Cottonwood (NE)
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 2 of the next 2 nights read 15:03 UTC
- A night
- $20–$22Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 7776 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 4 notices
In the agency’s own words
Cottonwood Recreation Area is located just downstream of Gavins Point Dam and Lewis & Clark Lake along the western shore of Lake Yankton. The numerous outdoor recreational opportunities attract more than 2 million visitors annually to the Lewis & Clark Lake area, making it one of the most popular recreation destinations in the Upper Great Plains. Lewis & Clark Lake is 31,400-acres in size with more than 90 miles of shoreline is impounded by Gavins Point Dam, which was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944, commonly called the Pick-Sloan Plan. For more information about Lewis and Clark Lake, please visit the Gavins Point Project website . Keep reading
Recreation
Cottonwood Recreation Area is conveniently located between Lewis and Clark Lake and Lake Yankton. Lewis and Clark Lake is known for great boating, sailing, swimming and other water-based recreation activities. Lake Yankton is popular with families as a popular fishing spot along with the excellent kayaking, canoeing and paddling opportunities. Numerous paved, multi-use trails connect the area with the additional numerous recreation areas located along Lewis and Clark Lake, Lake Yankton and the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark Lake attracts more than 2 million visitors each year to its shores. Recreation opportunities around the lake include camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, sailing, swimming, bird-watching, and photography. For the biking and hiking enthusiasts, three trails are available in the area. They include a paved trail that runs from Yankton to the Gavins Point area, a multi-use trail in the Gavins Point area and the Calumet Bluff hiking trail located near the visitor center. Wintertime activities include ice fishing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and sledding. Developed public parks and recreation areas surround the lake above and below Gavins Point Dam. Camping facilities provided by the Corps and the States of South Dakota and Nebraska include marinas, boat ramps, trails, campsites with electricity, modern restrooms, playground equipment and trailer dump stations.
Facilities
All 77 campsites have electric hookups, and all sites are reservable. Two modern shower houses with flush toilets are available for campers. A playground, horseshoe pits and picnic shelter are available within the campground and the adjacent Day-Use Area has a large reservable picnic shelter, picnic area, accessible fishing dock, disc golf course and a boat ramp for access to Lake Yankton. Nearby Training Dike Day-Use Area has a popular swimming beach on Lake Yankton along with access to the Missouri River downstream of Gavins Point Dam. A RV dump station is located just north of Cottonwood Campground off of Toe Road.
Natural Features
Cottonwood Recreation Area is located in the in the lush golden chalkstone-lined Missouri River Valley. Many visitors to the lake area prefer to stay at Cottonwood because of the calmer, quieter waters of Lake Yankton, a much smaller lake of approximately 250-acres in size - versus the much larger Lewis and Clark Lake upstream of the dam. Lake Yankton provides excellent habitat for a variety of waterfowl and other bird species. The area abounds with wildlife including Whitetail Deer, turkeys, and other game species. Bald Eagles and other birds of prey are spotted by visitors regularly due to the great fishing opportunities available year-round. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (402) 667-2546.
Nearby Attractions
The Lewis and Clark Visitor Center : Contains exhibits on the Missouri River and area history including the Lewis and Clark Expedition with stunning views of Lewis and Clark Lake along with the Missouri River. Please contact the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center at (402) 667-2546 for more information. The Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery and Aquarium Visit nearby Yankton, South Dakota - the historic capitol of the Dakota Territory. Located both upstream and downstream of Lewis and Clark Lake, visit the Missouri National Recreational River .
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
Summary of Cottonwood Campground Rules and Policies: - Check-In Time is 4:00 P.M. / Check-Out Time is 2:00 P.M. - All campers must check-in and register with the campground host. - A maximum of eight (8) people are allowed per campsite and daily occupancy is required. - Each campsite is limited to a maximum of either: (a) One (1) wheeled camping unit and (2) two sleeping tents, OR (b) three (3) sleeping tents. - Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) applies to all visitors to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands and waters. - All vehicles are restricted to designated roadways and parking areas only, off-road travel is prohibited. - All vehicles must be parked on campsite pads or within designated parking areas only. All vehicles parked at campsites must have at least two wheels on the campsite pad, with a maximum of (2) two wheels permitted on grass. Vehicles may not be parked on or along roadways or in a manner that prohibits or restricts traffic flow. - Quiet hours are 10:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. - Fireworks are prohibited. - All pets must be on a leash of 6 feet in length or less. Pet waste must be picked up and properly disposed of promptly.
