Lake Preston is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that South Dakota camping has to offer. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Lake Preston and user-submitted reviews.
"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."
$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. "
"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."
"Overall this park is average the sites are level and grassy limited shade sites tho, showers and bathrooms are close by and it’s quiet except the occasional train."
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.
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.
TravelerOverall this park is average the sites are level and grassy limited shade sites tho, showers and bathrooms are close by and it’s quiet except the occasional train. It’s walking distance from the dirt track. Dumpsters close and trash barrels at each site which they empty often. Mostly weekenders here or people passing thru few seasonal workers.
GuideWe have traveled in a RV for 6 years and been to 48 states (3 or 4 times each), visited 300 plus small towns and I can say this was one of my favorite camp spots. There are only 4 RV lots, and they are pretty close together, but we stayed before season, so we had the place practically to ourselves. For $30, we had W&E, fire pit (firewood not sold), picnic table and free access to the homestead. Bathrooms were so clean and smelled like cedar wood. There is a dump station but be fore warned it's on a slope, so emptying your tanks completely will be a challenge. Also a sign says grey water only, this is not true, you can dump your black water too. Since we were off season, during the day, they had school trips daily, so there were a lot of children, having fun playing right behind our rig. But it was only for a short period of time during the afternoon. There's a museum right next to the sites, which is always open. There's also is a tower you can climb to get some really great views. Several houses and buildings are on the property you can explore and hay rides are available. They also have a nice country store where you can by your souvenirs. If your a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, like me, this is a must stop, if only for a night! I also want to mention that the camp hosts and gal that ran the store, couldn't have been nicer.
TravelerWe had a wonderful experience dry camping here. There are only a few sites with water and electric. There are no dedicated sites and they asked us to park our pop-up at the far end/bottom of the parking lot next to the grass. It was quite level and the tent campers next to us were very nice. A few other tents were further out in the field. The bathrooms are simple, but very clean. Little Horse on the Prairie fans, you MUST stay here!
GuideWe only stayed 2 nights here but could have stayed much longer. This RV campground is perfect. The attention to detail you see in this park is not something we have seen a lot during our travels. The gravel roadways to each campsite are groomed perfectly level. Art, sculptures and flower pots are everywhere. Not a thing out of place. The Wifi was really fast…the best we have seen in over 1 yr and full time camping. 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. We highly recommend. We had over 50Mbps on our Verzion and ATT hot spot as well as the RV park's Wifi system. This place is smoked hot for internet connectivity. This park is Big Rig friendly with very large pull throughs
GuideThis campground has both electric standard sites for campers and tent sites. Two shower houses and multiple vault toilets throughout the campground for accessibility. Walking trails in grass or gravel. Three walkways down to the water’s edge with one being a large swimming area. Boating is permitted as well. Be sure to use bug spray as mosquitoes were all over- maybe due to wet weather. This is a natural lake formed by farmland that flooded in the 1980s.
GuideThis campground was a nice and easy stop on our way from Michigan to Mt Rushmore/ Badlands. The sites were level enough that we didn’t even half to unhook our trailer for our quick overnight stay. 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.
Not sure about the bathhouse since we didn't have to use them.
TravelerThis is a great little place right off of the highway. Facilities are clean and well maintained. There is a nice little playground for the kids. Staff was friendly and helpful. It is close to the Porter Sculpture Park which is also an amazing place to visit If you stop here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Lake Preston, SD?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Lake Preston, SD is Ingalls Homestead with a 5-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Lake Preston, SD?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 glamping camping locations near Lake Preston, SD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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