Custer State Park has several campgrounds available throughout this large area situated in the Black Hills. The state park itself is fantastic for wildlife viewing, boating, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. The park also has several lodges with restaurants, saloons, and of course, a visitor center. The park may almost feel like a national park to visitors. Stockade Lake North Campground is adjacent, but not accessible to Stockade Lake. It is the first state park campground you will come across inside Custer State Park. Note there is an entrance fee to the park even if you have campground or lodge reservations. We chose Stockade North because it seemed to be within a short walk of Stockade Lake. To access the lake, however, you must exit the campground and travel along the main highway of the park. This was a huge disappointment to us, especially since from a couple of campsites you can see the lake, but not access it. This campground does make an excellent base camp for exploring the town of Custer just a few miles to the west and the state park itself, as well as the other attractions of the Black Hills. You will not find much to do back at camp without lake access and the lack of hiking trails. Relaxing at camp is about it, however it is a pleasant environment to do so. We enjoyed our quiet stay here to catch up on sleep and enjoy the simpler life of camp: playing games, reading, and walking the the campground loop. The campground has two main loops, both paved and wooded with pines. Site pads are either a dirt/gravel mix or paved, and all but a handful of sites have electric hookups. Sites in the eastern loop are less private, while sites in the western loop are more spacious and have easier access to a nice bathhouse. Most sites are fairly level, with the exception of site 4. Sites 3 and 4 both have more road noise than others. There is an amphitheater and playground amd all campsites have a picnic table and fire pit. The camphost sells firewood. Overall, this is a quiet and peaceful spot, as well as central to all the activities of the area. Reservations are required.