RV Park Rating – American RV Park (Murdo, SD)

A quick review of our 2-night stay in Murdo, South Dakota

No dedicated website, but you can link to phone info here: American RV Park

1. Site quality = 4/5
   This park has an upper and lower level. The upper levels are very nice pull-through concrete pads with full hook-ups (50 Amp/water/sewer), bench and slice of green but not a lot of shade. The lower level has dirt sites on a grassy area with some trees, but only partial hook-ups.
2. Facilities = 3/5
   The bathrooms here are decent, but a bit dated. The interior is basic concrete with smaller showers. The grasshoppers and humidity do tend to find their way in here.
3. Amenities = 2.5/5
   The main amenity here, if you would call it that, is a huge grassy area on the lower level where kids & dogs can play. The pool is empty and there’s nothing else in the way of “frills”. The park does have laundry and free WiFi which works perfectly so that’s a bonus. There’s also an attached bar/restaurant although the food is very average.
4. Location = 3/5
   The main attraction in Murdo is the Auto museum so as far as location goes you’re within a block of walking distance from that which is great. Other than that there’s not much going on in Murdo. The town is only ~6 blocks all around and surrounding area is farmland.
5. Pet friendliness = 4/5
   These guys are very pet friendly and the grassy area on the lower area is a great place for doggie to run around. There’s no hiking of any type close-by so that’s the only negative.

 Overall rating = 3.3
BONUS ALERT: Within walking distance of awesome Pioneer Auto Museum

Summary: Murdo is a small transit town on Interstate 90 that gets mostly through-traffic and people staying a single night. The park caters to that and is very simple. Sites are nice, there’s full hook-ups and the park grounds are well maintained but there’s not much in the way of extra’s. Apparently they used to have a Good Sam’s rating but lost it because the pool is unusable. The main bonus is a large grassy field on the lower level of the park where doggie, kids & adults can run wild. Also there is good WiFi. This is an attached bar/restaurant but I wouldn’t recommend the food. The stop is worth it mainly for the Auto museum next-door, but otherwise this is not a destination vacation. Fine for a one-nighter, but not much more.

View of full hookup site in upper level...concrete and level, but not much shade

Side-view of upper sites

View of lower-level sites

Another view of lower-level sites. These are not full hook-up

View of green field in lower level. Lots of space for doggie to play.

Wheelin’ It in Murdo, SD – Auto Style

They always say to expect the unexpected when you travel, and I’ve found that if you approach things with an open heart and free mind you can often find gems of surprise in the most unusual places. And that’s how we started the day…wheeling the monster into the tiny town of Murdo, SD.

This unassuming spot is small enough to spit across (barely 6 blocks all around) boasts just one store and a few gas stations, a single RV campground and more grasshoppers than grass, giving the totally surreal effect of walking through waves of green that magically sprout from your shoes as you cross the fields. And in between all the sleepy houses and the empty streets, in a little corner of no-mans land is one of the most surprising museums we’ve ever seen. Welcome to the Pioneer Auto Museum of Murdo, SD.

Established in 1954, this fabulous museum has over 300 vintage cars collected lovingly over many years by AJ ‘Dick’ Geisler. But, it’s not just cars. AJ was apparently a bit of an obsessive history buff and couldn’t stop with just autos. He collected paraphernalia, signs, phones, motorbikes, trucks, gas pumps, dentist equipment, apothecary bottles and just about anything he could lay his hands on from the 1890′s onward. The museum is actually a small town with ~30 buildings and has a fully stocked 1950′s grocery store, a 1900′s county jail, a schoolroom and so much more. It’s dog friendly too and you’re welcome to bring pooch to the show.

As they say, not at all what we expected, but what a fun surprise.

The entrance to Pioneer Auto Museum

A rare 1953 Packard

A 1913 Humpmobile and other early 1900's cars

An old piece of Hotel Dakota...$1/night for the cabins

Collections of old trucks