Spend a weekend on the water from state park campgrounds near Lake Madison.
Just an hour outside of Sioux Falls, Lake Madison is a popular day trip for campers visiting South Dakota. Spend a few nights in town instead at spacious pull-in RV sites and lakeside tent sites with access to boat ramps, showers, and fish-cleaning stations. Drive up the road to Madison for biking, birdwatching, and boating adventures at Lake Herman State Park. Formed by glacial ice in the 1980s, the 20-feet-deep lake has a choice of campsites near flush toilets, picnic shelters, and playgrounds. Motorhomes and campers with pop-ups can park near swimming beaches and cross-country skiing trails during camping getaways to the state park’s namesake lake. To see where Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up and splash in a National Natural Landmark, go to Lake Thompson Recreation Area, a 50-minute drive from Lake Madison. Find private campsites near Lake Thompson with boat launches, on-site playgrounds, and basketball courts, as well as RV parks with hot showers, flush toilets, and drinking water, or modern cabin rentals also with lake views.