Lewis and Clark Recreation Area

Located outside of Yankton, South Dakota

2 hours and 45 minutes from Council Bluffs, Iowa or 175 miles

To make reservations and to get additional information about the campground/park please click here:

South Dakota Park Permit Required – $30 Annual Pass or $6 per day

Cost per night to reserve campsite:  $21

Fee to Reserve Camping Spot:  $7.70 per reservation – for out of state resident

Stayed Last:  6/2018

Camping Spot:  111

WHY I LOVE LEWIS AND CLARK RECREATION AREA

Lewis and Clark campground is our favorite park and whenever we get a chance – we try to and go as often as we can.  We do live in Council Bluffs, Iowa and camp every weekend from late March until late October.  Because we camp so often, we try and find parks we enjoy and Lewis and Clark is close to number 1 on our list every time we go!  The cleanliness of the park is amazing!  All spots are mowed and clean, all restroom facilities are always clean and just the maintenance of the park is top notch.  We love biking and walking and the walking/biking path all over the park is amazing! This time we did not have a premium spot with a view of the lake – but we had a wonderful shaded spot in the trees.  Just a quick walk or bike from our spot leads us to all the walking/biking trails!  This is super convenient as all the trails connect and are super easy to get to!  Another plus to staying at Lewis and Clark is all the wonderful beaches! From the campground, you can easily access several sections of the beach!  We have even found what we like to call our own private beach – just a little section that you can access from the campground – and not from the main beaches!  The beaches and landscaping are always very well maintained – including the shower houses and restroom facilities!  I highly recommend staying at Lewis and Clark campground – or really any South Dakota campground – as we love them!  I would love if Iowa and Nebraska could take note and keep their parks as well maintained as South Dakota does, and especially the Lewis and Clark campgrounds!

LAKE VIEW

What an amazing lake view this amazing campground has!  We have had the opportunity to stay in a premium campsite that overlooks the water, and this view is one of our favorites!  Watching Sailboats, boats with tubers or skiers on the back or just seeing the sunset over the lake is wonderful!  Nothing beats getting up early and walking out of your camper to sit and enjoy the calm and peacefulness of the lake.  We have camped in early spring, summer and late fall at Lewis and Clark.  There are times that the lake views are a little windier that the camping spots located back in the trees, but sometimes you can put up with a little wind to have an amazing lake view.

BEACH

There are several beaches located throughout the campground.  There are 2 main beaches that have shower house facilities as well as parking.  Our favorite has to be when you are camping and you walk across the grass to a small little section of beach, only accessible from the walking/biking trail and just steps away from your camper!  These spots are also all over the park as well!  My daughter still remembers when we were at one of these “private” beaches and she was digging in the sand and found a small turtle!  This was the highlight of her day!  We looked closely at the turtle, and then let it back in the sand so it could stay at his/her home and not be disturbed!

The main beaches are always very clean and groomed.  There are many shaded spots for picnicking and even playgrounds located near the beaches!  There are also several smaller beaches located off the biking/walking path that campers can easily carry their items down to the beach from their campers, and not even have to pack up their cars to get to some sections of the beach.

BOATING

Not only does Lewis and Clark Recreation Area have their own Marina with a boat ramp, several other boat ramps are available throughout the campground and near the beaches.  The marina has several areas for boats to dock for the day or even a few hours, and then enjoy their bar and grill.  We have ridden our bikes from the campground to the Marina Bar and Grill, and have enjoyed appetizers and drinks and the service is always very good.  You can sit inside or even outside on their patio.  The have a full service menu as well.

Click the below button to learn more about the Marina:

FOUR CAMPGROUNDS AND ONE HORSE CAMPGROUND

Lewis and Clark is a very popular campground, and reserving a spot is a little tricky!  We have found that it is much easier to get a spot early or late in the camping season, ie:  April or late September/October.  If you want a reservable spot on with a lake view on the weekend you need to be on the site exactly 90 days in advance at 12:00 am!  This is not my version of fun, so we have chosen to camp in the early spring or late fall.  We also have had great luck in getting premium sites during the week, so if your schedule allows, try reserving during the week.  In 2017 we took a “mini-vacation” and spent 4 nights during the week in one of the premium lake view spots and had an amazing time.

