Best Glamping near Garretson, SD

Palisades State Park Campground, located in Garretson, South Dakota, features upscale glamping accommodations nestled among quartzite rock formations. The site offers safari-style canvas tents and luxury cabins equipped with comfortable bedding, electricity, and climate control systems for year-round comfort. "The park is very well kept. The bathroom and shower house was remarkably clean and updated," noted one visitor who appreciated the blend of natural beauty with modern amenities. These glamping units provide an elevated outdoor experience with private decks overlooking Split Rock Creek, while maintaining easy access to modern bathroom facilities with hot showers. Each accommodation includes premium linens, rustic-chic furnishings, and private fire rings for evening relaxation.

Hiking trails wind through the distinctive quartzite formations, offering glamping guests direct access to outdoor adventure from their luxury accommodations. A recent visitor highlighted, "There are beautiful rock formations to explore. The hiking trails looked amazing!" The park's location just 30 minutes from Sioux Falls allows glampers to combine wilderness experiences with urban conveniences. On-site activities include paddleboarding and kayaking on Split Rock Creek, while nearby Devil's Gulch offers additional exploration opportunities. The glamping season runs year-round with peak booking periods from May through October. The site's eco-friendly accommodations utilize sustainable materials while maintaining comfort, with specialized winter glamping packages available for those seeking quiet solitude among the snow-covered landscapes during colder months.

Best Glamping Sites Near Garretson, South Dakota (12)

    1. Palisades State Park Campground

    30 Reviews
    Garretson, SD
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 594-3824

    "The campsite was easy to find and close to the town of Garretson. There was a small grocery store there."

    "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."

    2. Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux

    38 Reviews
    Brandon, SD
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 582-7243

    "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."

    "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."

    3. Blue Mounds State Park Campground

    52 Reviews
    Hardwick, MN
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 283-1307

    $20 - $35 / night

    "The bathroom facility at the drive-in campground is much nicer than the one for the tipis and cart-in sites."

    "New bath house. They have done a lot to make this park accessible. Grassy sites, some better positioned than others. Very good shade."

    4. Sioux Falls KOA

    28 Reviews
    Sioux Falls, SD
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 332-9987

    "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!"

    5. Tower Campground

    12 Reviews
    Sioux Falls, SD
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 332-1173

    "Clean showers and laundry room. We stayed on the west side. It’s literally in town but very easy on and off interstate. The airport is close by which made it neat to watch."

    "This campground is a great location when passing through Sioux Falls. It is right off I29, and there a quick in and out sites up front."

    6. Magnolia City Campground

    7 Reviews
    Luverne, MN
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 227-9278

    "Was picking up my rv from south Dakota after getting repairs from a previous trip."

    "The electrical and water are a little spaced out. We took the end spot and count quite reach our two water hoses. There two long-term campers who were hooked up to the water spigot closest to us."

    7. River of the Double Bend Campground

    1 Review
    Dell Rapids, SD
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 428-5472

    8. Lake Vermillion Recreation Area

    33 Reviews
    Canistota, SD
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 296-3643

    $15 - $55 / night

    "We stopped here on our way through south Dakota headed back to Colorado. The staff were really friendly when we pulled in."

    "Bathrooms well tended. Lake area is busy. Campsite I initially reserved was not suitable for a tent…the only flat area was right on top of the neighbor’s fire pit."

    9. Island Park - Rock Rapids

    8 Reviews
    Larchwood, IA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (712) 472-3456

    $5 - $45 / night

    "A good place to camp for the night with gas and groceries nearby. All sites have electricity but only 20/30/60 amps. Water spigots are spread throughout the campground."

    "Very cheap , 15$ a night for rv with electric and water, 5$ for tents. Huge swimming area with slides for kids, and river with a lot of fish!!! Brand New shower houses ."

    10. Dakota Sunsets RV Park

    12 Reviews
    Canistota, SD
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (605) 705-3234

    $30 - $55 / night

    "The office and store have ice and a wonderful selection of goodies, The park is surrounded by corn and soybean fields and is quiet. This is a real gem of a campground. Not a thing wrong with it."

