Brookings is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Brookings is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Find the best campgrounds near Brookings, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
"Some have electric hook up, others are just for tent camping. All of them provide a picnic table and a fire pit. They also have little log cabins. We stayed at campsite 6 which was a very good spot."
"We passed through Palisades State Park earlier this year and spent some time in the day-use area so we knew it was a good place to camp as we passed through South Dakota on another trip."
"There’s a fair size staff working; you could see 3-5 people at any given time. Good selection in store open 8am to 9pm in July. Nice size pool and laundry room."
"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!"
"Electric and water hookups. Spots are very close together. Luckily several people cancelled for the weekend and we were allowed to pick any spot. Shower houses are nice."
"This is a truly magical place, and if you’ve ever read any of the Little House on the Prairie books and are anywhere near De Smet South Dakota, do yourself a favor and swing by."
"A very cool and unique campsite on the grounds of the Laura Ingalls Homestead near De Smet, SD. Unique in that you can camp right on the open prairie and for only $10 a night."
"This campground has both electric standard sites for campers and tent sites. Two shower houses and multiple vault toilets throughout the campground for accessibility."
"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."
$24 - $45 / night
"Nice, secluded and wooded sites."
"Great hiking and biking trails, swimming pond and right on the redwood river. The Camden Regional trail is 14 miles of paved trails between Camden State Park and Marshall, MN."
"Close to beach, fishing dock and close to playground for kids!"
"There are many sites for both tent and RV camping along with clean wash houses and located within a 10 minute drive to town. Cost was $22 per day."
LegendThis is a truly magical place, and if you’ve ever read any of the Little House on the Prairie books and are anywhere near De Smet South Dakota, do yourself a favor and swing by.
The Campground
The Ingalls Homestead consists of two main parts. First is the "campground," which is a basically a large grassy slope where you can set up your tent for just $10. It includes hot showers, flush toilets, and a few picnic tables and fire-pits throughout the field. There's also fairly basic RV parking for $30 with electric and water hookups and a dump site as well as some basic but cool covered wagons for $60. We arrived just as the sun was setting, found a lovely spot for our tent, and then paid in the shop the next morning. The bathrooms were clean, the showers were a little strange but also clean and hot (basically a large room cordoned off by several shower curtains).
The Homestead
De Smet is where the Ingalls family lived during the "Long Winter" of 1880-1881, and the Ingalls Homestead is a "family run business" that brings to life many activities from the 1880s such as visiting a one-room schoolhouse, making a corn on the cob doll, going on a covered wagon ride, etc. It's truly hands-on and some of our favorite time was spent hanging out in "Pa's" lean-to barn with the barn kitties and riding horses and ponies. My oldest son also learned how to drive the covered wagon to the schoolhouse down the road (another treat). Each station on the self-guided tour has an activity with incredibly nice and informed hosts. Most of the buildings are based on the original plans and descriptions from the Ingalls family, though no original buildings remain on the site. Visiting the homestead is an additional $15 per person over the age of five, and while you could camp without visiting the homestead, it was definitely worth a half or full-day visit.
GuideLots of noise since it’s off the highway. Has running water and bathrooms at least.
TravelerElectric and water hookups. Spots are very close together. Luckily several people cancelled for the weekend and we were allowed to pick any spot. Shower houses are nice. I'd stay again, although a lady in town said the hole in the mound county park nearby is much quieter. The ice cream man made a loop through the grounds.
LegendWe camped here over the weekend with our dogs. The campground is within 10 miles off of I90.
The park is not very big so there are not many campsites. Some have electric hook up, others are just for tent camping. All of them provide a picnic table and a fire pit. They also have little log cabins. We stayed at campsite 6 which was a very good spot. Some of the other sites seemed very close together without much privacy or shade.
The park staff (rangers, camp host and volunteers) was extremely friendly. They always made sure that we had everything we needed. The rangers also offer different programs on the weekend like learning about geocaching or how to make campfire desserts.
There is one bathhouse for the entire campground. It seemed a little old but got cleaned daily. There are also several vault toilets around the area. From the campground you have access to the water. There are also several short hiking trails from where you can see the rock formations.
It was just a very short ride to the Devils Gulch (Jesse James historical site) or Split Rock Park. There is also a Dollar General close by. We would definitely recommend the campground.
LegendA very cool and unique campsite on the grounds of the Laura Ingalls Homestead near De Smet, SD. Unique in that you can camp right on the open prairie and for only $10 a night. Just pick a spot of grass and you’re good to go. There are some picnic tables you can choose to be near or just head out on the frontier. There are also options to camp in a covered wagon as well as a bunkhouse. RV spots are available and include water and electric hookups. Well appointed and clean bathrooms (electricity and flush toilets) are on site with showers.
The other really cool thing about this spot—especially for families—are all of the fun activities at the homestead itself. There’s a one-room school house with tours, a barn with animals, a covered wagon ride where you (or your kids) can lead the horse-drawn wagon, opportunities to learn how to make a jump rope, twist hay, wash clothes—all things the Ingalls family had to do on a farm from long ago.
A night or two in the summer is great though with no shade for the campsites field, it can get warm but evenings on the prairie are gorgeous. All in all, a great spot to set up that is cheap but with nice facilities and staff.
LegendWe passed through Palisades State Park earlier this year and spent some time in the day-use area so we knew it was a good place to camp as we passed through South Dakota on another trip. One main (clean) bathhouse with two showers plus two pit toilets for those camping farther away on the loop. A mix of cabins, tent, and electric sites. Lots of trees. LONG driveways and some sites (such as 34E) are very large. The website allows you to view sites, so you know in advance what to expect. Nice walking trails and picnic areas.
GuideWe are new to the KOA chain and just learned they are on a tiered system. This location is a journey KOA, which means it is right off the highway and more of a place to stop than a nature experience. We were so grateful we choose to stay in a cabin (which had a/c) the tent sites are literally in parking spaces next to each other in the grass surrounding a child’s play area...rude. There are bright lights around the buildings that shine into your sites. The pool has a chain link fence around it. Because we were in a cabin with the air running, the highway noise was significantly muted. However if that’s not your situation, I’d seriously reconsider. The bathrooms were not up to the regular KOA standards I had come to expect. They just didn’t feel/look clean. The bed was not terrible and we were able to get a good night sleep. I don’t plan on staying at journey locations in the future unless absolutely necessary.
RangerThere’s a fair size staff working; you could see 3-5 people at any given time. Good selection in store open 8am to 9pm in July. Nice size pool and laundry room. Store seemed well stocked with a variety of items. The mini golf was the only thing run down but the kids played it 3 times and didn’t care.
There were 2 bathroom/shower houses both nice. The one by the laundry and game room seemed newer.
Laundry and bathrooms open 24 hours. Game room closed at 9pm.
Everyone was extremely nice and customer oriented there.
We upgraded to a patio so as not to drag everything out for one night. Very nice. I can’t comment on the grill as we “glamped” on our 5th night from PA and ordered Uber Eats. A friendly worker escorted the driver to our site via golf cart. There are also trees throughout and fences to give you a feeling of privacy. We pulled through the space and used risers to level it.
I used the laundry room and shower. Both were nice. They even had a full length mirror in the shower area. We’d stay there again and recommend.
Edit: My grandsons loved this because there was enough to do but “peaceful” too. Their words so we stopped on our return back from Yellowstone.
TravelerFirst 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Brookings, SD?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Brookings, SD is Maxwell Park with a 3-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 10 glamping camping locations near Brookings, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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