covered in
Badlands National Park RV Camping: Cedar Pass & BeyondRV camping in and near Badlands National Park, SD — Cedar Pass Campground, the White River KOA, and Nomad View boondocking — with rates, rig access, and heat tips.
Our verdict
Book it if you want to wake up inside the Badlands and can grab an electric site for the summer heat; skip it if you need full hookups, shade or a long-stay base, in which case the White River KOA is the alternative.
Electric only, on 22 of its 96 sites with 30- and 50-amp service. There is no water or sewer at the pad, but potable water, flush toilets and a complimentary dump station are on-site.
The NPS fee table lists $38 for an electric site, covering two people, with $4 per additional person. Our guide's broader range is about $37 to $47 depending on site type; confirm at booking.
Our Badlands guide says it takes RVs up to about 40 feet. Fit is site-specific, so check the individual site record.
Yes, and the electric sites and summer weekends go first. Our guide lists booking through the concessioner's reservation system via recreation.gov; confirm the current channel before your trip.
No. The 2026 season runs roughly late March (around March 27) through mid-October (around October 19).
No. Campfires are prohibited to protect the prairie grassland. Propane grills and stoves are allowed.
Compare alternatives before you book — or browse the whole South Dakota hub.