Campgrounds and RV parks near Center, ND

Center sits in Oliver County on the rolling prairie west of the Missouri River, roughly an hour north of Bismarck. The town works well as a base for RV travelers because it puts several of central North Dakota's best state park campgrounds within a short drive, most of them along the Missouri River or on Lake Sakakawea. The closest option is Sanger Campground at Cross Ranch State Park, which sits along one of the last free-flowing stretches of the Missouri River and offers a mix of primitive sites and a small number of electric sites suitable for smaller rigs. Cross Ranch itself covers roughly 589 acres of mixed prairie, river forest, and woody draws, with an adjacent 6,000-acre nature preserve. Further afield, Lake Sakakawea State Park and Fort Stevenson State Park anchor the north side of the region on the reservoir, while Sakakawea RV Park offers a private option nearby. To the south, Ft Abraham Lincoln State Park pairs Missouri River camping with reconstructed Mandan earthlodges and 19th-century military history.

All four state park campgrounds in this area, Cross Ranch, Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson, and Ft Abraham Lincoln, use the same North Dakota Parks and Recreation reservation system. Campsites can be booked 95 days in advance from the date of arrival, either online through the parkrec.nd.gov reservation portal or by calling 800-807-4723. Cabins and yurts can be reserved up to 365 days in advance. A daily vehicle entrance permit is required at every North Dakota state park in addition to the nightly camping fee; an annual permit is available if the trip covers multiple parks. Stays are limited to 14 nights within any 30-day period. Sakakawea RV Park is a private campground and is booked directly with the operator rather than through the state system. For holiday weekends, secure reservations as soon as the 95-day window opens.