Bismark Lake in SD -- Campground & RV Camping
Bismark Lake in SD
CampgroundUSFS
4.3 mi from Custer
Official campground & reservations ↗
Road Access
- Road difficulty 2 of 5: a moderate drive in.
- Recorded as maintained for high-clearance vehicles, gravel, pitching to 12%.
Rig fit
- Maximum published vehicle length: 83 ft.
- Longest published RV site: 75 ft.
- Longest published trailer site: 57 ft.
- Longest published fifth-wheel site: 75 ft.
- Driveway grade: slight.
Campground details
Setting
Bismarck Lake Campground is set among aspen groves and ponderosa pines on the southeast edge of Bismarck Lake at 5,000 feet in South Dakota's Black Hills National Forest. Accessible through Custer State Park, the widely spaced sites accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs with picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water, but no electric hookups. A shoreline trail leads to a boardwalk with fishing piers on the trout-stocked lake. Nearby highlights include Black Elk Peak, the Needles Highway, Crazy Horse Monument, and Jewel Cave and Wind Cave National Parks.
Getting there: In Custer, SD, at the intersection of State Rt. 89/US Rt.16A (Mt.Rushmore Rd) and US Rt. 16/US Rt. 385 (5th St.), take US Rt.16A east for 4.8 miles (past Custer State Park entrance) to Bismarck Lake campground sign. Turn left at sign into campground.
- Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, a 24-site campground with the nearest through road 0.4 miles off.
- Custer Mountain stands 832 ft above the map pin, 2.3 miles southwest.
Climate averages
October normals 32–56°F, 1.6″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 90 of 100.