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Family-Friendly Improvements Would Make Cow Creek Even Better

We absolutely love camping at Cow Creek Recreation Area! The access to beautiful Lake Oahe, along with the incredible scenery throughout the Cow Creek/Spring Creek Peninsula, makes it a great place for families to enjoy the outdoors. That being said, I believe the area is missing a few key features and improvements that would make it even better for families and campers: 1. Where is the playground? Neither Cow Creek nor Spring Creek currently has a playground for children. It seems like nearly every other state park we have visited has some type of playground or designated area for kids to safely play. We have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, and they would absolutely love having a playground where they could burn off some energy and have fun while we enjoy the campground. 2. Where is the swim beach? Both Cow Creek and Spring Creek provide great access to the lake for boating, but there is no designated swim beach. If we want to find a sandy beach area for the kids to safely swim and play in the water, we have to travel over to Okobojo. Please consider adding a designated playground and a safe, easily accessible swim beach somewhere on the Cow Creek/Spring Creek Peninsula. These additions would be a tremendous improvement for families and would make an already beautiful recreation area even more enjoyable. 3. The dump station needs to be improved. With the size and popularity of the campground, having only one dump station is simply not enough to handle the volume of campers on a busy weekend. Lines can quickly build up, creating long wait times for campers trying to leave the park. Adding another dump lane/station or expanding the existing facility would go a long way toward improving the overall camping experience and better serving the number of campers using the area. We love spending time at Cow Creek and would love to see the area continue to grow and improve for future generations of campers and families. These improvements would make an already great recreation area even more family-friendly, convenient, and enjoyable. Thank you for considering these suggestions!

 SDCampingRocks
9/11/2026

Nice campground

This is a nice campground and it hardly ever fills up. It's nice to know that there are a few places you can count on getting a site on short notice. This is a boat fishing campground, meaning there isn't a good way to shore fish, and there is nothing for kids to do. That being said, we noticed several instances of people being asked to move their boat so one tire is on gravel. We also noticed that some people were simply "overlooked" when they were parked totally on the grass. It makes no sense to me, but it must to someone, I guess. There are several "group" sites that aren't big enough for a group but they are very private. There is only a table and fire ring available at these sites, but we have enjoyed them in the past.

 Happycamper
9/10/2026

It was great.

Great place

 Golden,colorado
8/12/2026

Awesome stay

Camp host are awesome shower rooms and bathrooms are clean

 Werff
8/9/2026

Cow Creek a good place to stay

I liked everything about Cow Creek except: We reserved a site and it was wonderful. We ended up with 7campers on the one site. I was a little disappointed that all 7 had to pay full price, when we shared a site and others who paid the same had a site to themselves. A group rate would have been appreciated.

 Tootsie
7/24/2026

Very nice

 Fisherman
7/15/2026

Awesome

The camp hosts were great, very friendly and helpful. As a fellow South Dakota resident, I’m very proud that we have folks like this representing our state parks.

 Nate
7/9/2026

Wet and buggy, but fun nonetheless

The riverfront sites at Cow Creek are great. Large yard areas and privacy. Even though the main road is just on the other side, it feels very secluded with the tree barrier. The park as a whole is small and intimate. However, the trees around site 34 were infested with small leaf beetles that are eating the tree leaves down to the veins. They encapsulated the camper during the day and are very attracted to people (they don’t bite, are just a nuisance), and got inside the camper so we brought them home. It was also very rainy while we were there, which they absolutely need in this drought, so made for a lot more indoor camper time. I do wish there were more defined paths at the riverfront sites down to the water for those of us that don’t have boats to fish that would just like to shore fish or walk the shoreline. The hosts, Jeannie and Randy, and absolutely amazing and ensure park safety and cleanliness. They really take pride in the work they are doing. Thank you for having us!

 DB
6/24/2026

Enjoyable time!

 D
6/21/2026

Diver

Enjoyed the new walking paths. Park host was helpful replacing a bad 50 amp receptacle.

 Diver
5/30/2026

Disliked

The grass wasn’t mowed which I believe should have been done for the holiday weekend. People just let their dogs run loose in the camping area, couldn’t be outside because the neighbor dog kept coming over.

 Chief
5/28/2026

Great Campsite

Had a number of people drive right through our camp site. One guy came driving down with a dog running beside him off leash. Other than that it was a great campsite.

 Ron Weasley
5/28/2026

Bathroom ligh timer at night turns off to quickly to shower

 Allen
5/21/2026

Good times

Would have liked to be able to get water but the handle was gone from the spigot. Would have liked to purchase fire wood but no one was available.

 Abbygal
5/15/2026

Cow Creek Cabin

Cow Creek cabins are a great place to stay, you are close to the water and there’s a restaurant nearby. The cabin we stayed in, had not been cleaned since the last campers were there. It was still a pleasant day, but would’ve been better had it been cleaned.

 C
5/10/2026

Camping Cabin

Reservation system could be easier to use. Should be able to go back one step to change date(s) etc rather than kick out and start over from beginning

 WA
10/12/2025