Our new favorite!!
We stayed in the west (older) campground because we have a smaller camper and it is beautiful with LOTS of huge old trees for shade. The campground host was friendly and kept the bathrooms spotless. There were at least 4-5 hiking trails and we walked all of them, highly recommended! Our spot was right on the lake and our fire ring was fairly secluded and private, we loved the place!!
Paul
8/10/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
4.9
Hartford
Awesome park with all the amenities. Staff was great, park was clean and campsites were nice and shaded
Ranger
8/3/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Very nice clean car clean bathrooms doing a great job
Tony
7/31/2026
Satisfied
Happy Camper
7/30/2026
Excellent
Kmikesh
7/30/2026
Excellent experience
Many upgrades to the trails. Great signage and maintenance
JM
7/29/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Favorite Destination
Hartford remains a favorite state park destination! Great trails although we picked up a lot of ticks on the prairie trail. Nice shady campsite. Dump station paving improvements are appreciated.
Happy Camper
7/27/2026
Midweeker
Retired camper
7/27/2026
Great, except for the weather
Reservation
7/27/2026
If only the heat would've stayed away
We camped in the West campground, right on the lake. I wish we had been warned about the hills, since it affected our choice of campsights, and they don't show very much online. But our view was wonderful! The campground is very clean and well-maintained. The swimming beach is a must see; I could have spent a day there! Due to the heat (which SD does not have control over) we stayed in our air conditioned trailer more than we would have liked, but we plan on coming again.
CatMamma
7/25/2026
Overall Experience
4.8
Services
4.7
Facilities
4.6
Great experience
SDHunter13
7/23/2026
Peaceful
MomOfBoys
7/23/2026
Perfect Amount of Trees
Spot 44E had a lovely tree canopy and an open area underneath it big enough for a large tent! Much needed when it was 90°+ outside!
MomOfBoys
7/23/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
4.9
Well Maintained!
MomOfBoys
7/23/2026
Well Maintained!
MomOfBoys
7/23/2026
Great Time
Hartford is a great place to camp. We were in the top campground. Kept very clean, all the grounds. Bathrooms were spotless. Quiet. Will definately go back.
MJH
7/23/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Great time o
We rented cabins 1 & 2 plus the camper pads for our family reunion. We all loved it and had a lot of fun.
Tina
7/18/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Hot weather, great park
Dad! I have to poop!
7/17/2026
very nice
We had three campsites, which were all on one side of the road. Since there were no fire pits on that site, we switched the sites to utilize a fire pit in the middle of the park. Switching was very easy, though, since they had some open spaces.
Richard
7/16/2026
Overall Experience
4.8
Services
5.0
Facilities
4.4
Love SD State Parks
Love this park. I wish the hose for filling fresh water tank was not so narrow. Took quite awhile to get our tank full because of slow stream.
Barb
7/14/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
The 4th
It was a well kept park with lots of room around your camper. The mosquitoes were bad and wished they had sprayed.
Pat
7/9/2026
Overall Experience
3.8
Services
3.5
Facilities
3.7
super clean facility
I have to compliment that hosts of the east campground. They welcomed me back (remembered me from a couple weeks before). They keep the park so picked up and clean. Enjoyed my week stay.
fremontrat
7/8/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Hartford Beach State Park
Leveler camp pads
K and P
7/5/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
4.9
Our favorite park
Hartford is our favorite campground. We look forward to visiting multiple times every year.
Snmiller
6/29/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Super clean park
The hosts this year are doing a fabulous job. Everything is so clean and well kept.
Fremontrat
6/25/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Great place
The hiking trails were wonderful, however the maps show a trapper cabin and there isn’t one. This was confusing because all the signs said there was one
Local Camper
6/25/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Excellent
Lolly
6/18/2026
Cabin 1
Everything was great except the air conditioner let out a bad small - musty rotten kind of smell
Jess
6/17/2026
Overall Experience
4.8
Services
5.0
Facilities
4.4
Hartford State Park stay
1959
6/10/2026
Great Park!
Jill
6/5/2026
Great time
Beautiful campground friendly staff. Checked on us every day. The only thing i would change, is add more camping cabins
Jimmy D
6/4/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
4.5
Facilities
5.0
Hartford beach
Clean well cared for park, I will be staying there again in the future
Russ
6/1/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
4.6
Vault toilets very clean and smelled good
35E
5/28/2026
Bad trail signs
All these trail signs leading to historic places like a prehistoric village and all they were nothing but mown grass, no history markers, nothing, and quite the hike. Very misleading. The west campground was unlevel including the pads and the fie put areas. Super dmall turn atound area if you have a 5th wheel. Go to the east campground, very nice and level
Csnt be real
5/28/2026
Overall Experience
2.8
Services
5.0
Facilities
3.0
Excellent facilities. Wonderful staff!
slenk
5/25/2026
Excellent facilities.
slenk
5/25/2026
Beautiful cabins. Lovely park.
