Cedar Pass Campground: The Sold-Out Guide

Why Cedar Pass Campground sells out

Overview Surrounded by the vast, open prairie and featuring expansive views of the Badlands, Cedar Pass Campground is a great base camp from which to explore Badlands National Park. Featuring 96 sites, this seasonal campground is open from late March through mid-October, and is conveniently located within easy walking distance of Cedar Pass Lodge & Restaurant and the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. Recreation An evening program led by park rangers is held nightly at the Cedar Pass Amphitheater. This event runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, beginning each evening with a half-hour educational talk about the Badlands, covering a wide array of topics that change every evening. Once the educational part of the presentation finishes, the rangers begin a guided night sky viewing program. Interesting facts and features of our night sky will be explored and pointed out for you via laser, and telescopes are often provided to view star clusters, planets, and the Milky Way.

The facts

Total sites	100
Site types	Group, RV, Tent only
Site mix (directory count)	RV 71 · Tent only 8 · Group 4
Area	Badlands National Park
Managed by	National Park Service
Nearest community	Interior, SD
Activities	Backpacking, Birding, Camping, Evening Programs, Guided Interpretive Walks, Hiking, Interpretive Programs, Picnicking, Ranger Station, Star Gazing, Visitor Center
Directory phone	605-433-5460
Official listing	Recreation.gov campground page
Book through	Recreation.gov

How booking works here

Cedar Pass Campground is reserved through Recreation.gov, on the release pattern stated in its official listing. In demand, reservable sites are claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the campground reads as sold out for most of the year, and why the realistic route in is rarely the release itself.

The cancellation play

Sites booked months ahead get cancelled as trips fall through, and each cancellation returns its nights to the official calendar instantly — first-come, no waitlist, no announcement. ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Cedar Pass Campground around the clock; when a site matching your dates and vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link, and you book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell. The mechanics are the same ones documented in how campsite cancellations actually work.

If Cedar Pass Campground stays full: alternatives

Watch more than one calendar. These nearby or same-area campgrounds take the same trip — and their cancellations are independent chances:

Red Cloud (Ne) Nebraska Nf	4 sites · nearby alternative
Grizzly Bear Campground	20 sites · nearby alternative
Iron Creek Horse Camp	10 sites · nearby alternative
Sheridan North Cove Grp Cg	5 sites · nearby alternative
Sheridan Lake	111 sites · nearby alternative
Horsethief Lake Campground	42 sites · nearby alternative

Full directory facts and sibling campgrounds: Cedar Pass Campground campground page · Badlands National Park park page.

Last updated 2026-10-30.