Pactola Reservoir Campground in SD -- Campground & RV Camping

Pactola Reservoir Campground sits among the pine-covered Black Hills along the south shore of Pactola Reservoir, the region's largest lake at 800 acres and 150 feet deep. Campsites accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs without electrical hookups, with several offering lake views. On-site facilities include picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, drinking water, two boat ramps, and walking access to the beach. Visitors come to fish for record lake trout and brown trout, hike the 2.2-mile Osprey Trail, or visit the seasonal National Forest visitor center on the dam.

Getting there: Drive 17 miles west on State Highway 44 from Rapid City, South Dakota. From Highway 44, turn on 385 south. Campground located 2 miles off US Highway 385.

• Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, a 79-site campground with the nearest through road 0.4 miles off.
• Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
• The Pactola Lake shoreline is 0.3 mi off.
• Scruton Mountain stands 1,330 ft above the map pin, 2.3 miles south.

Rules