Campgrounds and RV parks near De Smet, SD

De Smet sits in Kingsbury County in eastern South Dakota's glacial lakes region, roughly an hour northwest of Brookings and about two hours from Sioux Falls. The town is best known as the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and camping options within a short drive range from a working living-history homestead to several full-service state recreation areas on large glacial lakes. The closest campground is Ingalls Homestead, on the original Wilder family claim about 1.5 miles from town, with a handful of RV sites plus covered wagons, a bunkhouse, and open tent camping on the prairie. For lake-based trips, Lake Thompson Recreation Area sits southwest of Lake Preston on one of the state's largest natural lakes. Other nearby options include Campground 1 - Lake Poinsett State Recreation Area about 14 miles northeast of Arlington, Lake Herman State Park on a peninsula near Madison, and Campground 2 - Oakwood Lakes State Park near Bruce, set among a group of connected glacial lakes.

South Dakota state park campsites, including those at Lake Thompson, Lake Poinsett, Lake Herman, and Oakwood Lakes, are booked through the Game, Fish and Parks reservation system at gooutdoorssouthdakota.com or by phone at 1.800.710.2267. Campsites, camping cabins, and picnic shelters open on a 90-day rolling window at 7 a.m. Central Time, while modern cabins, cabin suites, and lodges can be reserved up to one year in advance. All vehicles entering a South Dakota state park need a park entrance license, sold daily or annually and separate from the campsite fee. Ingalls Homestead handles camping reservations directly. The office takes phone and email bookings year-round, even while the grounds are closed in winter. RV sites, covered wagons, the bunkhouse, and tent camping are all reserved through the homestead rather than a state system.