Agency-listedUSFSFee
Bear Gulch
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · SD · 44.07504, -103.52578
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Bear Gulch
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,591 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bear GulchNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Bear Gulch · Black Hills National Forest · SD
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- WWater13 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- DDump23 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Bear Gulch
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,591 ft
State
SD
Coordinates
44.07504, -103.52578
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Bear Gulch · Black Hills National Forest · SD (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townJohnson Siding · ~4.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelConoco · ~4.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~23.3 mi
- GroceriesJohnson Siding General Store · ~4.4 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~13.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicWestside Family Medicine · ~12.1 mi
- HardwareHill City Hardware · ~9.9 mi
EV charging — from Bear Gulch · Black Hills National Forest · SD — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger14.2 mi straight-line E — SECFIRSTBNK SECFIRSTBNK-B, Rapid City, SD · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach9 within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 19 within 100 · 22 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.7 mi — Rapid City, SD - Tesla Supercharger, Rapid City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.2 mi — HORIZON POINT RCSC SE #1, Rapid City, SD · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Powder House Lodge, Keystone, 12.3 mi · J1772 · hours: For guest use only · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 256396 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bear Gulch · Black Hills National Forest · SD — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBear Gulch · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomOsprey · ~1.0 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPactola · ~1.1 mi SE · USFS
- Portable toiletJenny Gulch · ~1.1 mi NW · USFS
Open Bear Gulch elsewhere
Other camps near Bear Gulch
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Pactola~1.1 mi · fee
- Steamboat Rock~6.4 mi · fee
- Sheridan~6.8 mi · fee
- Sheridan Southside~7.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Bear Gulch
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bear Gulch are set by Black Hills National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Bear Gulch
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Bear Gulch
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Bear Gulch
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Cold-weather camping →Camping with a dog →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →