Best Cabin Camping near Garretson, SD

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.

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. 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.

I had an amazing time at Newton Hills Campground in South Dakota with my family and young children. The spacious and clean facilities provided the perfect backdrop for our outdoor getaway, offering a blend of adventure and relaxation away from the city. The kids had a blast exploring the natural surroundings and participating in the family-friendly activities. This campground is a true gem for those seeking a wholesome outdoor experience.

We stayed in a Camper Cabin in this park in the wintertime.  It was a great experience for our kids and a fun winter camping experience for mom and dad.  The camper cabin was nice and warm and we even cooked our dinner over a fire at night.

Our party consisted of two adults, and three children under 12. The cabin consisted of bunk beds with double beds on bottom and twin bed on top. With our gear for four days we found the cabin had just enough room for our party. Any longer or more kids and the cabin would be too small.

The cabins are close to the lake. In early October the leaves are mostly fallen and you have an unobstructed view of the lake and surrounding hills. During the day take in the great vistas across the lake, at night look up and see stars that can only be seen in the wilderness.

The area has several good hikes of 3 - 7 miles in length. If you are looking for heavy wooded off trail hikes you can forge your own way otherwise we found the trails great for family hikes, and a morning run.

Bathrooms, and showers are clean and better than I have experienced at other state parks.

We spent three nights at the Oak Woods campground at Lake Shetek State Park in May 2022. The six non-electric campsites are along one edge of the campground, across the road from the park’s four camper cabins. All of the campsites are large and open and grassy. They lack privacy but have good spacing, tall trees, and lake views. One of the two bathroom-and-shower buildings is nearby. We were there in early May and were the only tent campers in the park at that time.

The park is lovely. We saw and heard many birds including songbirds, woodpeckers, geese, turkeys, pelicans, turkey vultures, and a nesting swan. We saw deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and a mink. We heard coyotes the first night. There are some nice hiking trails. We especially enjoyed the Loon Island loop, which is accessed by a causeway across the lake. There is an observation deck with a viewing telescope at Eastlick Marsh, which is where we saw the nesting swan and a beaver dam. In season there are recreational rentals (canoes, kayaks, etc.), but we were a little too early for them to be available.

Very nice, well kept state recreation area along the Big Sioux River. Large campsites and nice cabins, too. Rode our bikes from the campsite along the river. You can ride into Brandon if you like. Big trees, lots of shade, nice people.

This review is for Oak Woods Campground at Lake Shetek State Park. Drive-in Site 12.

This campground is pretty large and there are neighboring campgrounds that make the camping options plentiful in this state park!

Sites are well marked and they are all in close proximity to one another. There are little to no natural features that divide each site from the next. When this campground is full you have zero privacy, and can probably hear the conversation by the fire at the neighboring site!

Site 12 in directly across from one of the camper cabins - these little cabins are super cute! You are also probably ~1000ft from the lake shore and can clearly see the lake from the site. It’s possible that sight line becomes somewhat obstructed when other sites are occupied. Restrooms and water source are very nearby.

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 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.

Large spots maintained very well. RV spots have electric. Many spots have shade, some are near the lake, and some with lake views. They have small cabins for rent, as well as paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes. There is a lower park that’s great for families, with activities on the weekends , a large playground, and easy lake access. The other park is mainly spaces, with a large grassy area in the center. They spray regularly for bugs, which is extremely important to me! The area has many geocaches as well!

South Dakota State Park, Brandon SD. Great stop. We spent 2 days. Very nice campground with lots to do and see. Big spacious sites ours backed up to the bike path and river. New bathhouse entire park was very clean. About half hour to Sioux Falls. Worth the trip to see the Falls and the bike/hike trail around the city.

South Dakota is known for its well-maintained state park campgrounds, and this area offers two great options: King and Queen. Queen is nestled in a wooded area with limited visibility to the sky, offering a more secluded experience. In contrast, King, a recently built campground, sits on the prairie and provides beautiful views of Split Rock Creek. Both campgrounds offer excellent hiking opportunities for the whole family. King also offers free Wi-Fi with a download speed of 22 Mbps, while Queen has no T-Mobile service. However, King provides 15 Mbps of service.

