If you have plans to visit the Devils Tower National Monument in the northeast corner of Wyoming, the closest RV campground is the Belle Fourche River Campground run by the National Park Service.
The campground has 46 RV and tent camping sites available.
See the details below about our experience camping in an Airstream at the Belle Fourche River Campground.
Belle Fourche River Campground
The Belle Fourche River campground is at the base of Devils Tower.
It is first-come, first-served, and reservations are not accepted.
When we visited in August 2018, the campground was fairly empty until about 4pm, when it filled up quickly.
You must enter through the visitor gate and pay the fee for the Devils Tower National Monument prior to accessing the campground.
Once you go through the gate, you go about a mile, and pass a prairie dog community before taking a left into the campground area.
Once you pass the prairie dog community, you take a left into the campground area.
You’ll pass an overflow parking area and a picnic area for people visiting the monument but not camping overnight.
After passing the picnic area, you will then come to the campground registration area.
Campground Registration
Registration is self-pay and is $20 per night for a RV (as of August 2018).
You can pay by cash or personal check, or go back to the entrance booth to pay by credit card.
Once you pay, you take a stub from the envelope to post at your chosen campsite.
Belle Fourche River Campground Campsites
Campsites are first-come, first-served. You choose one of 46 campsites from either loop A or loop B.
Individual campsites accommodate RVs up to 35 feet long.
Each of the campsites are pull-through sites, but they are curved, so longer RVs will likely not fit since they cannot bend to fit in the campsite.
We kept our Airstream hooked up to our full-length truck which combined is about 50 feet long, and we fit fine, but that is because our rig setup bends where the Airstream travel trailer connects to the pickup truck.
Belle Fourche River Campground Amenities
The Belle Fourche River Campground’s individual campsites do not have any hookups.
They do not have electricity, water, or sewer connections.
Generators are allowed between the hours of 8 AM and 8 PM.
Fresh drinking water is available at pumps throughout the campground, but these water pumps cannot be connected directly to your RV.
Men and women’s restrooms are available that include toilets and sinks, but no showers.
Each campsite comes with a picnic table and a BBQ grill.
View from the Campground
The views from the campground provide excellent views of Devils Tower National Monument.
We camped in our Airstream in loop A in site 9. It provided a perfect view of Devils Tower through the trees.
Even our camper cat enjoyed the view through the window of our Airstream.
He picked up a hitchhiker, probably from the Close Encounters of the Third Kind movie fame.
Note the view of Devils Tower out the window.
The weather was fairly hazy during our visit due to wildfires in Wyoming and surrounding states, so the view would likely be clearer if the fires were not present.
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Visitor Center Area of Devils Tower National Monument
The Belle Fourche River Campground is located two miles from the visitor center for the Devils Tower National Monument.
We decided to bike up to the visitor center.
It’s 2 miles entirely uphill, so although not steep, it’s a workout if you decide to bike to the top as we did.
You can drive to the top where the visitor center is and RV parking is available, along with a relatively easy turnaround in the parking lot.
Once you’re at the top, there is a visitor center with displays and a small shop.
Take the time to do the relatively easy hike around the Devils Tower to enjoy the multi-faceted structure.
Summary
The National Park Service’s Belle Fourche River Campground is a wonderful option for staying at the Devils Tower National Monument site.
It is the closest campground to the monument, as it is within the National Monument grounds.
One limitation is that the campground does not have any hookups (i.e. water, electricity, sewer) so it is in effect, dry camping. However, it does have bathrooms.
For those needing full hookups, the Devils Tower KOA campground is located steps away from the Devils Tower National Monument entrance.
But since most people only stay one night at Devils Tower, the Belle Fourche River Campground, even without hookups, will likely be an excellent option for enjoying Devils Tower.
