Best Tent Camping near Fort Pierre, SD

We happened upon this while up for a wedding in Pierre. It is a free campground! There are RV and tent sites, a dump station, water fill up, bathrooms, and even a park. The tent sites are right on the river and there is even a beach that you can hang out at. You are right on the Lewis and Clark Trail for riding. 

The tent sites are pretty secluded for it being a city park. It was a little noisy at night but it was perfect for waking up in the morning and watching the clouds flow over the river with a cup of coffee in hand.

The full name of this place is Fischers Lilly Park, operated by the city of Fort Pierre. To correct the previous review, these sites are water/electric (20/30/50A) only, although there is a free dump station on site. These sites are right on the river, and contrary to the previous reviewer we found some of them near the entrance to be exceedingly spacious, including ours #12. There are 12 sites total, and ours was immaculate. Cell signal on Verizon was a solid 3 bars.

The location right on the banks of the Missouri River can't be beat, and it's the perfect location for exploring all that the Pierre area has to offer: the state capitol complex, the museums, even walleye fishing in the river or nearby Lake Oahe. We spent Memorial Day weekend here and loved it -- my wife was wishing that we could stay longer. Even on the holiday weekend the campground was wonderfully quiet and serene.

Many thanks to the City of Fort Pierre for making this location available.

At the meeting of the Missouri River and the Bad River a small campground is found. Sites are close together and in the sun but there are full hookups. A spacious park is next door. The bike path leads into historic Fort Pierre and beyond. Museums await you as you explore Lewis and Clark’s stopover. This is an ok place to camp but being near town and the beautiful river and bike path make this a nice possibility.

We stopped here on our way across South Dakota, and it was the perfect place. It’s right off the interstate and is extremely well-managed and clean. They have lots of yard space to walk dogs along their property, and the staff was incredibly nice and helpful throughout our stay!

Super helpful and friendly staff, clean bathrooms, well-maintained sites. Gorgeous views of the Missouri River. The only negative was the amazing number of flies. It was hard to cook with the flies diving into our pots and pans and biting us. It was my first trip to South Dakota. Maybe flies are a thing there??

Very nice site with clean bathrooms and showers. Some sites have shade. Well maintained and the owners are very friendly. Convenient location and just a short drive from the highway. Some road noise but not bad at all. The wind was very slack the day we stayed so the mosquitoes were out at night. Would 100% stay again if traveling thru South Dakota.

This was our first stop on our way thru South Dakota. Not a lot of shade at spots. Few trees and little to no privacy but good spacing of sites. The bathrooms are updated, clean and well maintained. This is an ideal campground for those with a boat for fishing or playing on Lake Oahe (which was beautiful by the way). Be out on the water all day and then relax at the campground at night.

This KOA in Kennebec has been a good stop over for us when traveling through South Dakota. Kennebec is a sleepy town off of I-90, and this KOA seems to be the life of the town.

The staff has been welcoming, friendly, and accommodating. The facilities seem well cared for and clean. For our stays we have just been passing through and have opted for pull-thru sites with full-hook ups to keep it easy and we have never had to disconnect from our TT to get level for the night.

This KOA will probably not a destination for us, but it is a great stay along the way.

We already have a trip planned for next year across I-90 and Kennebec is on the itinerary.

We loved this campground!! It'd be great for tent or RV camping. The sites are really spread out and the facilities are super clean. Almost every site had its own bathroom too. Pretty views of the river from almost all sites!

Stayed one overnight in a rooftop tent while passing through. Only a few other campers there on a Saturday evening. Pit toilet. Pay for electric hookup. For the most part it was peaceful, except for one truck that came through around midnight revving it’s engine and honking the horn. Startled me out of my sleep but otherwise, felt safe at this camping area. Added plus that it was a close drive to Badlands NP.