Beautiful campground! Sites are well spaced. Lots of trees for great shade in the hot summer. Very nice bathroom and shower house. Easy drive in to Sioux Falls. Several trails around the park. This was our final stop on our South Dakota trip. It was a wonderful and restful campground for us. After we arrived, Park staff came around and shared maps and info on things to do in the area. The first night a storm rolled through and the host drove thru and knocked on doors to check on people and let them know where shelter was just in case. Definitely will keep this campground on our list for future trips.

No hook ups. Gorgeous setting, several spots are not level, small size. Good distance from others, yet close enough for group. Near everything in the beautiful black hills. Several areas.  Clean, comfortable restrooms. Store at entrance to park. Boat rentals available, slip rental available.

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.

Such a nice campground. Nice big shady trees and manicured lawns. They sell campfire wood for 6$ a bundle on site so we had some great campfires going. They have nice long paved trails for walking and biking. We got to walk our dogs on it to avoid tick contact from the grassy trails. There was a cool suspension bridge that was fun to walk on. The showers were very nice and hot without a lot of traffic. 

There is no sewage hookup or water hook ups. They do that 50/30 amp sites available. There is a dump station right at the entrance to dump when you leave and it also has a separate fresh water station if you want to fill up right when you get there so youre not traveling with a bunch of water in your tank. 

It was a great campground and the falls were close by and palisades state park was also in the area with a nice hike. 

There is an extra $8 car fee per night that you have to pay on top of any camping fees. If you are staying longer than 5 days it better to just get the annual parking pass for $32, which would cover parking for all state parks and recreation areas in SD. 

They have great discounts if you are a veteran and south dakota resident.

The campsite was easy to find and close to the town of Garretson. There was a small grocery store there. We only stayed one night on our way West, the sites were nice and grassy with mixed sun and shade. It’s been a dry year so the mosquitos were minimal. We explored split rock creek which is a5 minute walk from the campsite- very beautiful rock formations and an old walking bridge built in 1908. Pictures don’t do the rocks justice, they are beautiful! However, the water was very brown and murky, smelled suspiciously like manure. We saw some people swimming but opted not to because of the color and smell of the water. We did see many large fish in the creek. There were also nice picnic areas on the creek with tables and fire pits. Last issue with the campsite was the noise. The night started out quiet with lots of insect sounds, which are loud but so great when you are camping! The unexpected noises were trains passing by (sounded super close in the middle of the night), planes flying overhead, and cars driving by. This is of course not the fault of the park but the surrounding area…still wouldn’t recommend a long quiet camping trip here if you want to escape the everyday sounds of humans. Overall a very sweet campground, good bathrooms and showers. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

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!

This Recreation Area is large and  located off the Sioux River, which was slow flowing when I visited. It’s not the most picturesque river I’ve seen, so if you’re looking for that look further. However, because it was slow moving it made for a nice round trip paddle. 

Easy access from 90W, not much road noise and close to the town of Brandon for supplies. 

There’s a fantastic disc golf course complete with a creaky suspension foot bridge that spans the fiver. 

Great hiking and biking trails too. I hiked the Valley of the Giants trail, which earns its name because of the many old, “giant” oaks in this river bottom area. It’s an easy hike with one slight incline/decline, but the loop was curtailed by a giant felled oak tree.  The path was completely covered and no matter which way I tried I couldn’t see the trail it had become so overgrown. Sadly it seems that this has been the fate of several the the Giants, perhaps due to the river flooding.

The campground has gravel pads. My site backed up to the river but there was a bushy berm and the bike/walking bath between the site and the river. No problem to access the river though because there are little paths worn through the bushes. Lots of trees for shade and good space between sites. There’s electric but no water at site. Fill up by the restrooms or before you come. Picnic table and fire ring with grill connected. Fire ring is on a cement pad. I’d never seen that before. 

There are also  cabins for rent and when I was there the restrooms looked clean and functional.  Picnic shelter and gazebo are on site as well as the Bergeson’s Homestead. It’s always nice to see history being preserved like this! When I’m passing through this area again, I’ll revisit this recreation area.

Great hiking area. Not ideal water for kayaking through. Beautiful views!

This was a one night stop over before we continued on. We were sad to only be there for 12 or so hours. The park is very well kept. The bathroom and shower house was remarkably clean and updated. The park does seem to offer handicap accessible sites and bathroom/shower facilities. The playground was very updated and entertained my 7 year old. The hiking paths looked amazing, but sadly we didn't have time to hike much. We will be planning a trip to go back and fully experience all that they have. A local told us at the gas station the many historical things they have in town, specifically sites that are related to Jesse James.

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!