Agency-listedUSFSFee
Horsethief Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · SD · 43.89511, -103.48424
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 Horsethief Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,948 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Horsethief LakeNIFC · 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 Horsethief Lake · Black Hills National Forest · SD
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- FFuel3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- LLaundry3 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- @Mail5 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- OOutfitter11 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- DDump11 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- ShShower23 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Horsethief Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,948 ft
State
SD
Coordinates
43.89511, -103.48424
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Horsethief Lake · Black Hills National Forest · SD (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureHorse Thief Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townKennedyville · ~2.8 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~1.9 mi
- FuelBlack Hills RV Center · ~9.1 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~11.3 mi
- Dump station~11.1 mi · free · customers only · Custer State Park
- GroceriesKrull's Market · ~4.9 mi
- PharmacyMonument Health Home+ Specialty Pharmacy · ~17.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicMonument Health Custer Hospital · ~10.0 mi
- HardwarePottery 2 Paint · ~17.2 mi
EV charging — from Horsethief Lake · Black Hills National Forest · SD — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.4 mi straight-line SW — Custer, SD - Tesla Supercharger (at a grocery store) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach9 within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 17 within 100 · 25 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS14.4 mi — SECFIRSTBNK SECFIRSTBNK-B, Rapid City
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO14.4 mi — SECFIRSTBNK SECFIRSTBNK-B, Rapid City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.2 mi — HORIZON POINT HPWESTPARK 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 aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Mount Rushmore National Memorial - Tesla Destination, Keystone, 2.0 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Powder House Lodge, Keystone, 2.5 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 102406 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Horsethief Lake · Black Hills National Forest · SD — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomBreezy Point · ~0.6 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomTrailside Restroom, Bld 39 · ~1.9 mi SE · NPS
- RestroomVisitor Center · ~1.9 mi SE · NPS
- RestroomMain Restroom · ~2.0 mi SE · NPS
Open Horsethief Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Horsethief Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Wrinkled Rock~0.9 mi
- Grizzly Bear~2.6 mi · fee
- Willow Creek~2.6 mi · fee
- Iron Creek Horse Camp~4.7 mi
The unit that manages Horsethief Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Horsethief Lake are set by Black Hills National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Horsethief Lake
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 Horsethief Lake
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 — Horsethief Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Getting unstuck →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 →