By:
Submission
In Southeastern South Dakota: 1 mile NW of Pickstown off US Hwy 281.
We tent camped here for five days and enjoyed our stay. Here were our pros and cons. The beach area is fantastic for kids and families. It was a crowded and hot weekend but the beach didn't feel too packed. There were also several rocky shorelines to explore and skip rocks. The campground was well maintained with three shower houses and several vault toilets. Our site had plenty of trees and shade. We gave up lakeside to have the trees though. The sites were spaced out enough that we didn't feel like other campers were right on top of us. All and all, it is a well designed park.
With that being said, I was disappointed to find that there were no, or very little, hiking trails. The park manager let us know that there may be plans to expand the hiking trails and remote tent camping sites. We were ecstatic to hear this and really hope this becomes a reality. It would be great if we didn't have to travel out of state or to the hills to find this option and would utilize the area often.
Great recreational area, campground is beautiful. Had a spot right on the water, neat, clean, and level. Faces south, so always sunny. One issue is no protection from wind, which at times is strong 30+mph. Facing South sheltered our outdoor seating area as much as possible from direct wind but could hear the howling.
Did get circled by a family of bald eagles frequently. Saw as many eagles as pheasants, which was a lot.
All the roads were paved to get here, not the case with many of the others.