There are 3 campgrounds that accept reservations 90 days prior to date of arrival.  The West Midway Section, Galvins and East Midway Section.  We have always preferred the Galvins section, as this section has several premium spots as well as nice shaded spots that are not lake view or premium spots.  The other sections have just a good camping spots, but we just prefer the Gavins section.

The Yankton Section allows you to make same day reservations.  I have not tried this section, but if you don’t have the opportunity to get a reserved spot, and want to try it, call the reservation number and try and get a spot in the Yankton section.

Weather we have a premium/lake view spot or a nice shaded spot back in the trees, the spots are always nice and large with plenty of shade!   Each spot comes with a picnic table and fire pit.  We have even seen the maintenance crew cleaning out the firepits on a Monday morning!  This is another reason I love this park, as well as other South Dakota parks – they definitely go the extra mile to provide wonderful accommodations to campers!

SPOTS WE LIKE

We love to get the premium spots that have lake views, but sometimes these are hard to reserve, and since we live over 3 hours away, getting a non-reservable or walk-up spot is just not something we risk.  Some of our favorite Lake View reservable spots in the Gavins Section are 132P – you walk right across the grass to the bike trail – and there is a small private cove with a beach.  Spot 166P also is just steps away from a small little private section of beach.  Any spot from 146P – 158P are also great with amazing lake views.  Each of these spots, along with most others are able to accommodate our 37+ foot 5^th Wheel.

If you are unable to get a premium spot, the other spots are also great, and mostly shaded.   The last time we visited we stayed in Spot 111 in the Galvin’s Section, and it was nice and shady.  Other spots we like in the Gavin’s are anything from spot 105-116.  If you don’t want campers across from you any spot from 99-89 are great.  Again these are just spots we like and can accommodate the size of our 5^th Wheel.  Not all of these spots are 50 amp (which we prefer) – but can easily get by with 30 amp.

CABINS

If you don’t have a Travel Trailer, and don’t want to tent, Lewis and Clark also offers 19 cabins to rent.  These cabins also have amazing views of the lake as well.  For more information on the cabins, please check their website.  These cabins book fast!

PLAYGROUNDS

There are several playgrounds located throughout the entire park.  There is a large playground located near the main beach at the West Midway Section as well as another larger playground located at the end of the Gavins section near the second beach access.  There are also several other playgrounds scattered throughout the campground, and easily a quick walk or bike ride from most of the camping spots.

WALKING/BIKING

The walking/biking trails throughout the park are one of the reasons we love this park so much!  All the trails connect and you can go through the campground and all around the park, and the trails connect with the main trail that goes along the lake with the amazing views!  Most of the walking/biking trails are fairly flat with some small to mid-level grade changes, but nothing unmanageable for even the novice of bikers.  Which is where I rank myself!  I’m not the most athletic, and I own a bike purchased from Target, so it is not a super special bike, but it gets the job done, and lets me tool around the campground and go on bike rides.  I generally can keep up with my super speedy 7 year old and much more athletic husband!  One could definitely burn some calories by having a long bike ride or walk/jog on the several miles of trails throughout the park.

DUMP STATIONS

A large dump station with fill water and 2 dump bays is located near the entrance to Lewis and Clark State Park.  Another dump station with 2 more dump bays and fill water is located along highway 52 between the entrance of the State Park and the entrance to the Marina.  This helps on super busy weekends, so people have multiple options to dump.

SHOWERHOUSES

There are many shower houses and pit restrooms located throughout each campground and even along the bike trail.  All are extremely clean and well maintained.

SUMMARY

Lewis and Clark is definitely one of our favorite if not our number 1 pick for camping each and every year.  We have been enjoying camping at Lewis and Clark at least 1 time if not 2-3 times per year since 2009.  The lake views, biking/walking trails, playgrounds and amenities this park has to offer, make it one of our favorites!  The cleanliness and maintenance of the park makes it so easy to want to keep coming back.  I would love for other states, including Iowa and Nebraska to learn from South Dakota on how well they maintain their parks.  Lewis and Clark is a must for any camper looking to enjoy a park with several amenities and large well maintained spots!