Searching for the best camping near Hawarden, IA? Hawarden is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Hawarden, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$18 - $30 / night
Totally new entrance with easy access to new section that will handle larger RVs with toads. Open area with no shade but easy placement for satellite reception on RV or ground. New hard surface roads with gravel sites.
Went to visit friends in SD. Park is clean and well kept. Right off the highway.
This campsite was great! We had a tent site, number 24, and it was tucked into the woods but still close to the parking lot!
The neighboring sites are far enough away where you still have privacy but if you had two next to each other with a large group it could still function as one. Beautiful hiking trails, play grounds, disc golf, volleyball net, and so much more. Also, the lady at the front was cute as a button!
Highly recommend!
We booked this site last minute as we needed a place to stop for the night. The website was pretty easy to use to book the site. The ranger at the station was super friendly and helpful. Our camp site is beautiful and there is plenty of room. There are lots of trails here, so I got a good run in. My husband biked over to Brandon to get a good ride. There is a sweet disc golf course too! I’m mad I didn’t bring my discs!
Level spots with electric. Has a nice bike bath and is very peaceful.
Great place very dog friendly. Spots are spacious and on pavement. Close to the river for your fishing needs.
Spacious site well cared for grounds. Close to everything in the city.
Electric, water, and dump station available here. In the trees, shaded, and a short walk along a pleasant trail to the Missouri River. The trail system, which is accessible from campground, is great. We were in site 18, which is near the playground. In busier months, that part of the campground could get loud.
Very centrally located, well-kept complex, friendly and helpful staff, the restrooms and shower are very simple but clean.
We stopped here for one night, site 29E. Really nice area except there was a bunch of wasps invading our space as there is some sort of fruit tree above. Nice space, so clean, lots of amenities. Park rangers stopped by to say hi. There is a train you can hear during the night. Almost all the sites were full, mostly RVs.
We are on a e/w road trip. We knew absolutely nothing about this state park but it was on our route so took a chance. An excellent choice! Sites are big and roomy. We have two big dogs and were able to put them both on 30 foot leads. Lots of trails. Bathrooms exceptionally clean. Showers great. Park staff friendly and helpful. We liked it so much we stayed a second night. Definitely would return.
We spent one night here. Parking lot is paved. Clean showers and laundry room. We stayed on the west side. It’s literally in town but very easy on and off interstate. The airport is close by which made it neat to watch.
This is a nice campground in a small farm town. The sites are lined up next to each other. One is not and is nestled in some trees. The rest have the sun into the evening. There’s a restroom with showers by the picnic pavilion. The playground was nice for the kids. I think it’s connected to the school. We walked the length of town and it was about a mile round trip. For $15 this is a great place to stop while driving I90.
Was unsure because of a couple bad reviews. But the place was clean and peaceful, close to the beautiful Missouri River with opportunities for hiking and fishing. The stuff was pretty unfriendly but we didn’t had to deal much with them.
One of my favorite state parks I’ve been to in any state. Sites are spacious and the showers/bathrooms are clean and well kept. It offers the most lovely paved path for walking/running/cycling that meanders by the river and through the woods, in addition to more dirt hiking/cycling paths. The disc golf course really took this park to the next level, though be warned—the narrow fairways and dense OB make it challenging (I lost one of my discs on 10). Site 35E was ideal as it’s angle par to the tree line for additional privacy and it’s just a 3 minute stroll to the showers. Tip: the best spots are those that back up to the river as you can cut through the tree line to pop out on the walking path. Con: there is a race track nearby that was very loud Sunday night when I arrived until nearly 11PM, but that was the only real downside.
We enjoyed our stay in site 10. It was a large site, though on a busy weekend the proximity of 7, 8 and 9 would be bothersome. They have RV/Camper sites, tent only and adorable camper cabins. We were very happy to stay somewhere without a fire ban. The park is also close to Split Rock Park and Devils Gulch. There is plenty of hiking and it is only about 30 min from Sioux Falls. Overall, after looking around, I think 20 would have been the best tent site.
