Big Pine Campground in Custer, South Dakota
Park Rating (1-5) This campground is a favorite place for us to stay. We give Big Pine a 5!
RV Park: Big Pine Campground
12084 Big Pine Road Custer, SD 57730 (605) 673-4054 • 1-800-235-3981 OPEN MAY 20TH TO OCTOBER 1ST
Cost: $43.00 for full-hookup sites. One thing we LOVE about this campground is the prices DO NOT INFLATE during the Sturgis Bike Rally. That’s almost unheard of in and around the Black Hills! Please be aware that during the Sturgis Bike Rally the cancellation policies and weekly discount rates differ from the rest of the season.
If you are planning on staying here during the Sturgis Bike Rally, make your reservations as soon as possible! We are now regulars and we book our site a year in advance.
Thinking of riding your Harley during the Sturgis Bike Rally?
Ride times vary depending on the weather, the traffic, and your bike. Approximate time it takes to get from Big Pine Campground to:
The Badlands: 2 hours Custer: 3 minutes Crazy Horse: 30 minutes Custer State Park: 15 minutes Deadwood: 1 hour Devil’s Tower, Wyoming: 2.5 hours Hill City: 40 minutes Keystone: 35 minutes Needles Highway: 25 minutes Nemo Road: 1 hour 20 minutes Iron Mountain Road: 40 minutes Mount Rushmore: 45 minutes Spearfish Canyon: 1 hour 15 minutes Rapid City: 1 hour Sturgis: 1.5 hours The Stonehouse Saloon: 2 hours
We’ve stayed at Big Pine: August 4-10 2017 August 2016 August 2015
…and we’re staying August 2018, too!
Which RV did we take? Last year, we traveled in our Heartland Road Warrior 355 Toy Hauler. The Road Warrior 355 is a fifth wheel, double-axle, forty foot long toy hauler with three slides, three awnings, and a retractable back-patio.
In 2015 and 2016, we traveled in our Forest River Sandstorm T242SLC Toy Hauler. The Forest River Sandstorm is a double-axel, twenty-four-foot-long toy hauler travel trailer with no slides and one pull-down awning.
Spaces / Facilities / Amenities: One of the things we love about Big Pine Campground is that every one of the camping spaces sits in the pine trees. When you stay here, whether you are tent or RV camping, you get a true-camping experience, even during Bike Week!
The spaces vary in size, and each site is clean and well-kept. The dirt landing pad is level and free of debris. Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table.
We’ve stayed in two different sections of the campground. While we usually choose pull-through sites, our favorite spaces here are the back-in spaces. Back in spaces are great for toy haulers because we can back in, lower our tailgate, and get out our bike. What’s even better? Ron, the owner, will take you to your site and he helps you get your RV in the best location for the best access to your hookups, your ramps, and your awnings.
Wifi and Cable: Get out of your camper and enjoy the Black Hills! Who needs cable when there are so many places to visit?
There isn’t cable in the park, but you will have access to FREE WIFI.
Bathrooms / Showers / Laundry: The facilities are clean and located close to many of the campsites. Since this campground has dry sites and tent camping, the cleanliness of the facilities is important. More people use the facilities when they dry camp. I have used a few of the different restrooms, to include the outhouse-style restrooms, and I’ve been impressed with the upkeep!
Office: One of the things that attracted us to the Big Pine Campground is the friendliness of the owners, Ron and Angie. Ron and Angie take pride in their campground and it is clear that they want to provide the best experience for all of their guests. In addition to running the office and the store, Ron and Angie bring each guest to his or her campsite during check-in. They deliver firewood, provide information on local events and places to visit, and they are just fun to talk to!
Last year, Ron and Angie put a craft-beer fridge in the office. Since we are craft beer fanatics, it is nice to know that we have a one-stop-shop to try out many of the beers from the local breweries. They know about the different beers and flavors and what makes each beer unique. After chatting about some of the beer, we purchased a custom six-pack. Later, we brought them a few of our favorite Colorado beers to share, and they traded us a few beers in return. It’s funny how something so simple can make us so happy. Yay for the craft beer fridge!
Other information (road noise, etc.): Because we stay during the Sturgis Bike Rally, we know that there will be motorcycle noise inside and outside of the campground. Harley pipes are loud and it’s hard to muffle the sound. The thing about this campground is that the people who stay here during the rally are regulars. We see the same people year after year, and these people always stay in the same camping spaces. There is noise when people enter and leave the campground, but there isn’t a lot of engine revving or unnecessary idling. People respect Ron and Angie’s campground and keep the area free of drama and noise.
We stay in Custer for the quiet experience. For us, staying closer to Sturgis means more noise, more trouble, and the chance of more drama. That’s not our style. Our favorite rides are the Black Hill rides, and we like the cooler climate and small-town feel of Custer. Custer does have Bike Week activities every day, and the main street is closed to cars. You can still get the Sturgis experience without being close to the chaos. We still do all of the rides and spend at least a day in Sturgis, but we make sure that we leave before the night-time drama escalates and we try to get home before dark. For us, we get the best of both worlds: riding and the quiet camping lifestyle.
Taking your RV or car to the Black Hills during bike week:
The Black Hills area is a coveted vacation spot during summer and fall. The area is popular for much more than just the Bike Rally. People from all over the world come to the area to see Mount Rushmore, The Badlands, Devil’s Tower, and Custer State Park. We like the area so much, we want to go back when it’s not the Bike Rally. Unfortunately, one thing we notice is when tourists decide to visit the Black Hills during the Bike Rally, they often don’t realize the impact that thousands of bikes on the road might have on their vacation. Bikes are everywhere. Everywhere. Be aware that your car or your RV might be the one vehicle right in the middle of two hundred bikers winding through Needless Highway, trying to get around your large scenery-blocking vehicle. Bikers are nice, but they aren’t always patient. If you are taking your family to see Mount Rushmore, be aware that your kids might hear colorful language and see things that you might not want your kids to see. My point? Try and schedule your family or RV vacation around the Sturgis Bike Rally. Just an FYI, the Sturgis Bike Rally lasts more than a week. If you live for noise, excitement, and people watching? Going during Bike Week is for you!
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