We had a very peaceful visit. The cabin was amazing--clean, comfortable, quiet euth a great view of Big Stone Lake. The deck was ideal for birdwatching.
Milo
5/19/2026
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Ok
With the amount of campers in the west campground I can’t believe the comfort station wasn’t open yet!
Walleye slayer
5/6/2026
Overall Experience
3.8
Services
5.0
Facilities
2.5
Nice me campground
Restrooms not open for the season. I think prices should be reduced when facilities are not available. Dump station not usable.
Camper
4/30/2026
Overall Experience
4.3
Services
5.0
Hartford Beach
SD Outdoors
4/30/2026
Beautiful Park
Hikers
4/24/2026
No discharge deflector on mower
Personal were mowing around our campsite with a riding lawnmower. There was no discharge deflection device on it. You could look in and see the blades spinning as he went by. My concern was for people or equipment to get hit.
Concerned Camper
9/28/2025
Overall Experience
4.3
Services
4.0
Facilities
5.0
Nice stay
This park is gorgeous. So well maintained and so much to do. The trails are amazing. Campground Host was always on the move to keep tabs on things.
Kamping Kween
9/25/2025
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Hartford Beach
Bobcat
9/10/2025
After labor day
This is usually my favorite park but this year when we arrived we were met by the campground host in the east campground. I have never met anyone so rude and unwelcoming as this man. The last job title he should have is host. I truly believe he has no idea what a host is supposed to be like or do. I will never camp he again if he is even in the same park.
Sydney
9/8/2025
Overall Experience
3.5
Services
3.0
Facilities
4.4
Garbage Cans
We enjoy the disc golf course at Hartford Beach and we play twice a day for 5 days. Beautiful course! Only problem there are no garbage cans on the course.
Year12
9/5/2025
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
4.7
annual labor day trip
We have been going to Hartford Beach for Labor Day going on 15 years now and always have a great time. We go disc golfing every year when we are there and there always was trash cans about every 3 holes, but this year there were no trash cans anywhere. We put our trash in our bag/coolers until we get back to our campsite but I think would be a good idea to put trash cans back out there as there was a lot more trash around the course now. Also maybe I missed them or didn't see the fliers but usually over the Labor Day Weekend there are special activities for the kids and I didn't see any of that this year.
steck
9/5/2025
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
4.7
Facilities
4.0
Overnight not enough
This is a scenic summer campground that offers hiking and lots of water sports. Motorhomes are definitely not the RV choice; trailers with families rule. One night is not enough time to appreciate the amenities. Some flies and mosquitos are ecer present. Be prepared. Staff seem to be om duty in the afternoon, no one around in the morning. Would wish the daily fee be added to the camping fee. Obviously one is using the the park to camp thus the extra day fee seems a bit underhanded.
Land cruiser
9/3/2025
Overall Experience
4.8
Services
5.0
Beautiful Park and Site
We had the best view from our rustic cabin. However, the cabin had a foul odor the whole stay. We couldn’t find where it was coming from, nor did anything work to get rid of it.
SDReview
8/20/2025
Overall Experience
4.8
Services
4.6
Facilities
3.9
Nice Park
This Park is very well maintained! It's clean and staff is friendly. My only complaint is the kids, as young as 3ish, driving golf carts and side by sides. They were not paying attention to anything. I would rather the park be no UTV/ATV/Carts then experience what we did again.
Chevy
8/19/2025
Overall Experience
4.3
Services
5.0
Facilities
5.0
Large sites
Wondering camper
8/18/2025
Review of honesty!
Alright I know everyone has a bad day once in a while. But when you are the campground host you have to maintain a level of professionalism at all times. It doesn’t matter if you had a bad day or not you have to treat all guests with respect and as they maybe don’t know every single rule about a state park! Some guests are seasoned with the state park and some other guests it could be their first time! So instead of yelling and threatening them maybe a more gently approach and professional approach would be better. Because once we got called out it really did ruin the whole vibe for the weekend and we couldn’t wait to leave. We love this state park and we love to come whenever we can! But to be so stern and yell at guests is just uncalled for, for something SO silly! It wasn’t even a big deal but the way it was brought up to us was unkind and not necessary.
Pe@CocKF@n!
8/15/2025
Overall Experience
5.0
Services
1.0
Facilities
4.3
Soggy sites
Park has great walking trails, especially Aspen Springs Trail (second only to Sica Hollow). Bath house and vaulted toilet were clean; park was mowed and looked nice. Our sites were below sea level and soggy with standing water almost all four days we were there. They never dried up and made for less than ideal conditions. With all the water, mosquitoes were really bad, but then who would have guessed there would be Noah's Ark-level rain in the area this summer.
Jacks
8/13/2025
Overall Experience
4.0
Services
5.0
Facilities
3.8