Wrinkled Rock Trailhead | Wild Camping

May 20th, 2023 by kaitlyn.rose68

Got here around 4 pm and lots of cars in the lot. Pretty quiet here though and very pretty at sunset!

May 10th, 2023 by wanderlust.mutts

Stayed 1 night as I passed through the area on my way to the Badlands. Was pretty busy with other overnighters, but everyone was quiet.

April 29th, 2023 by kate.schnake417

exactly as previously described. trailhead gravel parking lot with a pit toilet - very easy to find. busy with climbers when I first arrived around 4 pm but cleared out at sunset with only a few people in vans and even some tents set up. quite, nice respectful people, and only a 5 minute drive to mount rushmore. highly recommend staying here and then catching mount rushmore at sunrise!!

April 24th, 2023 by ronandjac

We're self-contained although my hubby thought they were very clean. Beautiful spot! Stayed 2 nights as we hiked the Old Baldy trail - only 6 kms round trip, and gorgeous! So quiet, such a good sleep. Recommend it for anyone. Warning that rigs over 27 ft won't fit. True words. Very tight turn into the site.

October 16th, 2022 by Hibiscus

perfect place for overnight stay. as described. just a few minutes away from mt.Rushmore and next morning to the Crazy Horse Memorial even more fantastic and good to be early overthere.

September 29th, 2022 by 3weltreisen.de

there is a sign over 24ft not allowed, we went with 27ft and the road was fine and the parking lots also. they are not leveled, but lots of space

September 14th, 2022 by matomaoverland

Amazing camp spot close to Mt. Rushmore. Mostly level parking area with space for 6-7 cars/rigs. In the Woods, super quiet and beautiful. A couple bars T-mobile. Would definitely stay here again!!

September 11th, 2022 by pala351

Sweet spot on the "backside" of Rushmore and Crazy Horse - only 2 miles to Rushmore.

Pulled in on a Sunday night and took a look around; place was thinned out with tent-campers and hikers. The Australian & Dutch overlanders I met at Devils Tower were set up for the night. We must all be using iOverlander.

One of the things I noticed besides the not so well maintained pit toilet, was the sign that read the site is designed "for rock climbers" and more to the point, it "does not allow for the use of trailers, RVs or generators." Its after 6:30 pm an I'm in a converted Sprinter van; I'm gonna risk it and head to Rushmore in the morning. (Monday update - no issues).

1 bar verizon, Starlink great, pines smell good, beautiful views.

September 10th, 2022 by yvonnechurly

Beautiful freebie campspot on the back side of Rushmore. You can even stay up to 14 days!

August 23rd, 2022 by tess.mason87

Nice quiet site. We stayed overnight in a sprinter van. Super close to Mt Rushmore. There's a restroom but no garbage services. Can camp at this site for 14 days for free :)

August 8th, 2022 by chrisjohnsoncontracting

lots of cars for climbers.. bunch of vans and tenters overnight toilet is clean shocker no bikers were here because of Sturgis bike week and free... quiet night nice company from the van next door great stay

August 7th, 2022 by Charenthe

Endroit très agréable et presque plat conseillé par les Rangers.

July 27th, 2022 by dshy63

Nice spot extremely close to Mt Rushmore. Access to many trails for hiking.

July 6th, 2022 by kryekr

Such a lovely place! We were outside till midnight no flies or mosquitoes middle of the summer! Highly recommended.

June 25th, 2022 by yvivian11

Trailhead parking lot with lots of overnight tent campers & van lifers. Wont get much privacy but good place to meet friendly ppl if you want. Someone had knocked on our door offering tea, and in the morning we saw another van passing out coffee for climbers :)

Pit toilet there was pretty clean too! Couldnt super level spot but for one night it would do.

June 13th, 2022 by HomelessAdventures

beautiful place to spend the night. I don't climb, but needed a place to stay that was near Mount Rushmore. met a nice couple here and we socialized for a few hours before it started to rain.

this spot has a pit toilet. you can hear some noise from the road... not too loud.

I would definitely stay here again

June 3rd, 2022 by Julie and Tom Thompson

Perfect spot for our camper van. Several vans and tent campers here for the night. Spoke with the Ranger and he indicated you can stay here for 14 days. Quiet at night. Clean pit toilet. Nice hiking trail.

