$30
Willow Creek Horse Camp
Closed for the season
Total sites: 9
Booking Window: 6 months
Season Opens: May 20, 2026
Booking Window: 6 months
Season Opens: May 20, 2026
4,981 ft
62°F
40°F
40°F
no signal
Black Hills National Forest › Hell Canyon Ranger District › South Dakota
› Custer County
› Custer
› Willow Creek Horse Camp
Willow Creek Horse Camp, SD - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map
Willow Creek Horse Camp is located in the Hell Canyon Ranger District, Black Hills National Forest (43 min southwest of Rapid City, SD) with an elevation of 4,981 feet. There are a total of 9 campsites. The campground is normally open from mid May to the end of September. Sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 34 and 99 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Prices start at $28.50 per night. Activities include horseback riding, hiking trails.
Please be aware that Willow Creek Horse Camp sites 1-3 will now accommodate horses and has corrals for each site!
Campsite Reviews (30)
4.2 out of 5
| 5 star | 50% | |
| 4 star | 27% | |
| 3 star | 13% | |
| 2 star | 7% | |
| 1 star | 0% |
@Chantayne6484B · Camped on Jul 15, 2025 at Campsite #5
No water but the KOA across the road gives a day pass for 10 bucks and we were able to get water. Other than that very peaceful and clean bathroom. You can stay with or without horses.
@JasonW3535415 · Camped on Jul 2, 2025 at Campsite #1
Campsite was nice and quiet with beautiful views. Few mosquitoes were present in the evening, but overall a great stay.
@katheeg9785596 · Camped on Jun 5, 2025 at Campsite #7
We love riding and camping at Willow Creek. Big shout out to the camp hosts at Horse Thief lake who brought us firewood, fixed the wheel barrow with a flat and were helpful with so many things. We have been camping there about 20 years now and try to get there every year. Big shout out also to the Back Country Horseman who put up corrals! Nice job!
No Service
@janete5837233 · Camped on Jun 27, 2024 at Campsite #7
Nice camp. To bad you let non horse campers in to camp there! With naughty dogs and think they need to run the generator continuously. I didn't come to a Wilderness to listen to a generator or barking nasty dogs the entire time.
No Service
@JimO4036574 · Camped on Sep 6, 2023 at Campsite #2
Hornets were a problem this year and a management company runs this camp not the park service. Apparently some issues with the management company led us to believe this camp was shutting down. We use this camp every year and switching from first come to reservations was bad enough but the company needs to get their ducks in a row. LOTS of trails close by so is great for hiking and the waterfall is nice.
Good
@SarahH2673287 · Camped on Sep 3, 2022 at Campsite #7
It is a beautiful location. Lovely large pens for the horses. The camp hosts were very kind and came through daily to check on camp. Tremendous riding right from camp.
No Service
@DavidW7736336 · Camped on Jun 29, 2022 at Campsite #2
This review is for tent camping only.
Pros: this site is quiet, secluded and beautiful.
Cons: The mosquitoes and flies are horrible in late June. We had to apply mosquito repellent first thing in the morning too late in the evening. There is a small creek behind the camp which makes the mosquitoes and flies horrible that time of year.
Pros: this site is quiet, secluded and beautiful.
Cons: The mosquitoes and flies are horrible in late June. We had to apply mosquito repellent first thing in the morning too late in the evening. There is a small creek behind the camp which makes the mosquitoes and flies horrible that time of year.
No Service
@katheeg9785596 · Camped on May 24, 2022 at Campsite #6
We love willow creek and the improvements made over the years. The corrals are wonderful and the campground is maintained above par. We had the campground to ourselves (approx 5/24/22) until Friday of Memorial weekend. Hubby doesn't like seeing non horse campers utilizing the horse camping sites. He feels they are in a short enough supply, my feeling you can reserve, cancel online about 11 months in advance. Congrats on doing a wonderful job and to your friendly, helpful staff.
Some Coverage
@JamesC601 · Camped on Sep 17, 2021 at Campsite #2
We have camped in the non-horse camping are two years in a row and really enjoy it. Its very peaceful.
No Service
@McKennaS935 · Camped on Sep 3, 2021 at Campsite #4
The sites were all very clean and tidy when we arrived! The workers were very accommodating with us and made sure we had everything we needed! The trails there are also phenomenal and waking up to the views that are there, is very hard to beat! We will definitely be going back.
No Service
@JerakaT901 · Camped on Sep 2, 2021 at Campsite #6
beautiful, clean, scenic campground. Sites were clean and well maintained. Vault toilets were very nice. Only downfall was that the manure pile was a bit difficult to get to and far from the sites.
