About Cottonwood Springs Campground
Number of accommodations: 17
Campground Amenities
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Pet Friendly
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Lake Access
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Sites & Availability
17 Sites Available
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Site Details
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17 Sites Available
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Reviews (95)
What Guests Are Saying
Cottonwood Springs Campground offers a peaceful and scenic location with friendly staff and well-maintained facilities. Guests appreciate the quiet atmosphere, cleanliness, and proximity to nature, including a nearby lake ideal for walking and fishing. While some campsites can feel cramped and lack shade, overall experiences are positive, highlighting the campground as a great base for exploring the area.
What Guests Are Saying
Cottonwood Springs Campground offers a peaceful and scenic location with friendly staff and well-maintained facilities. Guests appreciate the quiet atmosphere, cleanliness, and proximity to nature, including a nearby lake ideal for walking and fishing. While some campsites can feel cramped and lack shade, overall experiences are positive, highlighting the campground as a great base for exploring the area.
Review Summary
Howard P
VerifiedJune 29, 2023 • Stayed at: 8, Loop: 1
Very nice small campground.
Doug B
VerifiedJune 25, 2023 • Stayed at: 10, Loop: 1
I would definitely come back again! Enjoy hot spring and watch two amazing storms pass by. Beautiful skies and this is a great spot! Close to rapid city and super peaceful/quiet. Do have drive to hot spring but very close and have tons areas to have picnic or fireplace’s. Plus really cool valley. It’s open to public so you’ll see local cops and fishermen. Seem to me like place that people come to get a break, good vibes. Quite and respectfully
Paul H
VerifiedJune 5, 2023 • Stayed at: 17, Loop: 1
Basic but nice campground. Beautiful and quiet area. Not a ton of shade so plan for that. Kyle the ranger is a great guy. Very helpful!
Charles C
VerifiedJune 4, 2023 • Stayed at: 15, Loop: 1
Very clean and quit. Pads are level and deep.
Alice I
VerifiedSeptember 14, 2022 • Stayed at: 1, Loop: 1
This campground is an an amazing , well cleaned, great sites campground. It has bathrooms with running water sinks and toilets that sits sit in the middle of the sites.
Would not recommend going in90 degree plus heat which was when we were there since there are not many trees to block hot sun.
Camp host could have been a little more lenient on generators during this hot time. We had gotten back about 9:30 pm at night after going to Crazy Horse light show and have a dog and an elderly parent traveling with us and turned on the generator to cool our trailer which was 100 degrees inside and at 10:15 pm she came over and said “No generator after 10:00 .”
It was only her and one other camper in the park at that time.
I am all for the rules but there could have been an exception for this on such hot days and with our circumstance of a dog and another elderly person.
Overall the campground is really nice just not in hot weather and the lake we had to ourselves to go kayaking and take the dogs swimming and that is just a short drive around the corner.
Danielle P
VerifiedSeptember 8, 2022 • Stayed at: 10, Loop: 1
Beautiful campsite in an unexpected place. Lots of trees and felt in the woods. Bathrooms were exceptionally clean. Some guests arrived around midnight and were kind of loud. Not long, as I'm guessing maybe the Camp Hosts asked them to quiet down? Not sure, but glad they reduced noise. There was no firewood to purchase so we collected. Would have been good to have an axe. Would definitely return.
Kyle G
VerifiedSeptember 4, 2022 • Stayed at: 9, Loop: 1
It has very nice spots and then it is quiet here so you dont have to worry about that sort of thing. Stayed a few times now and it is really nice.
Kyle G
VerifiedSeptember 4, 2022 • Stayed at: 8, Loop: 1
Thomas H
VerifiedAugust 31, 2022 • Stayed at: 15, Loop: 1
Great little campground with exceptional views, flat level pads, and clean restrooms. We spent 2 nights here returning from WY and we both were impressed with the site. The top sites for views and privacy I think are 15,16,and 17. We stayed on a Monday and Tuesday night and had the park to ourselves - very quiet but it looks like it fills up quite a bit every weekend.
Helen M
VerifiedAugust 31, 2022 • Stayed at: 2, Loop: 1
Well maintained dirt road with just a little washboard. Quiet and pleasant campground. Would definitely stay again
Location Cottonwood Springs Campground
Address:
U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers
Hot Springs, SD, 57747
United States
Latitude & Longitude: 43.4393 / -103.573
Elevation: 1217 feet
Policies & Rules
| Category | About |
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| General |
Summary of Park Rules and Regulations: All camping passes will be checked. Usable passes are as follows: America the Beautiful pass Senior annual, Senior Lifetime and Access Pass. Golden Age and Golden Access can also be used. Military and Annual Passes CAN NOT be used for a camping discount.
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| General |
Life Jackets Worn…Nobody Mourns, Wear your Life Jacket! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) asks you to please play it safe while on, in, or near the water. USACE public recreation fatality statistics show that 88 percent were male, 89 percent were not wearing a life jacket, and 47 percent were swimming in areas not designated as a swimming area. Most people that drown would have survived if they had worn a life jacket. Life jackets come in many styles, sizes, and colors. Choose the right one that fits you properly and make sure to wear it correctly. There is a life jacket for every kind of water activity including swimming. For more information, please visit www.PleaseWearIt.com . |
| General |
Firewood Alert! Don't Move Firewood: Due to the spread of invasive insects, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Help protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit DontMoveFirewood.org for further information. |
| General |
Protect Your Waters! Attention Boaters, Paddlers and Anglers: Do your part to help stop the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) by remembering to always Clean, Drain, and Dry! Visit SDLeastWanted.com for more information. |
| General |
Be Weather Aware! Weather conditions can vary and can change rapidly year-round. Tune to local media or radio for weather alerts or visit the National Weather Service - Rapid City Office Website for up-to-date information. |