Lake Vermillion Recreation Area

During the off-season, sep thru mid May (when the kids are in school) is the perfect time to stay at this state park. I do not stay during the high occupancy times since I don't like crowded camping, and this park is close to Sioux Falls and right off I90, which can make this place busy. There is a very nice sand beach, playgrounds, fishing, star gazing, and four campgrounds. I would not camp at the west side north area since it is very new and has very few trees. Great park if you're just passing through. Residents of South Dakota love their camping, so book a site as early as allowable. I would recommend the east campground. Very pretty. There are four very nice tent only sites in one area. I would give it five stars but to many people during the season.

Rangers are nice, park Host is amazing Facilities are clean Wifi is a little week for T-mobile but had star link for text Beautiful place view of lake, sites are paved, no stones Lots of trees and shade , i stayed in east campground

Late in the season and the only person there but a very nice place with pretty views and a nice walking trail.

Well spaced and clean RV sites. RV sites located in a paved loop road that my kids loved cycling around. Short walk or bike ride to the lake which had a great beach, fishing pier, and picnic area. Pretty busy in the picnic area with family parties and people taking boats out of the water. Preferred to stay tucked away at RV site. The dump station was really busy in the morning to plan accordingly.

About a half hour to Sioux falls! Amenities include picnic tables, showers, beaches, hiking trails, biking trails, boat launch, and basketball hoops

We were here just overnight but wish we could’ve stayed longer. We stayed on site 14 and it was so spacious and just lovely! We will be back if we are this way again.

Great sites right on the water. Nice facilities.

Kids enjoyed playing in the water. Wasn’t the clearest water ever but the kids didn’t mind. Bathrooms and showers were nice.

Very quiet, nice area. Vault toilets, potable water. $35 a night with out of state charges.

Stayed in spot 122 in Maple, which faces east and is somewhat protected by trees. But very many spots are completely exposed.

27 miles west of Sioux Falls, SD. Every site is a winner. Grass, shade, some sites on the water. Could not be cleaner or more friendly. Four different camping areas.

We stayed in the east campground and were lucky to get a site along the lake #49. A single site with a great view of the lake and no other campers around us. Passing through to Rapid City would love to stay for several days and fish .

Except for rather dirty picnic tables this place is a gem. Swam on 22 September, nice hot shower, orderly and quiet 

Camp host was beyond friendly! Awesome spot right by the lake for 15 a night. There is a 7 dollar serivce fee and an 8 dollar park entrance fee though. Small gas station/bar right up the road was awesome. Showers and nice bathrooms near the camp host. East and west camp grounds. West has tent only sites. Everywhere else is an electric site for 28 a night plus fees mentioned above.

If you boat or kayak this is a nice lake. Fishing also sites are large.and clean. Showers available. Att mobile best.limited t mobile lte.

Great area! Clean campground! Bathrooms well tended. Lake area is busy. Campsite I initially reserved was not suitable for a tent…the only flat area was right on top of the neighbor’s fire pit. We were able to move, and found a site suitable for a tent! Staff very friendly. Lots and lots of flies! So bring flyswatter!

Well maintained sites. Pretty lake, with swimming and non motorized water fun.

We stayed on the west side, great location. Clean and new.

Stayed a night in March at the east campground. We stayed at the west campground a week earlier. We were by ourselves which was great. We got the largest site and it felt a little more private than the others, but still pretty open. Vault toilets were very clean - it was March. They likely don’t get much business in spring. I’m guessing this place is very busy during the summer as we passed a seasonal, permanent RV campground just down the road. Both places had playgrounds.

This was a nice campground. Typical RV style sites. Not a lot of trees so you can see all the other campers. We stayed here the end of March so it was very quiet. We stayed on the lake at site 13. It’s a small lake. Very quiet and dark.

We stayed here at site 69 E for one night in August 2020. Nice, clean campground with partial shade in some sites. The campground was fairly empty, but there were many families enjoying the lake on Sunday afternoon. Good stopover site on way to black hills.

Ok- I just did a quick little hang here for an hour during a snowstorm - one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen.

Large picnic area, with grills, vaulted toilet close by, a cute little secluded picnic area with fire ring off to the side, and a paved trail to the rec area.

Great day use area on a gorgeous lake.

Nice, quiet campground by a beautiful lake. Friendly staff. Would stay here again!

We stayed here one night mid week after Labor Day and had no problem getting a site. I would venture this place is full on weekends during the summer. The sites were large and level and well kept. Even though no one else was there we appreciated the 2 lane dump and fill station that can handle 4 units at once! This would be good on. Sunday when there is often a line to leave. It was a bit pricey at $28 for the site and $8 state park fee.

Very clean, spacious sites, easy to use webpage to book a site with pictures that are accurately showing the site that you are booking. Stayed in the East zone, camp host was super friendly and helpful. Would have stayed another night, but we were on our way home.

Definitely not roughing it but beautiful setting with possibly the best kept campsites and restrooms I've experienced on public ground! We stayed in the east Campground in one of the pull off sites. Handled our rooftop tent quite nicely. We stayed in June and the mosquitos were fierce. Overall great spot, worked well for us on our way through SD headed west.

We stopped to camp here for one night as we headed to the Badlands. We stayed in one of the four designated tent sites. You have to park and haul your gear to the site, but it is a short and easy walk. The 4 tent sites are near each other, yet feel secluded and private. Each site had a picnic table with built in sun shade and a fire ring. The park has a lake with a beach area - looked to have quite a bit of algae while we were there in early July. The area is very busy with boaters, and not a lot more than that to do. It was also a little pricey, as they charge extra fees upon arrival regardless of having paid online at time of making reservation. Overall, it was what we needed for a quick one night stop on an extended road trip, and we lucked out with a killer sunset.

South Dakota charges a day use fee ($6) plus a fee for tent camping ($17); I opted to pay for an Annual Pass of $30 since I plan on doing more SD camping this year. The park had East and West areas, the tent sites (4) are only in the West side. As typical, the more scenic lakeside camping is for RV's, with flushing toilets and showers, but the trade off for privacy and seclusion at the tent site was worth it. Picnic tables have built in sun covers which were really great and with winds I didn't experience any bugs or mosquitoes. There is no tree cover so I enjoyed the night sky. The staff is friendly and helpful. There was only one trail, Otto Stream (no stream, no otters), which is about 1.5m trail thru restored prairie.

Beautiful sites right on the lake about 30 minutes west of Sioux Falls. Very popular campground, especially on the weekends, so would highly recommend a reservation if you are planning on camping here. There are also cabins available. Stayed on the east loop at a site along the water, which was technically referred to as an electric site (meant for RV's). Had a hard time finding a flat place to put the tent. The sites are very close together. I was not thrilled with the cost of this campground. It was $21 for the site plus a $7 out of state fee, which I paid online. Upon arriving I was told I had to pay an additional entrance fee for the recreation area even though I was only camping, which cost an additional $6/per car ($12 total). All in all it cost me $40 to camp here, which was much more than I would ever want to pay for camping.