Cottonwood Campground

One of the best campgrounds. Scenic, on a backwater of the Missouri. Excellent bathrooms.
A few too many kids, but not really a problem.

We stayed here for one night in late-September while on a 7-day trip throughout the Midwest. We were located on Site # 59 which offered a very level blacktop pad, a lakefront view, fire ring, picnic table and 50 amp electrical service.

it looked as though some of the sites may have been pretty close to one another, but it wasn't an issue during our early fall Sunday night stay.

Since it rained during our stay we were pretty limited on the amount of exploration we did around the campground, but we did get to watch some football while we fruitlessly waited for the rain to stop. The OTA television antenna displayed 3 of the 5 possible signal strength bars and was able to pull in local CBS, FOX and NBC channels.

At our site, 59, we had 3 unboosted bars of Verizon and 2 bars on the ATT phone.

The only potable water available at the campground was from a spigot collocated with the dump station which is a mile or so outside of the campground, so it is convenient to fill up with water and empty your black & Grey tanks on the way in.

What a great place!

Sites are spacious and our "prime" site has a stunning lake view. Sites are gravel, include 30/50 amp electric, picnic table and fire ring/grill. Sites have electricity and drinking water spigots are placed throughout the park as well as 3 drinking water stations at the dump station (also has 3 bays) about a mile from the campground. Very well kept, quiet, clean park and bathrooms/showers are immaculate. We arrived on a Sunday and during the week it wasn't busy at all but weekends fill up. The park is below the Gavins Point Dam and the small lake that borders the campground is a great place for kayaks/canoes and fishing. The large Lewis & Clark Lake is on the other side of the dam, great recreation area.

Since it's a COE park we used our Golden Age Passes and for $9.00 a night it's an unbeatable value!

Nice park but the mosquitoes will eat you alive morning, noon, and night, even with bug spray with deet they’ll get you. Too bad.

Nightly rate was for a premium spot on the lake using our America The Beautiful pass. Read the reviews and you will get the idea.

Lots of amenities in nearby Yankton. Really clean campground....nice restrooms and showers. Enjoyed chatting with rangers at visitor center on Nebraska side of the dam.

This COE park is well kept with large sites and lots of open green space. Our site was lakefront with a beautiful view of Lake Yankton. The park is very well kept with clean bathrooms. Electric only. There is much to see in the area of Lewis and Clark Lake and we rode the many miles of bike paths along the shore.

A very clean and well maintained COE campground! Makes up for the last one I stayed at plus some! We were here for a week and enjoyed visiting some used furniture stores in town. We were able to find a new table top for our camper here and with help from store clerk and a little elbow grease we enlarged the dining area in our TC. The host is very engaged and helpful. We were one of a few campers who stayed more than a couple of nights. The entire area is developed for campers and boaters as you are sleeping under the dam that holds back the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark Lake! It wasn’t until the last night that I gave this any thought! If you like COE camping and the campground vibe then this is one for you!

What a beautiful place! $16 for regular, $18 for premium (waterfront). Electric only. It was incredible. Easy access. Only thing I would say that there are 2 ways in, one is through town the other is over the dam. We had a large travel trailer coming the other way over the main line and we barely made it, very narrow. Wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t for the travel trailer but why risk it when the other way is so easy.

Very Nice CoE Campground on Lewis & Clark Lake... Typical CoE electric only but water readily available including dump station at entrance. The dump station was great with 3 stations for dumping and 3 for potable water. If coming from the north on I-29, do not follow GPS east on SD 46 (locals call this Irene road). It is the worst paved road we have ever encountered. Continue south to SD 50 which goes through Vermillion.