Oreville Campground

Located 4 miles south of Hill City, South Dakota, Oreville Campground is a delightful setting for guests seeking recreation and relaxation in Black Hills National Forest. The sites are nestled on a hillside among aspen groves, towering ponderosa pines, and grassy areas. Many of the campsites are spacious, offering guests a sense of privacy. The campground is centrally located along Highway 16/385 just north of Crazy Horse Monument, with easy access to most Black Hills attractions. Oreville has sites able to accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs. The campground has picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water. Electrical hook-ups are not available. The forest offers recreation opportunities for all ages and abilities: hiking, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and riding off-highway vehicles on moderate terrain. 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, with a packed gravel surface traversing mountain, meadow, and forest 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. Derived from the Lakota language, the words "Paha Sapa," meaning "hills that are black," honor the dark, pine-covered hills rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie. Wildlife in the area abounds. 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. Nearby Jewel Cave is the second longest cave in the world at 159.29 miles, featuring sparkling calcite crystals and other rare formations. Other possible day trips include Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Monument and Wind Cave National Park.