Bismark Lake

Bismarck Lake Campground is set amidst a scattering of aspen groves and Ponderosa pine on the southeast edge of Bismarck Lake at 5,000 feet. This is a great place for visitors seeking recreation and relaxation in the Black Hills National Forest. Access to this campground is through Custer State Park near the West Highway 16A entrance. Sites are widely spaced and open up to views of lakes, providing adequate privacy for visitors. The campground has sites able to accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs, with picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water; however, electrical hook-ups are not available. Access to the lake is within walking distance, and there is a beautiful boardwalk with fishing piers along the water's edge. At the campground, a short foot trail traverses the forested shoreline, offering opportunities for birding in early morning or picnicking in the afternoon. Adjacent Bismarck Lake is an ideal spot for fishing and boating; it supports populations of rainbow and brown trout, a variety of sunfish, smallmouth bass, northern pike, and catfish. The wider forest offers hiking, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and riding off-highway vehicles on moderate terrain. 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 expansive views of the surrounding area, and an old stone tower at the top (Harney Lookout Tower), once used as a fire lookout, is still open to hikers. Located in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, Black Hills National Forest encompasses nearly 1.25 million acres of rugged rock formations, canyons and gulches, open grassland parks, tumbling streams, deep blue lakes, and unique caves. Bighorn sheep navigate mountainous terrain, while elk, deer and pronghorn gather in forests and prairies. Bald eagles, hawks, osprey, peregrine falcon, and hundreds of other bird species can be found in the forest, especially along streams, lakes and rivers. Possible day trips include Custer State Park with its many buffalo and other wildlife, Crazy Horse Monument and Wind Cave National Park, as well as Jewel Cave, the second longest cave in the world at 159.29 miles, which features sparkling calcite crystals and other rare formations. The campground is also within a couple of miles of the start of the beautiful Needles Highway scenic drive.