Toadstool Geological Park & Campground

Its very quiet as its 16 miles on a well graded dirt road from the highway, its worth a visit as you can explore the rocks with a well marked trail that you can see lots of strange shaped rocks and dinosaur footprints all over the place. There is water and a toilet there also. very fun place to educate the kids. Dont be put off by the long dirt road drive as it well maintained, lots off cattle roaming along the road.Have fun.

With very few exceptions the number one thing we judge a CG on is how many trees are there, we love being in the trees. I don't think there are trees within 10 miles of this place, lol. You are definitely out in the grasslands, but we loved it anyways.

You are about 16 miles down a graded dirt road. There is no town, or large source of civilization for many miles.

The CG itself is a small single loop with 6 spaces. 2 or 3 of them can accommodate a larger rig, the rest are for a smaller trailer / MH or tent.

Because it is a geological park, with a marked walk to show off fossils (very cool) it tends to get a decent amount of traffic during the day (especially on the weekend) with people hiking or taking a day drive. But about an hour before dark just about everyone is gone and it is just whomever is in the park.

The first night there were three of us there, the second two nights just two of us, and the third night three of us again. So the park was never full.

You are about a mile away from a busy set of train tracks. The sound of the trains rumbling by doesn't bother me, in fact I rather enjoy it, and they didn't blow their whistles frequently, but if that bothers you beware.

There is also a recreation of a settlers Sod House there that you can walk through which is rather unique.

Cell was very good, I marked it as 5 bars, but didn't mark whether that was Verizon or AT&T.

[Actual Stay 10/12/16]

Great place to get away. Very remote and quiet. Roads are ok if dry but very rutted and slippery if wet. It rained the night before we got here. We almost slipped off the road into a ditch coming up a hill. 😳 Our advice check the weather. We would have stayed longer but it’s supposed to rain in 2 days so we’re getting out while we can. The hike is a 1 mile loop and is totally worth doing.

We stopped in here, driving south from Black Hills area in South Dakota and on our way into Colorado. The road in from the north was super dusty, quite corrugated and not a fun drive. South road out was not as bad. If it were raining, this would be a muddy And slippery trip in and out!

Campsite is isolated and quiet, set against backdrop of cool rocks. Only real noise was sounds of train whistles in the distance. Looked like 2 other campers were set up, but we never saw them. Campsites have fire rings and picnic shelters with tables at each site. There are vault toilets that we didn’t use. There is no water. Sites are gravel and level.

We did the short loop hike through the rocks in the early morning which was really pretty. Kids would love this site, parents would love the leg stretch the kids get!

Who knew Nebraska looks like this? I’ve got to admit to a completely stereotypical view of Nebraska before making the drive north from I-80. Endless expanses of open, often completely treeless, rolling land with occasional herds of cattle, enormous bales of hay and farm scenery dotting the scene. Then this. An incredible, otherworldly place. You do have to WANT to be here to get here. The 15 mile or so drive on gravel is teeth-chattering. No I wouldn’t want to drive the road when it is muddy either, but watch the dust clouds generated when it isn’t are epic. Our poor toad has dust in places it will probably take months to get out. The campground is small, just 5 spots. There are 2 privies. Clean and odor free even after the July 4 holiday. There is a small parking area for day-users and there are 5 camping spots, each with a picnic table that is under cover of a canopy, a grill and fire-ring. One large spot fit our 35’ Class A just fine. All spots are back in. Two are quite small-ish, two would fit medium sized rigs, up to 30’ it appears, and this one. There are no hookups. No water or dump available. Finally, I’ve got to warn you about the wind and the mosquitos. Even without a cloud in the sky and infinite stars overhead,the wind continued to blow and blow all night long. And, at least in early July, the mosquitos will swarm you as bad as anywhere else we’ve been. Literally 15-20 on you if you are outside more than 30 seconds without protection and they get to business fast. So why come here and spend the night?? Beauty. Solitude. Quiet. Vast waves of blowing grasses. Fantastic sun rises and sun set. No light pollution spoiling your view of the universe above. The periodic lonesome train whistle in the distance. All combine to give you an idea what things might have been like in the area 200 yrs ago. Lastly, it is also a geologic wonder. A riverbed 30 million years ago, populated by a variety of fantastic creatures which left their footprints in the soft mud, only to be covered by volcanic deposits that then were eroded and re-exposed to create a wonderland to be explored with a 1 mile or so self-guided loop trail through the formations with various interesting points marked. Kids will have a terrific time climbing and exploring the rocks. Adults will too, but will also appreciate the history, geology and solitude. So come and check it out for a night or two. Or don’t. That way the experience will be just the same the next time we come here...

Great campground near an otherworldly landscape. Rough road but worth the drive. The campsites are surprisingly nice and picturesque too.

Lovely camping area, enjoyed the 1-mile loop trail with trail brochure to see the “toadstool” formations. Clean bathrooms. Appreciated the covered picnic table when it started to rain. Birdwatching. Fossil mammal bone fragments and tracks. Paid 7.50, senior rate.

This is a very small campground out a 14 mile gravel road. The road is well maintained and easy to travel at 45 mph. There are only a couple small sections with large gravel where you’ll want to slow. You cross the railroad track right before the campground. The railroad track looks worse than actuality. Just go slow.

There are two sites that can support a 35 - 45’ rig. Sites are gravel and pretty flat.

There are two pit toilets, trash and recycling at the campground. No water or electricity.

The trails were amazing and the skies dramatic.

Toadstool campground was a nice find. There's nothing fancy about this basic but well maintained park in what felt like the middle of nowhere. Access involved driving 10-20 miles of maintained gravel roads. The sites are spacious and well spread out. There are no hook-ups and no water on-site. The parking pads are small and mostly level. Each site has a covered picnic table and fire ring. There is well manicured grass throughout the interior of the park, and longer "wild" grass beyond the campground perimeter (the campground is indeed within Oglala National Grassland). We arrived at around 6 pm on a Thursday night. The campground was about 80% filled with tent campers. It looked like they were all within a group of scientists.

There's an active train line within a mile of the campground. We heard the faint sound of trains and whistles all day and night but it was not loud enough to be a problem. There are enough sites close together that neighbors 'could' be noisy, but ours were not. Other than that, the only thing else to hear are the wild birds.

It's worth taking some time to go hiking in the Toadstool geologic area. There are several trails available, thew shortest being a 1 mile loop from the campground. We look forward to staying here again next time we're in the area.

As road trippers from New York City, entering into this otherworldly landscape was a special experience. Driving through miles of bumpy gravel and landing in this clean, well maintained spot was neat. Sunset and sunrise views were marvelous, and hiking/climbing the area was a blast! No officials on site--you leave your payment in an envelope (honor system!). We loved this feeling of isolation in the middle of nowhere and a landscape that served as a cool precursor to the badlands.