Clay County Park underwent some staffing and management changes at the beginning of last year. The whole area was thoroughly cleaned, trees trimmed, trails groomed, restrooms spiffed, etc. Guest feedback on these changes was overwhelmingly positive and we expect further growth this season.
We've begun working closely with SD Game, Fish and Parks and they are a great partner. This season, we will be adopting their reservation platform for guests to register. We expect to continue making incremental improvements and are looking forward to the 2023 camping season.
For additional information, please visit our Facebook Page (Clay County Park). We will be open for campers beginning Saturday April 15, 2023. Reservations can be made online at campsd.com or through the call center at 1-800-710-2267 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Follow the link and select "Make a reservation" tab. Reservations are accepted up to 90 days in advance of your arrival at the park. **Camping reservations must be made before setting up on a campsite.
Clay County Park features 40 electric campsites, 8 tent sites, 1 cabin, a multi-use trail, picnic shelters, and a boat ramp. We look forward to seeing you at the park soon! Thank you.
Park staff and volunteers did a great end of season cleanup and are now fine-tuning details for Summer 2023.
Lots of noise since it’s off the highway. Has running water and bathrooms at least.
First experience with a KOA. Easily accessible from the highway. Felt clean and secure. Staff was friendly.
We arrived on a Saturday, and there was a food truck at one of the sites!
There was no fire pit at our site, and we fell asleep to the familiar sounds of highway traffic.
Made a decent one night stop to start on route to Yellowstone, and will consider stopping through here again, but not as a destination.
This is a transient campground, It is in an industrial park, noisy from traffic and constant planes flying over from nearby airport. It was clean.
We happened upon this park during the 50th anniversary of the park so there were lots of park events happening. This is a very clean and well maintained park. We tent camp so much of my observations are geared for the tent camper. We stayed at site 34E, a long but narrow and slanted site. We were lucky to find some awkward somewhat flat place for our two tents. This site would be just fine for RV camping but I’d steer clear for tent camping. I’d estimate that 50% of the sites are flat and suitable for tents.
Here are some key take aways from our 3 night stay in late July 2022.
-clean and well maintained park
Negatives:
The interesting:
Convenient to Sioux Falls arts and night life district. RV park is located just a block off of I-90 for easy access. Good location about 4 miles north of the Sioux Falls Park (waterfalls on Great Sioux River near downtown) and a couple more miles to the south in downtown is a great mile or more of restaurants, breweries, bars and other entertainment.
Great staff. Easy to pull in & around. Has everything you need plus camping world next door. Mature trust for shade. Pool is good.
It is a nice quiet campground. Paved bike path. Frisbee golf, deer. River for fishing or kayaking.
This campground is a great location when passing through Sioux Falls. It is right off I29, and there a quick in and out sites up front. If you plan to stay a few days, there are nicer spots in the back with more space and shade. Nice playground, laundry facilities are clean and secure. Full hookups. Go see Porters sculpture park down I90. Worth the drive.
Such a nice campground. Nice big shady trees and manicured lawns. They sell campfire wood for 6$ a bundle on site so we had some great campfires going. They have nice long paved trails for walking and biking. We got to walk our dogs on it to avoid tick contact from the grassy trails. There was a cool suspension bridge that was fun to walk on. The showers were very nice and hot without a lot of traffic.
There is no sewage hookup or water hook ups. They do that 50/30 amp sites available. There is a dump station right at the entrance to dump when you leave and it also has a separate fresh water station if you want to fill up right when you get there so youre not traveling with a bunch of water in your tank.
It was a great campground and the falls were close by and palisades state park was also in the area with a nice hike.
There is an extra $8 car fee per night that you have to pay on top of any camping fees. If you are staying longer than 5 days it better to just get the annual parking pass for $32, which would cover parking for all state parks and recreation areas in SD.
They have great discounts if you are a veteran and south dakota resident.
Arrived late to the camping grounds, it was easy to find and navigate to our spot. Clean facilities and friendly community.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Hawarden, IA is Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux with a 4.5-star rating from 33 reviews.
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