    "The only issue I will say is that our site was next to the “Stinky Waste” Water Lagoon and it did stink pretty bad when they started up the pump in the morning.  "

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Glamping Reviews near Garretson, SD

233 Reviews of 12 Garretson Campgrounds


  • M
    Jun. 18, 2022

    Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux

    Clean and Dog Friendly

    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.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 31, 2022

    Sioux Falls KOA

    Very noisy

    Lots of noise since it’s off the highway. Has running water and bathrooms at least.

  • E
    Aug. 26, 2021

    Palisades State Park Campground

    Beautiful but loud

    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.

  • Melissa K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 10, 2018

    Lake Vermillion Recreation Area

    Beautiful campground

    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!

  • Carolyn M.
    Oct. 23, 2019

    Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux

    Ok place to spend the night, but could have been better

    I spent the night here and had to pay the entrance fee to the park as well as the camping fee for my tentsite. They had only a few tentsites available amid all the RV sites, but they were right on the edge of the playground, so the families had to walk right through my campsite to get to the play area. Not too big a deal as no one wanted to use the play area at night while I was sleeping, but still.  I also looked over at the power lines. There was a flush toilet facility close by but there was a very bright light on all night. Good for families needing to navigate in the dark but not wonderful if you like sleeping in darkness. And though I was told that quiet hours began at 10PM, the site next to me was quite loud through the trees until at least midnight so the quiet hours are not enforced. Meh. I don't think I'll be going back.

  • Katrin M.
    Jul. 7, 2019

    Palisades State Park Campground

    A very nice getaway!

    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.

  • L
    May. 23, 2021

    Norwegian Creek Co Park

    Nice spots by the lake

    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. 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.

  • rThe Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 10, 2021

    Tower Campground

    Friendly but noisy

    Very friendly and accommodating staff. This park is open year round and well set up for cold weather, the water spigot is heated so if you invest in a heated water line and have an insulated camper you should be good for the cold. Many units were tucked in for winter with skirting and large external propane tanks. The negatives are noise and lights. Highway noise was very very loud. Easy to see outside but not a lot of camp feel. Bright light through skylites while sleeping. Didn’t use bathrooms or showers so no comment on facilities.

  • L
    Jun. 28, 2018

    Blue Mounds State Park Campground

    No water and biting flies

    This campground is still charging $17 for a camp site, $7 transaction fee and $7/day entrance fee despite the fact they have no running water. The toilets still flush. In the morning our car filled up with flies that bit us for hours before we were able to eliminate all of them. It is a 5 mile drive back to Luverne if you need supplies, and I was unable to locate a grocery store.

    Two good things; they have a Free Little Library and at night the lawn was covered with fireflies

    The campground was so miserable that the campground host had abandoned their trailer and was never present. We did have several locals drive through the campground to spy on us, presumably to see who was stupid enough to camp there. You are entirely responsible for knowing what site you reserved because there was no attempt to label reserves sites.

    There is no privacy between sites. This is just a big lawn with driveways, picnic tables and fire pits. The landscaping is nicely done with blackberries popping out of some hedges and providing eye-level interest at the base of trees.

    .


Guide to Garretson

Palisades State Park Campground offers diverse camping options beyond glamping, including traditional tent sites, RV spots, and cabins. Located in eastern South Dakota at an elevation of 1,475 feet, the park encompasses 157 acres featuring dramatic quartzite rock formations that date back 1.2 billion years. Camping availability spans the spring through fall season, with varying amenities depending on the selected accommodation type.

What to do

Hiking through quartzite formations: The distinctive pink quartzite formations create unique hiking terrain throughout the park. "Gorgeous quartzite formations make for some great climbing. It's a really small park which is both good and bad. The trails aren't very long, but it's not usually overcrowded," notes Jessica B. from Palisades State Park Campground.

Swimming and water activities: Many area campgrounds provide access to lakes and rivers for cooling off during summer months. At Big Sioux Recreation Area, campers can enjoy "lots of trails for hiking" while being "pretty sure swimming and kayaking" are available, according to Clarke N., who visited in early spring when "water was too cold to swim."

Frisbee golf courses: Some local campgrounds offer recreational facilities beyond hiking trails. "They do have a Frisbee golf course," notes Tyson K., who stayed at Big Sioux Recreation Area. The course provides an alternative outdoor activity for campers seeking variety in their recreation options.