Major Issues
@RoyO206 · Camped on Aug 31, 2021 at Campsite #8
The manure pits are 100 yards away from the corrals 6-7-8-9. Sites 4-5 you have to haul it down a step hill. The only campsite near the manure pits are 1-2-3, and they don't allow horses there. It's also tricky to back up your trailer in to the sites. Who designed this camp ground? Otherwise the views are great, and the location is nice. Trails were signed very well.
Major Issues
@JulieA700 · Camped on Aug 26, 2021 at Campsite #3
Beautiful. Clean. Nice trails. No road noise. Very close to my Rushmore.
No Service
@StevenC214 · Camped on Jul 19, 2021 at Campsite #3
Nice quiet campground. Camped in #3 so no horses involved. Just up the road is the trailhead that connects to the Harney Peak #9 trail !
No Service
@JohnP745 · Camped on Jul 18, 2021 at Campsite #4
Beautiful!
@BarbaraW115 · Camped on Jun 29, 2021 at Campsite #4
Nice camp but my space (#4) had no shade. Also, manure dumpster was full so I could not put my manure in it without a lot of effort.
No Service
@JulieJ835 · Camped on Jun 17, 2021 at Campsite #7
This is a beautiful camp ground. Very well kept. Corrals were super clean. Easy access to water. Lots of trails to ride close to camp. We loved Willow Creek & will definitely come back.
No Service
@MarkZ569 · Camped on Jun 4, 2021 at Campsite #3
The approach drives to sites 7 and 8 need to be improved to accommodate longer trailers. It is treacherous to back a trailer into these sites. Not sure about site 9. This situation can be fixed.
Keep the area mowed, the grass was more than 12†tall.
On a more humorous note, thunder was extremely loud.
This campground location is within minutes of the many attractions of the Black Hills.
Keep the area mowed, the grass was more than 12†tall.
On a more humorous note, thunder was extremely loud.
This campground location is within minutes of the many attractions of the Black Hills.
No Service
@MarkZ1AFF9BAEC · Camped on Jun 4, 2021 at Campsite #3
The approach drives to sites 7 and 8 need to be improved to accommodate longer trailers. It is treacherous to back a trailer into these sites. Not sure about site 9. This situation can be fixed.Keep the area mowed, the grass was more than 12 tall.On a more humorous note, thunder was extremely loud.This campground location is within minutes of the many attractions of the Black Hills.
No Service
@BettyLouM939 · Camped on May 30, 2021 at Campsite #6
It was very clean & we had great rides. One of the negatives was how far we had to carry our horse droppings with only 2 wheel barrels to share. (For the whole horse campground). That was ridiculous!
No Service
@GaryD490 · Camped on May 20, 2021 at Campsite #7
It was fine, trails are in need of work or maintenance. Restrooms clean, Manure dumpster not set up and in a bad place should be closer to horses, you're asking people to make bad decisions.
No Service
@HannahF823 · Camped on Sep 4, 2020 at Campsite #2
We had such a great time at the Willow Creek campground! A total hidden gem. We stayed at one of 3 non-horse campsites - I was worried that there would be pervasive smell of horses, but was pleasantly surprised that all I smelled was the pleasant aroma of pine needles. The campsites are large and are set away from the horse sites along the Willow Creek, which is a pleasant, pretty little thing. Across the creek, there is access to the Willow Creek horse and hiking trail (#8), which conveniently connects to the north approach to Black Elk (Harney) Peak (#9). It is such a beautiful hike! There are a number of other little hiking trails nearby that we didn’t have a chance to explore this trip, but will definitely try out next trip! We were also just a short drive (~3 miles) from the Horsethief Lake campground, for buying firewood and other materials, as well as taking a dip in the lake to beat the day’s heat and cool off after hiking! We had no cell phone service at the site (on either Verison or AT&T), but that wasn’t a problem for us. We couldn’t be happier with our stay!
No Service
@HannahF5669254 · Camped on Sep 4, 2020 at Campsite #2
We had such a great time at the Willow Creek campground! A total hidden gem. We stayed at one of 3 non-horse campsites - I was worried that there would be pervasive smell of horses, but was pleasantly surprised that all I smelled was the pleasant aroma of pine needles. The campsites are large and are set away from the horse sites along the Willow Creek, which is a pleasant, pretty little thing. Across the creek, there is access to the Willow Creek horse and hiking trail (#8), which conveniently connects to the north approach to Black Elk (Harney) Peak (#9). It is such a beautiful hike! There are a number of other little hiking trails nearby that we didnt have a chance to explore this trip, but will definitely try out next trip! We were also just a short drive (~3 miles) from the Horsethief Lake campground, for buying firewood and other materials, as well as taking a dip in the lake to beat the days heat and cool off after hiking! We had no cell phone service at the site (on either Verison or AT&T), but that wasnt a problem for us. We couldnt be happier with our stay!
No Service
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