May 28th, 2022 by 2gether 2 end.ofthe.earth

still a great place. busy with climbers. park ranger came past and no issues.

April 30th, 2022 by palms.and.pinetrees

Still free. Had a very quite night there. Some other vans were there too.

Pit toilets available.

April 30th, 2022 by xsensesfailed

Stayed here for two nights in a row after adventuring during the day. Place was quiet, mostly level, and had a decent pit toilet. Would recommend. I arrived the second night at around 8pm and wasn’t that many people.

October 29th, 2021 by steveandnoelle.com

Easy location right behind Mt Rushmore. Filled about halfway this time of year. Flat and level (mostly) on the lower half. 1-2 bars AT&T. Our truck camper did great in here but signs do say no longer than 24 feet because of sharper curves.

September 15th, 2021 by adivoll

Parking lot off Route 244, very close to Mt. Rushmore. I arrived around 4PM there were already 3 other vehicles on the lot. By 6 there were close to 10. There is an outhouse type bathroom and you have to take your trash with you.

July 12th, 2021 by thedragonwagon.me

Very close to Mt Rushmore. Free parking lot. No vehicles over 24 ft. Quiet spot primarily for climbers. Get here early (by 6 pm) if you want a spot. They fill up.

June 26th, 2021 by zack_nickels

Camped in a tent at one of the various tent sites for about 5 days, there were two gravel pads for tents and about 10 other (mostly) flat tent sites along the various paths. Some road/plane noise but not intrusive. Only one pit toilet, but the short line made a great plane to meet some awesome people.

June 4th, 2021 by asands107

Great spot, and FREE. everything has pretty much already been said. Lots of areas in the forest for tents and about 25 parking spots for vans and cars (unfortunately no spots big enough for rigs but I saw some really small rvs one night.). 14 day stay limit. Excellent location! Lots of hiking in the area, and perfect after visiting mt. Rushmore. Custer state park is only 30 mins down the road so it was a nice place to come back to after traveling around the black hills area. Felt super safe and everyone I met was very nice. Also pet friendly.

May 30th, 2021 by the.netherlands

Near mount rushmore. Toilets. Quiet. Recommanded by the ranger.

April 20th, 2021 by trampton

Spending a night in the parking lot. A few level spaces. It snowed 2 days ago and has not been cleared. Only one other car in the lot.

September 27th, 2020 by zed

Great spot, about 20 spots for cars/vans. Few are level, but most are only slightly not level. Never had an issue with noise, even tho it was close to full the whole time.

I stayed here 4 days and it was great. Plenty of good hiking and climbing nearby, also a 15min drive to Mount Rushmore. Became friends with alot of the other campers here, it seems to attract alot of cool people.

Bathroom was really smelly: I just dug holes to poop outside.

September 18th, 2020 by leylagth

Good for a night, it was almost full by the time we got there, but we found a flat spot for our van. Very quiet and it was perfect place to spend the night after visiting mt. Rushmore

September 11th, 2020 by sammeefayee

Great place right by Mount Rushmore to stay the night.

August 22nd, 2020 by eugene.ewe

Nice little parking area for rock climbers and just a very short distant away from Mt Rushmore. There are a few flat and level spots, perfect for camper vans but not big rv.

June 9th, 2020 by Aud

It is more West on this road

June 9th, 2020 by Aud

It is more West on this road

June 7th, 2020 by luizakastro

it's an ok place but when we came there it was so overcrowded that there was only one parking spot in a "grocery store" type parking lot. we decided not to stay and headed to the campground at the beginning of the road.

November 1st, 2019 by jammy.fellow1404

Recommend. As described. Pretty area to stay at.

July 23rd, 2019 by beckyhiggins9009

Real nice area, mainly for hikers and rock climbers,..No RVs allowed , but cars,vans, and pickup trucks are allowed 14 days of free camping.

July 12th, 2019 by kustomkyle.com

This place is really sweet! It becomes a bit crowded, as it’s close to phenomenal rock climbing, Mt Rushmore, and free in such a beautiful territory. I met some of my favorite people on this journey at that sleep spot.

