If the City of Sturgis is the origin of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally then the Buffalo Chip Campground was perhaps the origin of the debaucherous reputation of the Rally. Was is the key word, as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally would probably be better called the Black Hills Rally at this point. Anywhere you might attempt to find a hotel room or campsite in the entire Black Hills is booked, and every downtown is busy with rallygoers.
You might think of there being dozens of venues to the Black Hills Motorcycle Rally, with Sturgis being venue #1, and the Buffalo Chip being another venue near the top of the list. The one big difference between the “Sturgis venue” and the “Buffalo Chip venue” is that in Sturgis there is an ever-changing City Council making decisions about the fate of the Rally, adapting to changing times and the changing demographics of attendees. At the Buffalo Chip it’s really …
One man one goal one mission,
One heart one soul just one solution,
One flash of light yeah one god one vision
… See what we just did there? No? We parroted Queen. Don’t know Queen, One Vision? That’s probably the first clue the Buffalo Chip is not for you.
It’s a venue run by a motorcycle old timer, for motorcycle old timers. Exposed beer guts, washed-up musical acts, and women wearing neon straight out of the 80’s — far too little of it — are standard fare.
If that sounds like a good time to you then you should definitely check it out — at least one time. The Buffalo Chip Campground has been a hotspot for attendees of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally since 1981. They pack rally week with entertainment from outrageous contests, to power-sport races, to … well, the debauchery and washed-up musical acts part too. Camping at “The Chip” assures a rally week that will be a topic of conversation for years to come.
While it definitely caters to a shrinking niche of older bikers, the self-proclaimed “Best Party Anywhere” does feature a great outdoor venue complete with stage, food, drink, camping, etc. If you fit the demographic it could even be your one-stop Rally shop for the week. And that’s probably fine, the rest of the folks coming to the Black Hills would sort of prefer you just stay there.
The Buffalo Chip is a rally-only venue, it does not serve residents or visitors during the rest of the year.
Sturgis Buffalo Chip
20622 Fort Meade Way
Sturgis, South Dakota 57785
Phone: (605) 347-9000
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