Big Sioux Recreation Area

I arrived after hours but it was east o get my parking permit from the kiosk and proceed to my reserved spot. The tent camping is in the corner of the campground, away from the Rv loops. That was fine except I was camping alone and felt a little vulnerable being the only tent camper. The bathrooms were very clean and the campground was easy to access from the main roads. Watch for raccoons! They didn’t bother me but I foolishly left a hot chocolate packet out that they stole.

There’s an auto racetrack less than a mile, and on Tuesday, it ran until at least 11 pm. A local told me usually it only runs on Sunday. Very loud.

There are pretty trails by the Big Sioux river that run along the campground.

The park was great quiet and very friendly. The sites were so nicely placed and my husband said the bathrooms were clean. Our only complaint is the price. It’s electric only and it cost us almost $79.00 for 2 nights. We had to purchase a park vehicle pass for 2 nights…$16 and the sites were $62.66 for 2 nights. We could have maybe stayed in another campground with full hookups for close to that

This was a one night stop over, nice campground spots, shaded, and a great bike path to walk that goes along the edge of campground, and next to river. Bathrooms were clean and not too far to walk to. Definitely didn't feel like a campground near schools, etc.
The only downside was it had recently rained so the path had some dangerous muddy spots and the bugs were pretty fierce.

We reserved space 41e online. Since we are out of state, we had to pay a very small $7 non resident fee. Arrived to find the kiosk to drop the $8 park fee and in we went. Super good signage and fabulous large spots with plenty Ty of room for our 33 foot rig and long bed truck. Lots of shade and grass. Kindly Park rangers came by and gave us some maps, etc. Wish we were here for more than just a night as there are LOTS of miles of biking and hiking trails. Lots of grass for pets and excellent restrooms. Electric only, but don’t hesitate to camp here! Campsite was only $26, but I have enclosed fees we paid. Absolutely lovely!

Had a wonderful time starting at Big Sioux! We were able to easily back into our electric only site, which was level enough to not require leveling blocks.

All sites were extremely clean, as was the bath house. Park rangers made their way around regularly and were all very helpful and friendly. This made the $8/day state park daily fee more palatable (NOT included in the $26 rate above).

Just 15 minutes of so from downtown Sioux Falls. If you're in the area check out the Falls Park, downtown breweries and restaurants, the Pettigrew Home and St Joseph Cathedral. All of them are amazing.

Lots of geocaches in the area if that's your thing, and be sure to hike the Quartzite Trail if you have the mobility and energy.

Will definitely start here again if we're in the area!