Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights67 sites open for every nightA forested campground near fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. RV fit varies by site.
Cottonwood Recreation Area sits just downstream of Gavins Point Dam on the western shore of Lake Yankton, a smaller, calmer counterpoint to the much larger Lewis and Clark Lake upstream (the main reservoir impounded by Gavins Point covers roughly 31,400 acres and more than 90 miles of shoreline). The campground itself contains 75 reservable sites, each configured to accommodate both RVs and tents and equipped with electrical hookups; two modern shower houses with flush toilets serve campers.

















Length limits vary by campsite.
Showers on site.
Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 74 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 46 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 69 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 33 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 20 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 61 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 31 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 18 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 30 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 56 standard electric |
Hookups (individual campsites): 74 electric individual sites.
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
Open in Google Maps ↗
Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (493 reviews, ★ 5.0). Not written or edited by us.
“We love camping here because its always so peaceful and quiet and it has tons of bike trails to ride our bikes on and the showers and bathroom are always so very clean! Thank you!”
“Soooo good! Beautiful place. We will definitely be back!”
“Love camping @ cottonwood the hosts are friendly and very helpful Would recommend this campground to anyone”
| – |
| $20 |
| 68 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 43 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 52 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 41 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 25 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 42 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 21 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 11 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 17 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 27 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 76 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 72 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 12 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 54 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 50 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 77 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 19 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 58 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 36 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 23 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 47 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 49 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 70 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 51 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 39 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 28 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 22 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 75 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 13 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
| 03 standard electric | – | – | $20 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights67 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights154 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights10 sites open for every nightRentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 75 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Travel trailer · 37 ft · sleeps 10 · 2 mi from campground
$150/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 33 ft · sleeps 10 · 59 mi from campground
$135/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 22 ft · sleeps 5 · 60 mi from campground
$99/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rentalstays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).
For June weekends, book about 161 days ahead. Three in four June Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 98 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 32 days ahead | 104 days ahead | 22 days ahead | 95 days ahead |
| May | 47 days ahead | 147 days ahead | 51 days ahead | 164 days ahead |
| June | 98 days ahead | 161 days ahead | 87 days ahead | 176 days ahead |
| July | 76 days ahead | 160 days ahead | 57 days ahead | 174 days ahead |
| August | 55 days ahead | 160 days ahead | 45 days ahead | 179 days ahead |
| September | 28 days ahead | 124 days ahead | 16 days ahead | 84 days ahead |
| October | 18 days ahead | 61 days ahead | 11 days ahead | 49 days ahead |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (25,768 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.
74 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent or RV, with power
74 sites · $20, $22/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15