Horsethief Lake
Its 22 sites are reservable through Recreation.gov, and camping costs Single Site: $30 per night. Horsethief Lake is a National Forest campground near Pennington, South Dakota.
Reservable: Recreation.gov
- National Forest
- Managed by
- 59 ft
- Max RV length
Horsethief Lake sits inside Black Hills National Forest. Its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary are on publiclandsdb.com. It sits 0.4 miles outside the boundary of Black Elk Wilderness; its permit and camping rules and boundary are on publiclandsdb.com. It sits 1 mile outside the boundary of Mount Rushmore National Memorial; its entrance fees, current alerts and fire restrictions, and boundary are on publiclandsdb.com.
Getting a site
- Managed by
- National Forest
- Reservations
- Recreation.gov Book a site
- Fee
- Single Site: $30 per night
Source: recreation.gov, accessed 2026-09-29
Sites and hookups
- Total sites
- 22
- Tent sites
- 6
- Walk-in sites
- 4
- Max RV length
- 59 ft
- Site driveways
- Back-in
- ✓ Pets allowed
On site: Pets allowed.
Source: recreation.gov, accessed 2026-09-29
Campsites
22 sites in 3 loops; the longest takes a 59 ft vehicle. Every site below links to its own page on Recreation.gov, where it is booked. Official site list and booking on recreation.gov.
| Book | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 007 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 58 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 007 |
| 008 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 39 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 008 |
| 009 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 38 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 009 |
| 010 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 38 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 010 |
| 011 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 38 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 011 |
| 012 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 46 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 012 |
| 013 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 48 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 013 |
| 014 | HORS | Standard nonelectric | 45 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop HORS, site 014 |
| 015 | LKSD | Standard nonelectric | 49 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 015 |
| 016 | LKSD | Standard nonelectric | 59 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 016 |
| 017 | LKSD | Standard nonelectric | 48 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 017 |
| 018 | LKSD | Standard nonelectric | 38 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 018 |
| 023 | LKSD | Tent only nonelectric | 52 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 023 |
| 024 | LKSD | Tent only nonelectric | 23 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 024 |
| 025 | LKSD | Tent only nonelectric | 34 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 025 |
| 026 | LKSD | Tent only nonelectric | 34 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 026 |
| 027 | LKSD | Tent only nonelectric | 28 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 027 |
| 028 | LKSD | Tent only nonelectric | 29 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop LKSD, site 028 |
| 029 | WALK | Walk to | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop WALK, site 029 |
| 030 | WALK | Walk to | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop WALK, site 030 |
| 031 | WALK | Walk to | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop WALK, site 031 |
| 032 | WALK | Walk to | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | No | Full | Book loop WALK, site 032 |
Data source: Recreation.gov , accessed 2026-09-29. Site details are Recreation.gov's own per-site listing and can differ from the campground-wide facts above.
Rules
- Pets
- Allowed
Source: recreation.gov, accessed 2026-09-29
Access and cell service
- Elevation
- 5,000 ft
43.8951, -103.4842 in Pennington. Open in OpenStreetMap. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Common questions
Do you need a reservation at Horsethief Lake?
Sites at Horsethief Lake are reserved through Recreation.gov (https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/231840).
How much does it cost to camp at Horsethief Lake?
Camping at Horsethief Lake costs Single Site: $30 per night.
How many campsites does Horsethief Lake have?
Horsethief Lake has 22 campsites, including 6 tent sites and 4 walk-in sites.
Are there pull-through sites at Horsethief Lake?
Recreation.gov lists no pull-through sites at Horsethief Lake; 18 sites with a stated driveway are back-in or parallel.
Are dogs allowed at Horsethief Lake?
Yes, pets are allowed at Horsethief Lake.
Who manages Horsethief Lake?
Horsethief Lake is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Around Horsethief Lake
Grizzly Bear - Sites
- 18
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $26 per night
Willow Creek Horse Camp - Sites
- 9
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Peak Season Single Site: $36 per night
Iron Creek Horse Camp - Sites
- 9
- Season
- 05-15 to 09-30
- Fee
- Site: $30 per night
More campgrounds: camping near Pennington and campgrounds in Pennington.
Sources
- apps.fs.usda.gov (all fields), accessed 2026-09-30
- recreation.gov (reservationSystem, reservationSystemName, reservationUrl, maxRvLengthFt, drivewayType, petsAllowed, sites, campsites), accessed 2026-09-29
Photo credits
- Photo 1: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Photo 2: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Photo 3: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Photo 4: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Photo 5: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Photo 6: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)