Camping at Belle Fourche River Campground by Devils Tower, Wyoming
Looking for a fun easy hike when visiting Devils Tower?
Check out the Devils Tower Loop Trail!
LOCATION
Belle Fourche River Campground is located in Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming. It’s about an hour west of Spearfish or the town of Belle Fourche in South Dakota, and an hour northeast of Gillette, Wyoming.
ABOUT THE SITES
- Belle Fourche River Campground offers 46 campsites, including 3 group sites.
- The Campground is open from about mid-May through mid-October.
- Campsites cost $20 per night for up to 8 people. Group sites costs $30 per night and can accommodate up to 20 people.
- Belle Fourche River Campground prefers credit card payments, but at the time of our visit that system had some kinks. If the entrance station is open, I recommend paying there if no one is available to take your payment at the campground. Otherwise, bring enough cash to cover the $20 per night fee.
- All sites offer some shade, but expect a lot of sun in summer.
- Most campsites offer lots of space, especially those on the outside of the loop. There are a number of pull-through sites.
- You can spot Devils Tower from many campsites (although it may be obscured by trees), and the views of the surrounding Belle Fourche River Valley are gorgeous.
- We stayed at campsite #B2. It was a huge site located on the edge of the loop with a pull through driveway. Surrounded by meadows, it had a great view of the red cliffs on one side and Devils Tower on the other (if you walked to the edge of the site, that is).
- Pets on leash are allowed at Belle Fourche River Campground.
FUN STUFF
- Go for a hike. The Valley View Trail and South Side Trail both start near the campground amphitheater. You can hike through the prairie dog town!
- Picnic and play at the day use area. Of course, your campsite it also a great place to picnic and play, but the day use picnic area is especially shady, has flush toilets, a covered picnic shelter, and lots of space. We ate lunch there because it offered more shade than our campsite at midday.
- Take in the sunset. Our campsite, #B2, was on the west side of the campground, and the view was amazing.
- Attend a day or evening program at the amphitheater or Visitor Center. Check the schedule when you arrive; no programs were offered during our visit.
CURRENT INFO & RESERVATIONS
- Visit the National Park Service website for more info.
- Belle Fourche River Campground is first come, first served only. We arrived around noon on a Friday afternoon in July, and more than half the sites were still available. By nightfall, most of the sites were occupied, but several were still available.
WE STAYED HERE
July, 2022, 1 night
AMENITIES
- Flush toilets
- Drinkable water, available in the restrooms and from pumps around the campground
- Picnic tables and fire pits at all sites
- NO electrical or water hookups for RVs
- NO showers
- Firewood may be available at the park entrance; gathering dead wood is not allowed
NEARBY & NOTABLE
- Devils Tower is the big draw. This is, after all, Devils Tower National Monument. You can explore much of the monument in just one day, or even a half day, like we did. The Devils Tower Loop Trail is a good introduction, but there are other trails as well. Kids can earn a Junior Ranger Badge and everyone can stamp their National Park passport books. Check at the Visitor Center to see if there are any ranger talks or other presentations scheduled during your visit.
- Spearfish, South Dakota, is about one hour east of Devils Tower National Monument. We spent three nights there before visiting Devils Tower. It’s a charming town with easy access to Spearfish Canyon, a haven of waterfalls, hiking trails, and rock climbing.
THE VERDICT
Belle Fourche River Campground gets surprisingly little attention considering its prime location at Devils Tower National Monument. This is probably because so many visit Devils Tower only as a quick stop on the way to Yellowstone National Park or other more prominent parks. But Belle Fourche River Campground is a delight, and I’m so glad we took the time to spend the night here.
As you can probably tell from the photos, we lucked out with gorgeous weather during our stay (although the heat was a bit fierce during the day). The area is peaceful and beautiful, and the campsites are spacious. There are even flush toilets, which is pretty great for a $20 per night campground these days. I also appreciate the fact that no generators are allowed between 8am and 8pm, ensuring everyone can enjoy a peaceful evening under the stars.
The only issue we had was some confusion over our payment. It seems the park is still figuring out how to collect credit card payments, and due to low staffing, no one was available to collect payments at the campground that evening. If you are not able to pay at the campground when you arrive, I recommend returning to the entrance gate to pay right then and there to make sure it’s covered.
Ultimately, Belle Fourche River Campground is a terrific place to camp, and our whole family heartily recommends it!
Our Experience
We rolled into Belle Fourche River Campground shortly after noon on a Friday. Since Belle Fourche is a first come, first served campground, I was a little apprehensive about site availability, but I need not have worried. At least half the campsites were still available. We drove through the two campground loops slowly, then picked our favorite, site #B2.
Site #B2 was on the outside of the loop, typically our favorite location, as we appreciate the extra space and views that come when you’re not surrounded by other campers. It was also a pull through site, so parking the teardrop trailer was a breeze. We were set up in minutes, then headed out for a picnic lunch at the day use area before driving up to Devils Tower. While our campsite had a nice picnic table of its own, the day use area offered more shade, which was a real boon on a hot July day.
After enjoying the afternoon at Devils Tower, where we hiked the loop trail and the boys worked on their Junior Ranger badges, we returned to our campsite. There was no evening program that night, so we spent the time leisurely playing games and sharing a simple dinner of soup and bread.
After dinner, we managed to get the boys to take over dishwashing duties, and I strolled the campground, taking in the views of Devils Tower and the Belle Fourche River Valley. Perhaps it was the golden summer light, but it was simply breathtaking. What a privilege to camp in such a beautiful place!
The only flaw was the payment system. Belle Fourche River Campground is trying to move away from cash payments, which was just fine by us. Frankly, we did not have enough cash at this point to cover the full cost of a one-night stay. Upon arrival, we were informed that a ranger would come through that evening to collect payments, but unfortunately that never happened. Instead, the camp host told us we could pay by envelope, as we planned to leave early the next morning before the entrance gate opened.
To my dismay, the envelopes only provided the option for cash payments. I have stayed at campgrounds where credit card information can be provided by envelope and placed in a locked box, but that was not the case here. What could I do? Just sit back and enjoy a lovely evening, apparently.
By the way, after returning home I contacted Devils Tower National Monument to complete the payment. Belle Fourche River Campground more than deserves our $20, and I always advocate paying for campground stays in full.
Of course, sometimes there are more important things to focus on in the moment. Take this sunset, for example:
Devils Tower National Monument is famed for its “dark skies”, so I was also looking forward to some stargazing. With a bright moon dazzling the sky, visibility was limited that night, but we lucked out when one of our campground neighbors informed us he was setting up his telescope. He kindly invited other campers over to take a look, and wowed the kids (and adults) with a clear view of the Owl Nebula.
The next morning we made quick work of packing up camp and were on the road by 7:30 (I think that must be a personal best for our family!). It was another beautiful day, with sunlight streaming through the cottonwood trees and puffy white clouds floating lazily overhead. In less than 48 hours we would be back home in Seattle, but I won’t soon forget our lovely stay at Belle Fourche River Campground.
