Cottonwood Campground (ND)

My wife and I were on a trip visiting 6 national parks. Theodore Roosevelt was the only park that we actually stayed inside the park. It was a totally different experience. On the first night, there were buffalos near by, I could hear them snorting. We were able to see them many times throughout our stay. It was also the first time we had ever seen a Prairie Dog. Hiking around the park was our favorite activity. We also appreciate that there was not as many people as there were in other parks.

We stayed in a beautiful site in the hike-in section of the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park facilities were very nice. The restrooms were spotlessly clean and easy to walk to. We had a nice time, and we were even woken up late one evening (about 2am) when a herd of bison decided to walk past our campsite, which was... uh... thrilling.

I do have a couple gripes, though. The campsites in this park (including the North Unit) are very close to one another. In the North Unit, we found that was not really a big deal, because the campground was not full any night that we stayed there, so we barely had any neighbors. But in the South Unit, the campground was full, and other people were camping only 20 ft away. I have to admit that I am always a little irritated when I travel great distances to enjoy nature and find that I am jammed in with many other people. The other minor gripe is that the campground is downhill somewhat from I-94. Although the noise decreased a bit at night, it was never quiet, and I have to admit that I found that the constant (distant) noise of truck compression brakes kind of made me angry. Again, not a problem in the North Unit. That said, I was able to get plenty of quiet solitude hiking into the park during the day (Big Plateau was a nice highlight).

Lastly, there are no showers at the park. I can't think of any National Park that has them, so I understand, this a National Parks thing. Fortunately, Rough Riders State Park is not far away, and they have nice facilities. They also have a wooded tent-only loop, with sites that were much more private. Honestly, were I to return to this area, I think I would probably set up camp at Rough Riders (also on the Maah Daah Hey trail!) and then just spend the day hiking in the park. A ridge separates Rough Riders from I-94 so it was blissfully quiet while we were there, and unlike TRNP, had only a handful of campers.

This campground was clean and well kept. The bathrooms were clean. We were camping in a tent and there was plenty of room and flat ground. BUT...that is not what makes this campground AMAZING. We were there for two nights and both evenings a heard of bison walked through the campground. The first night a sole bison walked with 15 ft of the picnic table while we were eating. The second evening there were close to 70 bison that walked through. We were surrounded. Luckily, we were already in our vehicle, and they were within feet on every side of us. I would go back to this campsite over and over and over again just for the chance at the experience.

Helpful host. Lovely location by the river

I really enjoyed this campground. The staff was helpful. The scenery in and out of the park was beautiful .

My tent site was shaded by large trees and was semi-private. The restroom was clean. I would come back and have recommended this campground to others.

Nice bathrooms.
May encounter Bison in general campground area.
No elec service.
Trash cans only in one location.

Beautiful campground with good location in a wonderful park. The bathrooms were updated and clean. The only complaint is that the tent only sites, especially 64, 65 and 66 are VERY close together. It was like sharing a single site with strangers.

There is a lot to see in the TR national park. Foremost is the herd of bison, then the solitary bulls that are constantly roaming around, sometimes right into the camp grounds! Tons of prairie dogs! Don’t dwell on the first colony you encounter after the visitors center, they are everywhere. Beautiful hikes, but do watch out for sunning rattlesnakes on the trail. Also, a great opportunity to visit the TR Library, a beautiful and informative building.

The campground is rather primitive, compared to state park campgrounds and campgrounds at other national parks like Badlands. Would be nice to have coin operated hot showers like Cedar Pass in Badlands. And basic 120V 20A electric hookups for induction cooktops for meals. Even better if you can provide 50A 240V outlets to charge EVs and you can increase your fees correspondingly.