roadtripper1906082

Arrived at the GPS coordinates and found the site. The site is located right next to a woodpile left over from logging. There was an established fire ring. Forest Service fire department came by and asked if I minded if he disassembled the fire ring as there are no campfires allowed in South Dakota at this time. The site was plenty big enough for me and large enough to put a good size travel trailer there. There was not much traffic going up and down the dirt road. The site is a bit exposed but there are trees on the side for shade. Area is patrolled both night and day daily by the Sheriff's Department. The road going in off of the pavement is a two lane dirt gravel road which you then turn onto a single lane dirt gravel road to get to the site. The roads were in excellent condition as they were just regraded before I arrived. Cell service was excellent with four to five bars on T-Mobile. The site was clean with no trash left behind. Noise level was very low from the surrounding area. Saw a lot of whitetail deer in the area.

The road off the highway has a sign that says this area is called Chosa Draw has been classified an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). As such you are only allowed to camp down in the designated camp areas fenced in by the caves that are at the loop. This is not a site for trailers and rigs. That area is called Parks Ranch Campgrounds. The site is for tents as the camp areas are fenced in with parking for regular size vehicles. The sign also recommends Chosa Campgrounds and Sunset Reef Campgrounds for trailers and rigs. Ranger is making patrols to make sure the guidelines are being followed.

This is a nice lake with cottonwood trees around it. Road in had been graded and was nice and smooth. The water level was really high and I am guessing some of the sites were under water as there was trees offshore 30 to 50 feet. You are exposed to wind and the sun so bring a shade structure if you need to. Campfires are not allowed. Vault toilets are located near the boat ramps and were fully stocked and clean. The pin takes you to the one side of the lake. You will pass a few sites and a boat ramp on the way to the location and there is more site further down the road till you get to the loop at the end. Camping is only allowed between the lake and the road. The road in off of the pavement is nice. I spent 5 days here and loved it. Was pretty quiet.

The GPS pin locates the 2nd of 2 camping areas. The road to access them is closed. You can park in the gravel lot and walk up to the 2 areas and camp if you like. The gravel lot is surrounded by big boulders to keep vehicle from going out of the parking area. There are no facilities at all here or shade. You can camp here for 14 days which is longer than the sites across the road which have been reduced from 7 to 5 days. At the end of the 2nd camping area is a nice hiking trail which goes through 2 washes and ends at the back of the canyon.

New Sign on the side of the road right off the highway says trailers not recommeded pass it. The sign states camping is only allowed in designated campsites which are roped off with cable down by the loop near the caves which are also fenced in. Trailers and rigs are recommended to go to Sunset Reef Campgrounds or Chosa Campgrounds. The Ranger was making patrols to make sure new regulations are being followed.

Loved the site. It was very quiet and could not hear any noise from the highway. There are 2 areas to camp in. Both have a small area to park in and the camp areas are roped in with cable. One area has 2 fire/grill rings and the other has 1. Both area are dirt pads for tents. There are no trash cans or dumpsters. Pack it in, pack it out. No pit toilets, picnic tables, or shade structures. Make sure to bring everything you will need i.e. water, food, shelter, portable toilet, etc. Nearest town is Whites City 7 miles away with a small store and Wal-Mart is in Carlsbad 25 miles away.

The stay limit has changed from 7 to 5 days. Great camping right next to the lake. There are dumpsters down at the boat ramp and vault toilets near there to. There are a total of 10 gates as they are called which are loops to the campsites. Not much shade where I stayed so if you are going here bring a shade structure of some sort. Stayed 5 days over Memorial Day Weekend. It was not bad and was a bit busy but nothing out of the ordinary. After the weekend crowd left it was nice and peaceful.