When you visit South Dakota you’ll find the landscape and topography changing as you drive through the state. The eastern landscape is dotted with beautiful little lakes created eons ago when ice sheets withdrew from the area. The landscape becomes rugged as you enter the Badlands, and turns green and hilly in the Black Hills.
South Dakota is divided into four distinct areas.
The Glacial Lakes & Prairies region offers shady leaf trees, fishing and boating, small farming communities with unique history and culture and lovely hiking and biking paths.
Camping in southeast South Dakota means relaxing along the Missouri River, or enjoying outdoor recreation along a number of tributaries such as the Sioux, the James and the Vermillion rivers that empty into this great watercourse as it flows toward the Mississippi.
The South Dakota Missouri River region in central South Dakota is home to enormous reservoirs, created by the dams that back up the Missouri River all the way to the North Dakota border and beyond. Fish for giant walleye, enjoy miles of boating pleasure, or venture into the National Grasslands that stretch to the horizon under brilliant blue skies.
Millions of international and nationwide vacationers head west to the Black Hills and Badlands every year to see some of our nation’s most important landmarks and parks – Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, Devils Tower National Monument, Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park. The pine-clad mountains offer an infinite variety of recreational activities, all easily accessible from the area’s many campgrounds.
RVing is extremely popular! Tent camping is extremely common. For those who don’t RV or tent camp, or for those who travel with more than the rig can sleep, many South Dakota campgrounds and RV parks offer rental options. From exquisite lodges or full housekeeping cabins to glamping safari tents, tepees (tipis), covered wagons, and yurts, you will find some rental options to be quite elaborate while others are more rustic.
Camping in the pines. Camping next to the lake. Camping underneath an endless prairie sky. Camping next to the rippling waters of a mountain stream. When you decide to go camping in South Dakota your choice is limitless.
And when you pull into one of the state’s private campgrounds, you can count on finding the very finest camping amenities to go with our natural wonders. In fact, South Dakota’s campgrounds have long been ranked as some of the highest rated in the region.
So pack the tent, hook up the trailer or jump into your motorhome. South Dakota campgrounds have it all!
Check out our earlier blog post about how to find the best South Dakota campground for your vacation.