July 7th, 2019 by erin.henley30

It’s a cool spot for climbers! There are some hiking trails if you keep driving past the wrinkled rock trail head. We are not climbers, but it was a great time anyway. It’s relatively quiet (but keep in mind, this is next to a parking lot). Walk down past the parking lot, and there are several flat spots for tents/hammocks. Our tent was not visible from the parking lot, so that’s a huge plus. And if you need to potty, there is one in the parking lot. But if you’re like me and don’t want to walk uphill, the trees are a perfect spot for hiding! 😊 also it’s dog friendly! It’s also only 1.5 miles from Mt Rushmore.

June 3rd, 2019 by fozzie.jpeg

as described. parking lot that allows overnight camping for 14 days. some tent pads scattered in the woods below but not a ton of sites. no RVs but great for cars/sprinters. near a nice hike. stayed 1 night

April 17th, 2019 by bernbo

Wrinkled rock climbers trailhead. Semi-primitive campsite area especially for tents. Small parking 6-8 places for cars. RV under 24 ft will fit. Pit toilet. No trash can. So pack it out. Close to Keystone, Mount Rushmore. Free. Maximum 14 days for tents.
Camping semi-sauvage pour tentes avec stationnement pour 6-8 autos VR 24 pi max. Toilette genre "bécosse" Près de Keystone, Mont Rushmore où se trouvent 4 présidents sculptés dans le granit. Gratuit. Maximum 14 jours pour les tentes.

October 2nd, 2018 by kmarie2223

Basically just a parking lot. Sign says 14 days max camping so I guess it's okay to sleep here. No AT&T cell service.

September 21st, 2018 by les3moustiquaires

Juste derrière le Mont Rushmore, seulement les tentes ou petit VR comme le nôtre c'est le max (24 pieds).

September 21st, 2018 by Ogg-Moss

Sign says RVs under 24ft are not welcome because of tight turning radius. 14 days stay is permitted. It‘s a prime climbing spot, so expect to meet climbers. Spaces to set tent in the woods behind the parking lot is possible. We showed up late and it was almost full. I would say 15 spaces max. it s a 5 minute drive to Mount Rushmore and it’s free. You can‘t beat that.

September 21st, 2018 by Tom

1 pit toilet that was clean. Stayed here in a sprinter van with no problems. The flatter spots are at the ends the loop. The spots by the toilet have a slight incline but nbd. The info page says no RVs or generators. Q

September 15th, 2018 by dachaonwheels.com

stayed here last night. it's pretty much a big parking lot with campsites for tents below the lot. got there at about 6pm and there were two cars. by morning the place was full. it's ok for a van but big RV or trailer is hard. we got lucky as the spots on the sides of the lot can accommodate a small camper.

September 9th, 2018 by mrhvdm2010

You can only stay overnight with a tent on designated spots in the forest. RV’s are in fact not allowed, there is a sign on the information board next to the toilet. But we stayed last night in our truckcamper, no problems at all, very quiet. There was another campervan next to us. Maximum length for a vehicle is 24 feet long.

August 27th, 2018 by andres.plaza.c

quiet place at night, plenty van and campers, this place allow tents. it has pit toilet. if you're looking place close to Rushmore this is a good spot.

June 24th, 2018 by allezzou.fr

quiet parking, 2 bar AT&T 3G. ok for tents

June 9th, 2018 by amimilie

Super nice spots to park and camp. We have class C rig and it fits wel. I think you can go with any rig that has a long overhang in the back because there is a slope at the lower parking. Sometimes people who haven’t done climbing with kids and travel with their families are a bit reluctant to admit that big rigs fit.
Anyways the place is super well maintained and it’s a blessing to have a parking so close to the crags.

May 31st, 2018 by parenthesenomade.com

Small parking lot very busy. OK for my 22ft RV.

May 15th, 2018 by wes.greenwood

As descibed...

this is a prime climbing location so pay it some respect

It’s a good spot to park and set a tent over night.

Definitely not suitable for RV camping in anything larger then a sprinter van

April 22nd, 2018 by theslowdutchman

Oke spot for the night. 2 bars 4G with AT&T. If you are a climber you will love it here.

October 3rd, 2017 by Smart as a Goose

This is called Wrinkled Rock Climbing Area. Maximum stay is 14 days. We had 6 vehicles parked overnight. No fee required. Toilet was clean.

August 25th, 2017 by ainsivontleslaffont.jimdo.com

Near mount rushmore. Toilets. Quiet. Recommanded by the ranger.