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Spearfish City Campground

written by Amanda May 16, 2016
Spearfish City Campground

Look at all that green!

We love the southwest desert. We love the wide open spaces, the views that seems to stretch on forever, and the varied shades of brown and red that dominate the landscape. But after four months in the desert, it sure is nice to be surrounded by green. Just look at the grass! And those trees!

Spearfish City Campground

A very nice front yard

This was our site at the Spearfish City Campground in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The campground has two sections, one laid out like a typical park with side by side sites and full hook-ups.

Spearfish City Campground

Full hook-up sites

And the primitive area with no hook-ups, no designated sites, and no neighbors. Just how we like it. It was about 40 degrees and windy on the day we checked in, and I think the lady at the registration booth thought we were crazy for not wanting a full hook-up site for only $10 more. The thing is that we really don’t live any different when we have full hook-ups — especially for a short 4 day stay — so spending the extra money for a smaller site with neighbors didn’t make sense. Also, we were enticed by the idea of parking right next to the river.

Spearfish City Campground

Spearfish Creek

The weather was a bit wacky during our stay with alternating days of warm sunshine and really cold temperatures. We even awoke to snow one morning! Thankfully it melted by 10am, but I don’t think it ever got out of the 40s that day. Not really a surprise this time of year, but it did put a damper on our hiking plans.

Spearfish City Campground

What is that doing on our nice green grass?

Things improved by the weekend and we were able to hike to the top of nearby Crow’s Peak. This 7-mile round trip hike was just what we needed after a few days of being mostly stuck inside. With a mix of wooded and open trail that climbed steadily to a peak with views, this was not only a great workout, but also a great way to see the surrounding area.

Crow Peak Trail

Through the trees

Crow Peak Trail

View from the top

Crow Peak Trail

Heading down

We also took a short bike ride on the paved trail that went though the park and into town. The entire trail was only about 5 miles long, but it followed the river for most of the way making for a pleasant, easy ride.

Spearfish City Campground

A lovely riverside path

We also walked across the street to check out the DC Booth Historic Fish Hatchery. It was after hours so we couldn’t go into any of the buildings or visit the museum, but we did get to feed the fish.

DC Booth Historic Fish Hatchery

Fish raceways

DC Booth Historic Fish Hatchery

So many fish

That’s it for Spearfish and South Dakota. It was tempting to stay longer, especially since the weather was improving, but we finally got it together to plan out the next few weeks, including a reservation at a lakeside campground in Minnesota for Memorial Day, so we really need to keep moving if we want to make it there in time.

Up next: Our first trip to North Dakota.

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Amanda

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10 comments

Leigh May 16, 2016 - 11:54 am

I love Spearfish and Deadwood! So curious to see how you like North Dakota.

Reply
Amanda May 18, 2016 - 9:25 am

I wish we had more time to spend in the area, but we must keep moving. Our first report on ND coming soon!

Reply
Laurel May 16, 2016 - 2:06 pm

Pretty campground — even better with hiking and biking! I think we would opt for the riverside site, too. You’re in territory we’ve not yet explored — we need to pry ourselves away from our summers in the Pacific Northwest. Not easy to do!

Reply
Amanda May 18, 2016 - 9:30 am

Yeah, I would choose the Pacific NW over South Dakota any day!

Reply
Jay May 16, 2016 - 2:14 pm

Thanks for sharing this delightful campground. I have added it to my list.

Reply
Sherry in MT May 16, 2016 - 2:51 pm

In my old stomping grounds – was raised in the Black Hills and the Spearfish campground will be on my list if I get back there with the trailer thanks to you.

Reply
John and Cindy May 16, 2016 - 6:52 pm

We love South Dakota especially Custer State Park. North Dakota is the only state we’ve never visited and hope to head up there this summer. We’re looking forward to reading about your adventures there.

Reply
Amanda May 18, 2016 - 9:31 am

That last two times in the Black Hills we stayed in Custer and loved it. Wanted to try a different town this time around, but Custer really does have a lot to offer.

Reply
Jodee May 17, 2016 - 8:16 pm

Planning to route through SD at the end of summer – looks like a perfect spot to stop. Love all that Green!!!!!

Reply
Amanda May 18, 2016 - 9:35 am

It’s a great CG. Not sure how busy it gets in the summer, but from what we saw the full hook-up sites next to the river are the best option!

Reply

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days on the road

About The Watsons

About The Watsons

This is the story of Tim & Amanda. Since 2012, we have traveled the U.S. while living and working from our renovated 25-foot Airstream. Follow us on our crazy journey in search of beautiful scenery, fun adventures, interesting people, tasty foods, and more…

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