We luckily found this place in Presho, SD. The host was a friendly lady named Gwen and the campground was neat and clean. It was an easy stop off I-90. Every site is a gravel pull through with full hookups and trash containers are close to every sight. They also offer free popcorn and coffee. I saw a nice swing set, slide, and basketball goal. Also they have cabins, a restroom, and tent area. Good Sam discount… around $46 for 2 adults and 2 dachshunds. Would stay here again.

This place is about as perfect as it gets! Free camping - dispersed so pull up where you want. Or choose a spot with a fire ring and table. 

Views are OUTSTANDING! You can fish, kayak, hike, etc. Right off highway but very quiet and peaceful. Slept great. 

They do have toilets (I didn't use them) and they do have a couple electric spots that are $20/night (I didn't use them). 

Just super easy, super beautiful and a great place to call home for a night or a few. 

Lots of mozzies at night - so use spray or plan to be in your tent/vehicle once the sun goes down.

• Reservations 800-710-2267 or westbend@state.sd.us 
•  GPS 44.17075  -99.72102
•  Sites 120 campsites 4 camping cabins 
• Fees   Daily $8.00 entrance   Annual $36.00 entrance   
• $23.00 electrical campsites (50 avail) 
• $19.00 non electrical
• Open year round Between Oct 1– Apr 30 water systems may be shut down Boat ramp 

Camping Electric Drinking water Showers Flush toilets Pit toilets Picnic shelter Picnic table Grill Swim beach Playground Dump station Fish cleaning station Telephone Camp host Birding Fishing Pull thru Firewood Biking

This campground is mainly used by hunters in the fall. Sites are mostly for small RV’s, trailers, or tents. The park has a lot of mature trees which causes problems with overhanging limbs in the road. One side of the park has younger trees and it is easier for larger rigs to maneuver and there is more of an open feeling. Pads are fairly level. Bathrooms and even the pit toilets are very clean and did not smell, even had hand sanitizer.

Site was well maintained. There are several water sites for great views. There are hiking trails in the park. Camp is set amid the rolling hills showcasing the beautiful crops and ranches of SD.

35 miles southeast of Pierre off SD Highway 34. Nearest town is Harrold, SD

LNT

Better than when you found it

Stay safe Happy travels

Kennebec KOA, SD

Next to Bowling Green, Ky KOA this is my least favorite KOA so far. I can see no reason to use this KOA except as a last minute/everything else is full , one night stop. OR ITS HUNTING SEASON.zz There are two “restaurants” in local bars. A cafe that’s open mornings and that’s about it. There is NOTHING here. The staff was very friendly and answered all my questions thoroughly. The park was clean, I would call it more of a parking lot, like so many of the KOA’s and other campgrounds are anymore. This one is definitely a no frills KOA though. The dog square was set off to the side as an afterthought it would appear, with sticker weeds covering about half the small area. No shade whatsoever! If your going to take the time to put up the required fence, etc, you could at least put it in a half way decent area! The tent area seemed to be closed down and there was no playground.

The laundry room and swimming pool were closed due to COVID. The shower was open and CREEPY! It’s amazing to me , I stop at one KOA , no masks everything is open, the next KOA, you can’t use any of their facilities and everyone is in mach one contamination suits. Camping in 2020 has been interesting to say the least!

This campground sits on a hight overlooking Pierre, the capital, and the Missouri river. Beautiful at night. Campsites are close together with full hookups. Many amenities are offered on site such as horse shoes, Egg grills, mice playground dog walk, showers, laundry, and cable TV in the clubhouse

Small campground between a city park and an expo center, is very nice. There are restrooms at the park which is a good walk to get to. The park also has foot bridge to downtown shopping and food.

Great view on the hill, clean facilities, nice staff, place for kids to play

Very nice and well maintained park. The owners are amazing.

Stopped here for one night on our way home, amazing owners, beautiful spot up on a hill, can see all the town lights at night, spotless showers and bathroom, cute lobby with books, puzzles, games all sorts of brochures about the area. Loved it