Best Equestrian Camping near Arlington, SD

Horse Campground at Oakwood Lakes State Park provides equestrian facilities with clean bathrooms, showers, and campsites. The campground features beach areas, boat ramps, and a frisbee golf course. Campsites are well-maintained with garbage stations, fill stations, and a dump station available. Lake Thompson Recreation Area, located on the north shore of Lake Thompson, offers multiple accommodation options including cabins for equestrian visitors. The recreation area maintains electric hookups, drinking water, and sanitary dump facilities. Some sites face the lake while others provide shade with open sky views. Campground facilities include multiple fresh water hookups throughout the grounds.

Pelican Lake Recreation Area offers year-round access for horse enthusiasts with electric hookups and accommodations for tents, RVs, and cabins. The recreation area features a pebble beach, playgrounds, and walking areas with flat parking for campers. Power is reliable and showers are generally clean. Joy Ranch Cowboy Campground provides a peaceful setting for equestrian camping outside Watertown. The campground offers electric hookups, water hookups, and sanitary dump facilities. Campground amenities include picnic tables, trash service, and areas for fires. The ranch environment creates a quiet atmosphere ideal for family camping with horses.

Best Equestrian Sites Near Arlington, South Dakota (5)

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Arlington, SD

5 Reviews of 5 Arlington Campgrounds


  • AThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 7, 2024

    Lake Thompson Recreation Area

    Great beach & campground

    This campground has both electric standard sites for campers and tent sites. Two shower houses and multiple vault toilets throughout the campground for accessibility. Walking trails in grass or gravel. Three walkways down to the water’s edge with one being a large swimming area. Boating is permitted as well. Be sure to use bug spray as mosquitoes were all over- maybe due to wet weather. This is a natural lake formed by farmland that flooded in the 1980s.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 14, 2025

    Lake Thompson Recreation Area

    Lovely lake site

    Beautiful location on the north shore of Lake Thompson. Some sites face the lake, others have shade with enough open sky for your StarLink dish. Beach access at the campground. Great fishing spots with cleaning stations available. For history buffs, campground is less than 10 miles from the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead and De Smet. There are 4 dump stations near the campground entrance with multiple fresh water hookups around the campground. Staying here mid-week and there are few campers here.

  • Sethen E.
    Aug. 17, 2020

    Pelican Lake Recreation Area

    Family Friendly, too many cars on Friday

    Nice pebble beach, playgrounds, and walking areas. Flat camper parking. Power was great and showers were clean. Electric only. There is an area to dump waste on the exit. Stopped on Sunday on the way westward and the place was empty, stopped Friday on the way home and it was packed. Lots of kids and families, and almost every spot was full. Happy to see folks having fun. It was just a little busy for us. On the second time through one of the three bathrooms was very dirty, sad before the weekend- the showers remained clean. On the Friday stop there were a lot of people, some spots had 3-4 cars parked in the grass- it was too bad they allowed that. If one was to go here to find some quiet do so during the week or late weekend. It worked just fine as a quick overnight stop on our route. Lots of families having fun. Slept well. Well groomed area. Pretty views of lake. A little windy.

  • M
    May. 18, 2020

    Joy Ranch

    Peaceful, Quite and beautiful

    Joy Ranch campground is a hidden campground outside Watertown SD. If you are wanting to enjoy a peaceful weekend with your family, Cowboy Campground is the place for you!

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 20, 2025

    Horse Campground — Oakwood Lakes State Park

    Clean

    The bathrooms and showers were very clean. Also, the campsites are very clean beach areas and boat ramps were very clean. Also a nice frisbee, golf course and great beach access. Also not real expensive but you do need a park pass and they do charge out of stators $10 more for campsites but at the end of the day very nice and well worth it garbage and fill stations and dump station.


Guide to Arlington

Horse camping in South Dakota offers a unique blend of scenic landscapes and equestrian-friendly facilities, making it an ideal destination for riders and their horses.

Equestrian campers like these nearby activities

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like spacious sites

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Arlington, SD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Arlington, SD is Horse Campground — Oakwood Lakes State Park with a 5-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Arlington, SD?

TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Arlington, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.