Things to do on a South Dakota RV road trip

The drive out to Western South Dakota on Route 90 is filled with roadside oddities and attractions. Our favorite is Porter Sculpture Park in Montrose. With more than 50 wild and wacky larger-than-life sculptures (including a 60-foot Bulls Head), situated on a gorgeous and free-flowing 18-acre prairie, this is the perfect place to stretch your legs and take a break from the road. Porter Sculpture Park is also a Harvest Hosts location, so you can spend the night here (without hookups) and break up your drive out to the Black Hills.

With stunning, scenic views of the Badlands, Cedar Pass Campground puts you right in the heart of this amazing national park. You can step outside your door and walk over to the iconic natural formations. While not quite as rugged as the landscape, this concessionaire-run campground is definitely not an RV resort. But there’s nothing quite like the experience of staying right at the heart of a national park, and watching a Badlands sunrise or sunset right from your campsite is an incomparable experience. It’s like camping on the moon. (If you’re looking for something with more amenities, you may want to check out the Badlands/White River KOA up the road.)

Is Wall Drug a tourist trap? Maybe. But either way, no trip to South Dakota is complete without a stop here—and several cups of 5-cent coffee. The homemade “cake” donuts are also legendary. But enough about the food—the options for shopping are even more abundant. Whether you want to pick up a Cast Iron Cookbook by Cowboy Kent Rollins or a dozen gold dipped gold roses, Wall Drug has got you covered. There is plenty of RV parking, so don’t be afraid to show up with your rig.

Don’t miss the chuckwagon dinner show while in Custer State Park. The Hayride & Chuckwagon Cookout departs right from the Blue Bell Lodge, which is great for those staying at the Blue Bell Campground, located just a few steps away. Participants get a corny cowboy hat and bandana, and then enjoy a 45-minute wagon ride hosted by a guitar-playing, sing-a-long-leading cowboy. Tickets aren't cheap, but the price of admission includes live music, dancing, and really delicious food.

Rafter J Bar Ranch is just minutes away from Mount Rushmore, and the perfect basecamp for your trip to the Black Hills region. What makes Rafter J so special? It has a unique way of offering a state park atmosphere with resort-style amenities. The most notable thing about Rafter J (besides the natural beauty) is the size. It’s a huge campground. However, the owners haven't crowded in as many sites as possible. Instead, they’ve created different “camps” with large wooded areas or fields in between each distinct area. The campground is peppered with towering Ponderosa Pines, and campers have views of the scenic granite hills in the distance.

This is the legendary drive that you've probably seen repeatedly on social media. There are many beautiful lookouts along the drive, so take your time and enjoy the ride and get some good pictures of your own. The famous Needles Eye Tunnel is only 8 feet wide and 11 feet tall, so we don’t recommend taking an RV through there—but you can fit through in a larger pickup truck. Just measure it before you go.