Horsethief Lake Campground
Horsethief Lake Campground is a national forest campground in South Dakota. Hookups: no hookups.
- Type
- National forest campground
- Location
- South Dakota
- Coordinates
- 43.89510, -103.48423
- Hookups
- No hookups
- Activities
- Biking, Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Wildlife Viewing
- Map
- Open in OpenStreetMap
- Phone
- 605-673-9200
Amenities
- Reservable sites
Only amenities a source confirms are listed; an amenity missing here is unknown, not absent.
About Horsethief Lake Campground
Overview Located 10 miles south of Hill City, South Dakota, Horsethief Lake Campground is a delightful setting for visitors seeking recreation and relaxation in Black Hills National Forest. This campground is 2 miles from Mount Rushmore National Memorial and adjacent to Horsethief Lake. Sites are tucked into a forest of towering ponderosa and lodgepole pine. Recreation Black Hills National Forest offers visitors a multitude of recreational opportunites throughout all seasons. Hiking, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and riding off-highway vehicles are popular in summer and early autumn. Winter landscapes are ideal for snowshoeing, skiing and snowmobiling. Hundreds of miles of trails and roads offer a variety of terrain for mountain bikers. Hikers and bikers can access the nearby George S. Mickelson Trail, which traverses over 100 miles through the heart of the Black Hills. The majority of the trail follows an abandoned railroad branch line and includes 4 tunnels, over 100 converted railroad bridges, and 15 established trailheads. The trail surface is packed gravel, traversing mountain, meadow, and forest terrain. The trail is named in honor of the former South Dakota governor who crusaded for the trail. For those seeking higher elevations, a day-long trek to the summit of nearby Black Elk Peak is worth the effort. Black Elk Peak is the highest natural point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Most of the summit is bare granite and offers expans
Cell coverage
No coverage data for this location yet.
Nearby RV services
- Dump station
- Custer State Park · 11 mi
- Water fill
- None mapped within 50 mi
- Propane
- AmeriGas · 11 mi
- Low clearances
- 5 bridges or tunnels at 14 ft or less within 10 mi
- Off-road routes
- 356 designated routes (376 mi) within 10 mi
Other places to stay nearby
| Name | Type | Distance | Fee | Hookups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse Thief Lake Campground | Private campground | under 0.1 mi | $26 | — |
| Wrinkled Rock | National forest campground | 0.9 mi | — | — |
| Grizzly Creek - USFS | Private campground | 2.5 mi | $20 | — |
| Grizzly Bear Campground | National forest campground | 2.6 mi | — | Water & Sewer |
| Grizzly Bear | National forest campground | 2.6 mi | — | — |
| Willow Creek Horse Camp | National forest campground | 2.6 mi | — | No hookups |
Open Horsethief Lake Campground in DryRig
Save it offline, check your rig's clearance on the drive in, and see what's nearby on the map.
Sources. USFS and BLM recreation sites, Recreation.gov (RIDB). Updated June 2026. Facility facts only; DryRig does not publish ratings or reviews on this page.