Cold Brook Campground
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- A night
- $18From, per site
- Sites
- 1312 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 3 notices
In the agency’s own words
Located less than 1 mile north of Hot Springs, South Dakota sits one of the area's most perferred campgrounds. At the south end of Cold Brook Campground sits Cold Brook Lake, a popular destination for those looking to take a swim at the beach, snorkel in the crystal clear water or wet a line while trying to catch a variety of fish species. At the north end of the campground sits a wildlife area with a two-track trail that is good for a morning stroll or a short bike ride with the possibility of seeing wildlife. Keep reading
Recreation
Cold Brook Lake is about 33 acres in size and it provides a quiet opportunity to wet a line and possibly catch a large mouth bass, northern pike, catfish, carp, rainbow trout, or various pan fish. Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, or any other small non-gas motorized boat can commonly be seen on the lake. As the summer heats up, the beach tends to be a popular hangout for both locals and tourists. The non-motorized two-track path in the wildlife area is a great spot for a short hike or letting pets enjoy being off a leash. Other popular outdoor recreational opportunities include picnicking, playing at the playground, wildlife viewing, photography, and archery hunting. Archery hunting is permitted in designated areas only and both hunting and fishing regulations are established and enforced by the State of South Dakota.
Facilities
Cold Brook Campgrounds features 12 primitive campsites with no water or electric hook-ups. Potable water is available in the main part of the campground across from the camp host. The camp host is available to greet visitors and help with any questions they may have. Sites 12 and 13 are right on the lake while the rest of the sites are a short drive or walk to the lake. In the recreation area there is a boat ramp, beach, picnic shelters, vault toilets, archery range, fire rings, grills and a playground. The use of gas motors on the lake is strictly prohibited.
Natural Features
Located in the Southern Black Hills of South Dakota, construction of Cold Brook Dam began in 1949 and was completed in 1953, under the Flood Control Act of 1941. Although the dam was originally built for flood control, it has created a park with approximately 450 acres of public lands and water that provides a variety of benefits to both the public and wildlife. Once here you will see how the rugged hills, crystal clear water and evergreen trees create a picturesque site. Contact Info This location is staffed. Please call (605) 745-5476 to speak with local staff.
Nearby Attractions
Popular nearby attractions include: Black Hills National Forest Wind Cave National Park The Mammoth Site Evans Plunge Jewel Cave National Monument Charges & Cancellations Reservation changes and cancellations can be made on Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. For more information on rules and policies regarding reservation cancellations and changes, please visit: https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies .
What the agency tells you
- All camping passes will be checked. Usable passes are as follows: America the Beautiful pass Senior annual, Senior Lifetime and Access Pass. Golden Age and Golden Access can also be used. Military and Annual Passes CAN NOT be used for a camping discount. - Use of gasoline motors on Cold Brook Lake is strictly prohibited. Only vessels with non-motorized or electric-motors may be used on Cold Brook Lake. - Maximum Camping Stay: Each person and camping unit is limited to 14-days in a 30-day period. - Campsites are limited to either: (a) One (1) wheeled camping unit and one (1) small tent for dependents OR (b) Two (2) Tents per campsite. - Camping is only permitted in designated campsites. - All motor vehicles are restricted to designated roadways and parking areas only, off-road travel is prohibited. - Vehicles may only be parked in designated parking areas or on campsite pad, no parking along roadways or in a manner that restricts or prohibits traffic flow. Vehicles parked in campsites are restricted to two (2) wheels on gravel, two (2) on grass. - Fireworks are strictly prohibited. All fires must be contained within designated fire rings or grills. - All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs/UTVs), golf carts and dirt bikes are prohibited, unless licensed and street legal. - Pets are allowed, but must be on a leash no longer than six (6') in length within campground. All pet waste must be properly disposed of promptly. Pets may be off-leash within wildlife area. - All public-use of Coldbrook Lake & Dam Project is governed by Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) . - For more information, please contact the Corps of Engineers, Hot Springs Office at 605-745-5476.
Firewood Alert! Don't Move Firewood: Due to the spread of invasive insects, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Help protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit DontMoveFirewood.org for further information.
Protect Your Waters! Attention Boaters, Paddlers and Anglers: Do your part to help stop the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) by remembering to always Clean, Drain, and Dry! Visit SDLeastWanted.com for more information.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 13
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Little
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…is a boat ramp, beach, picnic shelters, vault toilets, archery range, fire rings, grills and a…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…with no water or electric hook-ups. Potable water is available in the main part of the campground…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Playground
- Yes
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Hot springs, Lake, Beach
- Birding
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Picnicking
- Swimming
- Water access
- Wildlife viewing
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
recreation.gov lists 12 of the 13 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $18 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“Reservation changes and cancellations can be made on Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. For more information on rules and policies regarding reservation cancellations and changes, please visit: https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies.” · this campground’s own terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
13 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 12 mapped sitesAll 13 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 12 of the 13 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| 1 | 1 | standard nonelectric | 80 ft | 128 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 10 | standard nonelectric | 108 ft | 309 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 11 | standard nonelectric | 108 ft | 248 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 2 | standard nonelectric | 67 ft | 102 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 3 | standard nonelectric | 61 ft | 134 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 4 | standard nonelectric | 58 ft | 104 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 5 | standard nonelectric | 58 ft | 155 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 6 | standard nonelectric | 94 ft | 122 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 7 | standard nonelectric | 70 ft | 154 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 8 | standard nonelectric | 70 ft | 93 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 9 | type not stated | |||
| 2 | 12 | standard nonelectric | 108 ft | 86 ftCold Brook Reservoir | $18 |
| 2 | 13 | standard nonelectric | 108 ft | 48 ftCold Brook Reservoir | $18 |
OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Cottonwood Springs Campground4.3 mi
Elk Mountain CampgroundWind Cave National Park · 7.2 mi
Comanche ParkBlack Hills National Forest · 22 miComanche Park CampgroundBlack Hills National Forest · 22 mi
Bismark Lake22 mi
Iron Creek Horse Camp25 miFrom Rapid City, SD take US-79 South, turn right onto US-18 W/US-385N, follow US-385N through Hot Springs, shortly after the speed limit increases to 35mph turn left onto Badger Clark Road, at the T-intersection turn right onto Evans Street, follow that road as it takes a sharp curve to the left, then as the road splits stay to the right and go up the hill and lastly the road will turn to gravel, follow this to the campground and day use area.
From Chadron, NE take US-385 North, turn left onto US-18 W/US-385N through Hot Springs, shortly after the speed limit increases to 35mph turn left onto Badger Clark Road, at the T-intersection turn right onto Evans Street, follow that road as it takes a sharp curve to the left, then as the road splits stay to the right and go up the hill and lastly the road will turn to gravel, follow this to the campground and day use area. 12814-12826 Cold Brook Road Hot Springs, SD 57747.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Hot Springs, SD
Typical weather
Typical October night 33°F, day 65°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 14°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Cold Brook Campground is in South Dakota’s at-large congressional district. Its representative, Dusty Johnson (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →