America’s Camping Report Card
South Dakota
#6 of 43 for camping
Better than 88% of graded states · overall grade B+ — campers like it.
Graded on 4,023 written reviews from South Dakota - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades reflect how campers actually felt about each topic - A means they loved it, not that it beat other states.
What campers praised
- beautiful campground49
- beautiful lake45
- beautiful setting43
- beautiful area42
- beautiful scenery35
What campers warned about
- lack of shade4
- few trees, hot sun2
- limited lake views due to trees2
- wildlife disturbed2
- all sites were sunny, no shade1
- Praised by
- 52.5%
- Warned by
- 1.3%
- Rank
- Better than 91% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.512 (±0.016, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff31
- great hosts25
- friendly hosts21
- friendly host17
- friendly camp host16
What campers warned about
- aggressive camp host2
- camp hosts unfriendly2
- campground host behavior2
- hard to work with2
- hosts not seen2
- Praised by
- 36.1%
- Warned by
- 3.9%
- Rank
- Better than 95% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.322 (±0.017, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- clean72
- very clean59
- clean bathrooms53
- well maintained53
- clean campground33
What campers warned about
- smelly bathrooms3
- bathroom composting toilet2
- bathroom could be cleaner2
- bathrooms not kept very clean2
- bathrooms pretty gross2
- Praised by
- 36.1%
- Warned by
- 5.3%
- Rank
- Better than 83% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.308 (±0.017, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites30
- well spaced sites21
- great campsite13
- nice campsite11
- nice sites10
What campers warned about
- sites too close together7
- sites close together5
- no privacy4
- not much shade4
- back-in site layout, awkward door/fire pit placement2
- Praised by
- 36.6%
- Warned by
- 11.2%
- Rank
- Better than 29% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.253 (±0.019, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- fishing8
- good fishing7
- great fishing6
- swimming and fishing6
- kayaking and fishing5
What campers warned about
- fishing not biting2
- little to do2
- lookout no longer there2
- accessible shore fishing1
- boat not starting1
- Praised by
- 24.9%
- Warned by
- 1.1%
- Rank
- Better than 33% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.238 (±0.014, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet123
- quiet campground74
- very quiet45
- quiet atmosphere41
- quiet and peaceful15
What campers warned about
- highway noise15
- sites close together7
- highway noise nearby5
- loud highway noise4
- road noise3
- Praised by
- 21.8%
- Warned by
- 11.7%
- Rank
- Better than 79% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.102 (±0.017, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms and showers13
- bathrooms10
- clean facilities10
- restrooms and showers10
- clean bathrooms9
What campers warned about
- no showers23
- no cell service14
- no dump station9
- no water available7
- no hookups6
- Praised by
- 20.5%
- Warned by
- 13.6%
- Rank
- Better than 12% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.069 (±0.017, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- convenient location10
- easy access10
- easy to get to7
- close to attractions6
- close to mount rushmore6
What campers warned about
- no cell service3
- a bit out of the way2
- barely any cell signal2
- close to highway2
- far from town2
- Praised by
- 12.3%
- Warned by
- 7.5%
- Rank
- Better than 95% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.048 (±0.014, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- free camping9
- free campground7
- good price4
- great price4
- free3
What campers warned about
- lost $20 fee2
- no refund for unused nights2
- paid another rv park for water2
- showers cost extra2
- $10 entry fee1
- Praised by
- 4.3%
- Warned by
- 2.5%
- Rank
- Better than 79% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.018 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly campers3
- friendly fellow campers3
- friendly other campers2
- friendly people2
- made new friends2
What campers warned about
- felt singled out due to dog size/breed1
- kids not welcomed1
- locals not accepting/friendly toward campers1
- locals seemed unfriendly1
- party with neighbors1
- Praised by
- 1.7%
- Warned by
- 0.2%
- Rank
- Better than 12% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.015 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- felt safe4
- safe campground2
- bear box provided1
- bison kept beyond fence1
- bison kept out by fencing1
What campers warned about
- 4-wheelers/golf carts safety concerns1
- aggressive dog near toilet1
- bad experience first stay1
- bathrooms did not lock1
- blind turn, reversing onto highway1
- Praised by
- 1.2%
- Warned by
- 1.6%
- Rank
- Better than 91% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.004 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- booking errors corrected2
- easy check-in2
- after-hours check-in setup1
- always try to book here1
- booked a return site1
What campers warned about
- all other sites booked2
- complicated group booking2
- first come first serve2
- last available site2
- reserved but empty sites2
- Praised by
- 1.9%
- Warned by
- 4.1%
- Rank
- Better than 29% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.022 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- pet friendly3
- dog friendly2
- dogs on leashes enforced2
- generator rules2
- noise rules followed2
What campers warned about
- no fires allowed3
- dogs off leash2
- leash warning and pet fee2
- need time limit on logging contracts2
- no notice before spraying2
- Praised by
- 0.9%
- Warned by
- 3.8%
- Rank
- Better than 62% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.029 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- no bugs6
- minimal flies2
- very few mosquitos2
- abundant wildlife1
- bison and wildlife nearby1
What campers warned about
- very windy conditions5
- very windy3
- a lot of flies2
- aggressive dogs nearby2
- flies2
- Praised by
- 1.2%
- Warned by
- 5.4%
- Rank
- Better than 76% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.042 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 4,023 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in South Dakota and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained, and the letter is absolute: A means campers loved it, F means they were frustrated — on a fixed scale, not a curve. So a topic isn’t marked down just because another state scored higher. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
The rank (South Dakota vs. other states) is shown separately, because most states are genuinely good overall — the ranking is what tells them apart. The overall grade is the average of the topic grades, weighted by how often campers raise each one.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval from its sample size.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v3-absolute-grade-plus-rank | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.