Wildlife viewing: The region supports diverse wildlife populations visible from many campgrounds. MickandKarla W. enjoyed their stay at Lake Vermillion Recreation Area where "spring was coming alive with gobbling turkeys and cackling pheasants; we even got a show from a strutting tom turkey."

What campers like

Spacious, well-maintained sites: Campers frequently comment on the quality of campsites in the Garretson area. "South Dakota is known for its well-maintained state park campgrounds, and this area offers two great options: King and Queen," explains Tim R. about Lake Vermillion Recreation Area. "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."

Clean facilities: The attention to maintenance extends to restrooms and showers. Wilanrie B., who stayed at Palisades State Park Campground, shares: "The bathrooms and showers were okay and the people were very nice. It was my first time ever pulling and backing up a camper and I was struggling and one of the park rangers came and helped me."

Campground atmosphere: Many visitors appreciate the peaceful settings available at local campgrounds. "This is a sweet little tucked away oasis near Sioux Falls featuring trails, bluffs and climbing options. Great views and clean camp sites," notes Jennifer S. about the camping experience at Palisades.

Yurt camping options: For those seeking unique accommodations near Garretson, South Dakota, yurt camping provides a comfortable middle ground between tent camping and cabins. Blue Mounds State Park Campground offers yurt options among its accommodation types, giving visitors an alternative way to experience the natural surroundings.

What you should know

Reservation requirements: Most campgrounds in the area require advance reservations, especially during peak season. Donna T. notes about Palisades State Park Campground: "Overpriced, no water hookup at electric site and do dump station. Friendly staff but probably wouldn't stay again."

Fee structures: Be prepared for various fees beyond the basic camping rate. Stacia R. explains about Lake Vermillion Recreation Area: "It was also a little pricey, as they charge extra fees upon arrival regardless of having paid online at time of making reservation."

Seasonal variations: Camping experiences differ significantly by season in this region. "We were there early spring so water was too cold to swim," mentions Clarke N. about Palisades State Park Campground, indicating that some activities are limited outside summer months.

Noise considerations: Some campgrounds experience noise from nearby highways or attractions. "Racing going on at Rapid Speedway that lasted well into the evening. Extremely LOUD. Make sure to check the race schedule the night you want to stay and move on down the road if a race is happening," advises John G. about Island Park.

Tips for camping with families

Playgrounds for kids: Several campgrounds feature dedicated play areas. Trevor A. says about Big Sioux Recreation Area: "The showers are great, the walking trail is great, and the spots are nice and spread out. Overall a great park!"

Swimming options: Water features provide entertainment for families with children. Amber P. highlights Island Park's features: "Huge swimming area with slides for kids, and river with a lot of fish!!! Brand New shower houses."

Site selection for families: Choose camping spots strategically based on proximity to facilities. Nathan L. shares about his experience at Big Sioux Recreation Area: "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."

Yurt camping for families near Garretson, South Dakota: Yurts provide a comfortable camping option for families who want more protection from the elements. Blue Mounds State Park Campground offers yurt accommodations that can make family camping trips more accessible, especially for those with young children or during shoulder seasons when temperatures fluctuate.

Tips from RVers

Hookup details: RV campers should research specific utility options before booking. At Dakota Sunsets RV Park, "The site was more than long enough for our 39' 5th Wheel and F-450 truck. WiFi was average but there were not many RVs in the park for our 3 nights stay, and we got 4 bars on Verizon," according to MickandKarla W.

Accessibility for large rigs: Some campgrounds accommodate larger vehicles better than others. Robert O. shares about Dakota Sunsets RV Park: "This park is Big Rig friendly with very large pull throughs."

Leveling considerations: Site terrain varies among campgrounds. Karen B. notes about Dakota Sunsets RV Park: "The sites were level enough that we didn't even half to unhook our trailer for our quick overnight stay."

Seasonal RV camping: Winter RV camping requires special considerations in this region. "This park is open year round and well set up for cold weather, the water spigot is heated so if you invest in a heated water line and have an insulated camper you should be good for the cold," explains Robert about Tower Campground, noting that "many units were tucked in for winter with skirting and large external propane tanks."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Garretson, SD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Garretson, SD is Palisades State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 30 reviews.

What is the best site to find glamping camping near Garretson, SD?

TheDyrt.com has all 12 glamping camping locations near Garretson, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.