If you're looking for a place to park your RV near Lake Preston, look no further. Finding a place to camp in South Dakota with your RV is easier than ever. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Lake Preston's most popular destinations.
$24 - $42 / night
Camp on the Open Prairie Camping at Ingalls Homestead is a unique way to experience the prairie. All sights are located on the land Charles Ingalls homesteaded. With just a handful of sites - 4 covered wagons, 1 bunkhouse, 4 RV sites, and tent camping - the prairie doesn't feel crowded.
Shaded campgrounds and picnic areas complement the park's excellent swimming and boating facilities. The park was once used as a summer camp and an annual gathering spot for American Indians. Later, Samuel Mortimer arrived in 1869 and built the log cabin that still stands at the park.
$26 - $55 / night
$25 / night
City Campground is located by Thorsnes Park, off Park Ave. S. Our 17 site campground is a great quite getaway; with the pool and playground within walking distance.
Our new safe room/restroom facility does provide amenities you may need while camping, which includes showers.
Sewer dump and water to fill your tanks are available, as well as electrical hookups at each camping spot.
The cost is $15 per night and $400 per month.
$15 / night
LegendBathrooms were clean and well maintained. Nightly site only had electric. Full hook up sites can only be rented seasonally. Lots of road noise and none of the site were very level. Nightly/weekly rate available. Campground can get very cramped. Hard to park if you have a bigger camper.
Traveler
Great campground right on Lake Kampeska. Lots of sites for RVs that need electric, some with water, fewer with full hookups... There is a dump station. The walking path through the trees and campground is nice and long, same for the bike path. Multiple jungle gyms scattered throughout. Pet friendly, keep em on the leash. Seems like the put-in could get busy since it's free parking. Beware, the lake does have zebra mussels.
Legend
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.
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.
Traveler
The caretakers were Extremely nice nice and kept the place very clean. Mostly an RV park but a few nice tent sites also. Not a bad stop to break up the trip. If you’re looking for quiet in the woods, this is not it because it’s right on the road with traffic. During the late night it is very quiet. I would definitely come back.
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
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.
Traveler
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!
Scout
Small clean campground no reservations needed easy access to highway. Great place for an overnight stay on our way to Sturgis $25 a night full hookup and water if needed
Legend
We were searching for a place to land for the night and after a couple of failed attempts at other places, decided to come here. Sites (many with lake views) are spacious and very reasonably priced ($22 for electric/water and$30 for full hookup). Mid-week was very quiet and peaceful; I imagine that a weekend, especially in the summer might be a different experience. The bathroom was very clean. Didn’t use the shower but were warned by the host that the hot/cold faucets were backward. Awesome sunsets! A nearby veterans memorial is very touching. The only complaint was no recycling bins.
Guide
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.
Legend
We decided not to stay here because it’s right in town and very visible. There are a few RV spots and room for tents. They have a great playground. If you’re timing is right you can catch a ballgame without leaving you campsite.
Town is a block away. It’s a beautiful small town. They had a burger deal that drew a crowd. Certainly worth some time walking around.
LegendGreat city campground and super peaceful spot. Not too far off of I-90 (30 mins.) when traveling through South Dakota.
Tent camping center of town without electric is free. Pads with electric are$15. Free pool, nice small lake across from site, concrete sidewalk around lake. Bathrooms in pool house, water on site. Picnic tables on site. 1-5 campsites available.
ScoutLovely sites by a small river. Clean and well maintained. Free showers and even a pool in season. For $30 for hook-ups the price can’t be beat.
TravelerSmall campground in Montrose. Electric hook ups, and a place to dump and fill with water. Pool is across the street which was nice for our kids.
Ranger
We stayed here in Aug 2019 - although it was a short visit, we had a nice time. Wasn’t busy, kids liked playground, walking path, and checking out Mortimer’s cabin. Electric hook-ups.
Traveler
Passing town of Arlington and found a couple of city parks with electrical hookup and about six sites with picnic tables! On busy truck route but very quiet after dark! Nice town to bike or walk! Grocery store, gas mini mart and Main St all close. No vehicle needed!
TravelerHeaded west and looking for stay. Beautiful little campground with electric n water hook ups Great setting in park near river and towns Rec fields. Fun local bar, Post Office and coffee shop are short walk. Lots of walking paths. Americana at its best
Ranger
Nice place to stay! We visited on our family vacation in Aug. 2019. Lots of frogs here! Playground was at the other camp loop, but we spent some time playing before we left. Found some geocaches in the park, which was fun! The swim area was nice, no sand, but a nice place to swim where the water was clean! Camp site was a nice spot with privacy. Electric hook ups.
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.
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.
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 stayed here for one night in September. The park was filled up. All RVs. We stayed next to the lake. Bathrooms were decent.
ScoutI pulled in at 6:00 pm in late January. The park is deserted power and hook ups are off but there are no signs to indicate one way or another. It's dark so I have some food and read a little bit and I hear a car pull up outside. Bang! Somebody kicks or smacks the door of my rig and runs to their car and they take off. I got the message you don't want me here in Montrose. I won't stop in this town again. Cheers
LegendThe super nice and informative couple who own the campground (CG) checked us in and then we were escorted to pull through site 41 with FHUs. 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. They do not have cable and not being too far from Sioux Falls, we got a good amount of OTA channels. The CG was well taken care of and very clean. We did experience flies this time of year and they were aggressive about getting inside our RV. I had some insect fogger and that worked well spraying before entering our rig. There is no formal dog park, but plenty of area around the CG to walk. The town of Salem down the road has your basic amenities and we enjoyed playing a round of golf on their 9 hole course that is decently priced. Well run little CG that we would definitely stay at again.
TravelerSuper nice people. Gave us some cookies from a local bakery, and were helpful on places to eat. Bath house very nice. There was an odor of fertilizer coming from the fields, but it was tolerable and likely seasonal. The let me keep my motorcycle under the gazebo when it rained. Would definitely stay here again.
ScoutVery nice, our spot was large with electric. Quiet this weekend. 50 Amp service.
RV camping near Lake Preston, South Dakota, offers a variety of options for travelers looking to enjoy the great outdoors with the comforts of home. With well-equipped parks and friendly atmospheres, you'll find the perfect spot to unwind.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Lake Preston, SD is Dakota Sunsets RV Park with a 4.5-star rating from 11 reviews.
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