Black Hills National Forest · South Dakota
Overview This private access group campsite is isolated among the forested Black Hills of South Dakota, overlooking a private bay on the Pactola Reservoir. Great for group events with up to 40 people, there are eight individual tent sites around a central parking area. The summers are pleasant, and the bay provides a great way to cool off on sunny days (summer temperatures range from highs in the mid-80s, to lows in the mid-50s).
Sites at Bear Gulch are reserved through Recreation.gov. Sites here can be reserved in advance through the official system, and they are claimed fast — cancellations then trickle back all season, unannounced, at any hour of the day or night.
| Total sites | 1 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Group |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Because sites are booked months ahead, a steady share of reservations get cancelled as trips fall through. Each cancellation instantly returns that site and those nights to the official calendar — first-come, first-served, no waitlist, no announcement. Refreshing the booking page yourself, every few minutes for weeks, works in theory. In practice, the people who get these sites are the ones who hear about the opening first.
ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Bear Gulch around the clock. When a site matching your dates and your vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link to it. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell — your fee pays for monitoring, and openings are first-come, so speed is the whole game.
| Sheridan Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
|---|---|
| Pactola Reservoir Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Roubaix Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Dutchman | Cancellation alerts available |
| Horsethief Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Comanche Park | Cancellation alerts available |
| Cook Lake Rec Area | Cancellation alerts available |
| Oreville Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Bismark Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Grizzly Bear Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Black Hills Off-Season Campgrounds | Cancellation alerts available |
| Sundance | Cancellation alerts available |
| Whitetail | Cancellation alerts available |
| Boxelder Forks Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Hanna Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Custer Trail Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ditch Creek Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Reuter Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Dalton Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Iron Creek Horse Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Steamboat Recreation Area | Cancellation alerts available |
| Black Fox Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Castle Peak Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Willow Creek Horse Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Bearlodge Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Beaver Creek Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Rod & Gun Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Timon Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Sheridan North Cove Grp Cg | Cancellation alerts available |
| Redbank Spring Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Strawberry Recreation Site | Cancellation alerts available |
| Summit Ridge Lookout Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Site facts come from the official directory listing for Bear Gulch; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.