Best Tent Camping near Canton, SD

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.

We didn’t stay long due to some severe storms that came through the area, but we had a beautiful tent campsite in the woods very close to some trails and the river. Just be prepared for a short walk from parking to some of the tent sites. The cabins and RV sites looked nice, too. If we’re in the area again we wouldn’t hesitate to stay here.

We stopped here on our way through south Dakota headed back to Colorado. The staff were really friendly when we pulled in. Got us checked in right away, gave us directions to our site and sent us off. Thry also sell firewood for $5 a bundle. We are in tent site 4. There are only 4 strictly dedicated tent sites. you park across the street and walk a very short distance, maybe 200 feet to the site. The bathroom is in the parking lot along with a water source. The lake is on the other side of the parking lot. There is also a dumpster there in the parking lot.

The camp site is extremely spacious. plenty of room for tents if you have more then one. It's nice and mowed out with the bordering area still long providing an edge to the site. The four sites are clustered fairly close but the way it's landscaped, you won't see your neighbornuntil you step out to the path to your car. They all have fire rings with a grate to cook on. The picnic table has a nice shade canopy over top. The bathroom surprised me a little. most pit toilets are dark at night but this one has a light! it also has a trash can and hand sanitizer! it smells decent and it's very clean. it will quickly become BYTP but we are only here the one night so hopefully it won't run out. The lake is gorgous! it's a huge long lake and seems to be a favorite boat spot. water skis were abundant, which also meant it got pretty loud with boats buzzing, people partying and music blaring. this is why it lost a star. it was pretty loud up until probably 9 pm. The mosquitos are bad, bring bug spray!

Camped in tents. Was impressed with the options of tent sites. Offers all the amenities we needed while tenting. Wooded sites. Beautiful scenery and plenty outdoor activities to take in. Would recommend to those seeking a lake, woods, hiking, swimming, and family friendly camping adventure.

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.

Be prepared to higher your campground expectations after this one! Definitely one of the cleanest most well kept campgrounds I’ve seen in a while. Shower rooms/bathrooms are immaculate, and smell so nice. Site was perfect for both an RV or a tent. They offer tent, back in, or pull through. We tent camped at an back on site across from both the play area and the shower rooms. Loved it! Hope to come back and hike the trails x kids said they looked beautiful.

We stayed there for only 1 night in a tent. It was very nice, a lot of people. We stayed there towards the end of October so they had heaters in the bathrooms. Nice, clean and big showers. The staff was very helpful and friendly. You can hear the train yes, but its not too bed. Would stay there again. For tent site 10 is really nice and big.

Palisades is a great state park! Everyone there was so friendly and informative-- you can tell they really enjoy where they work. The park itself is beautiful! The only downside was how close the tent campsites were to each other. I would have liked a little more privacy and better views, but the sites were well kept!

The address is WRONG. The location for is NOT. had to call to make reservations and the lady was unhelpful and rude. $15 for tent site. Then was told it was $25 and change to make a reservation online to save my spot and if anyone was there they would make us call back to reserve the site. This was abnormal for a state park and wish I had just camped somewhere from a local.

This campground has seen huge improvements over the last decade. They now sport an impressive set of cabins and other facilities for the 21st century camper. Tent camping continues to be available and has better privacy than many sites throughout Nebraska. The park isn't far from a small town where you can easily get anything you might need for your trip. Explore some of the activites that staff hold weekly or go take a hike! There's also playgrounds and a pool for the kids.

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.

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!

This place is managed very well, and they certainly make the best with what they are given. I would strongly recommend this campground for anyone passing through for the night.

It is right next to the interstate, so it is of course noisy.

We stayed at a tent site, on our way out to Steamboat, and it was a much better than expected offering. It is a KOA, with that said. My expectations were exceeded.

Kudos to the super friendly, and helpful staff.

Rating 3 stars, because it is not, imo a true camping experience.

They have a lot of different sleeping options, from tent to hotel-like cabins. We went a long time ago when it was just tent sites. Some were along the river but most are back in the forest. Aside from the river, there are trails and a pool. Friends have said there are many very recent additions including rock climbing walls, archery, horseback riding, etc. The charm of the area is still there: riverfront views, rolling hills, simple trails through nature. Many other small parks along the whole river nearby, plus a full golf course and Sioux City. Perfect for a road trip stopover or a long weekend for locals.

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

• fair wireless service for Verizon
• well placed and clean shower / restroom houses
• nice playgrounds
• great options on the park for paddle boarding, kayaking, water play as well as additional options at near by Devil’s Gultch and Split Rock parks.
• Very well shaded park
• Grocery store less than 10 min away.
• Mosquitos weren’t a problem during out stay with a little bug spray prevention.
• Nice aluminum picnic tables at all sites. Standard fire pits with grilling attachments.
• employees will enforce local approved fire wood use Negatives:
• lots of biting flies
• if you like private sites this isn’t for you The interesting:
• this is easily the most heavily staffed state park I’ve ever stayed at. If you like a constant park employee presence you’ll like it. I found it to be excessive however. During a 30 min time period we counted 8 employee vehicles to two park visitors driving by. It seemed to create unnecessary road traffic and noise at times. Park employees walk the park on foot in the dark at the 11pm to enforce quite time. There aren’t going to be any site reservation mix ups there either. Park employees constantly check sites and make sure reservations are correct. The camp host was very nice and makes the round frequently.

Was only on site for 7 hours, but was very impressed with our spot, the clean, modern shower and bathrooms, and nature (there were turkey feathers from a night visitor when we woke!) We had the best tent site on the grounds, corner spot with decent trees and distance, most other spots are right on top of each other. Case in point, the only place for our car was on the road, no pull off.

Reservations can be made ahead of time online. However day passes have to be purchased in person, cash, on site day of.

Would definitely come back for a longer stay if we could get #4 or #5 for sure.

This park is definitely a must see for all types of campers. They have everything for all types of campers. There is a visitors center that has a little bit of the history of the area as well as education of the Missouri river. There is different types of cabins, (or look more like houses). There is a little fishing pond by the visitors center, as well as a swimming pool. There are paved roads through out the park with a few designated rv campsites. As well as tent camping scattered throughout the park, and camping off the Missouri river. There are several hiking trails, horseback riding, archery, 2 lookout points, and even a golf course. This is a place that anybody can find a outdoor activity to do.

We 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.