Location: Wall

Cost: free/14 days

Pros: Views of the badlands, plus close to the entrance of the Badlands National Park (if you have a senior or veteran pass-free to enter!). Lots of choices for camping. Friendly people nearby. A must-see is Wall Drug, a tourist area with all kinds of stores to visit and things for the family to do. Nearby laundry and shopping in Wall, plus gas. People like to place their lawn chairs along the canyon wall in the evenings and watch the sun go down and see animals, like rams or antelope.

Cons: Terrible storms can come with damaging winds (it happened to us). Please park away from the wall of the canyon as it is safer if you are caught in a storm. Hot and humid weather in the summer. Water, dump and garbage are in Wasta, about 12 miles away. $5 fee for those facilities, plus they have gas 24 express.

Location: Deadwood

Cost: Fee-based/check for current rates

Pros: Electrical and water hookups, dump located in the campground. No extra charge for any of those. Easy access to major road nearby. Historical downtown Deadwood has food and casinos, and reenactments of gunfights from long ago. Mount Rushmore and the recreational areas of Black Hills Forestry are not too far. Has a single washer and dryer, plus restrooms with clean showers.

Cons: Can hear the noise of the nearby major road. Small campground and some campers are close to one another. Just one washer and dryer.