Firewood Alert: Don't Move Firewood! - Due to the spread of invasive insects (such as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)) firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Help protect your forests by purchasing near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Firewood is not available for sale on-site, however several local businesses sell firewood a short distance away, see the campground host or attendant for more information. - Visit DontMoveFirewood.org for more information.
Attention Boaters, Paddlers, and Anglers - Protect Your Waters! Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are present in Lewis & Clark Lake, Lake Yankton and the Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam - including Zebra Mussels and Bighead/Silver Carp. Do your part to help stop the spread of these and other aquatic invasives by remembering to always Clean, Drain, and Dry! For more information, click here. Special laws and regulations are currently in place to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS). For more information, click here .
Everything else this campground posts · 1
For questions or to contact park staff, please call: 402-667-2546 or email: gavinspoint.nwo@usace.army.mil. Reservations can not be made at this number.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 77
- Hookups
- 76 electric
- Longest rig
- 125 ft
- Paved pads
- 65 of 77
- Accessible sites
- 1
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- “…Two modern shower houses with flush toilets are available for campers. A playground, horseshoe…”
- Showers
- Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
- Shower/Bath Type states a shower on 72 campsite record(s) that are not a cabin, of this campground's 77
- Dump station
- Yes
- 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
- Lake, River, Beach
- Biking
- Birding
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Disc Golf
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Paddling
- Picnicking
- Playground Park Specialized Sport Site
- Water access
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 52nd darkest of 52 in SD
- Bortle 4
11 of 74 sites open on Sat, Oct 17read 15:03 UTC
recreation.gov lists 76 of the 77 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
OpenBooked
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 · 14
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $20–$22 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
recreation.gov availability, read 15:03 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
77 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 76 mapped sitesAll 77 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. 76 of the 77 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| NLOO | 01P | standard electric | 75 ft | 50 amp | 143 ft | 240 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 02P | standard electric | 76 ft | 50 amp | 88 ft | 97 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 03 | standard electric | 69 ft | 50 amp | 88 ft | 175 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 04P | standard electric | 48 ft | 50 amp | 93 ft | 94 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 05 | standard electric | 57 ft | 50 amp | 39 ft | 178 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 06P | standard electric | 60 ft | 50 amp | 56 ft | 76 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 07 | standard electric | 66 ft | 50 amp | 39 ft | 178 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 08P | standard electric | 64 ft | 50 amp | 56 ft | 88 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 09P | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | 59 ft | 100 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 10P | standard electric | 61 ft | 50 amp | 83 ft | 123 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 11 | standard electric | 71 ft | 50 amp | 82 ft | 219 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 12 | standard electric | 64 ft | 50 amp | 49 ft | 293 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 13 | standard electric | 46 ft | 50 amp | 49 ft | 339 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 14 | standard electric | 46 ft | 50 amp | 57 ft | 351 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 15 | standard electric | 32 ft | 50 amp | 50 ft | 376 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 16 | standard electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 57 ft | 371 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 17 | standard electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 61 ft | 434 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 18 | standard electric | 48 ft | 50 amp | 67 ft | 418 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 19 | standard electric | 49 ft | 50 amp | 59 ft | 492 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 20 | standard electric | 52 ft | 50 amp | 59 ft | 523 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 21 | standard electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 59 ft | 488 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 22 | standard electric | 69 ft | 50 amp | 67 ft | 580 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 23 | standard electric | 41 ft | 50 amp | 43 ft | 488 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 24 | standard electric | 63 ft | 50 amp | 66 ft | 590 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 25 | standard electric | 58 ft | 50 amp | 57 ft | 474 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 26 | standard electric | 66 ft | 50 amp | 66 ft | 599 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 27 | standard electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 43 ft | 525 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 28 | standard electric | 48 ft | 50 amp | 57 ft | 479 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 29 | standard electric | 48 ft | 50 amp | 38 ft | 436 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 30 | standard electric | 49 ft | 50 amp | 38 ft | 398 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 31 | standard electric | 99 ft | 50 amp | 92 ft | 312 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 32 | standard electric | 55 ft | 50 amp | 62 ft | 387 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 33 | standard electric | 66 ft | 50 amp | 62 ft | 345 ft | $20–$22 | |
| NLOO | 34 | standard electric | 51 ft | 50 amp | 67 ft | 287 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 35 | standard electric | 39 ft | 50 amp | 90 ft | 532 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 36 | standard electric | 60 ft | 50 amp | 70 ft | 533 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 37 | standard electric | 69 ft | 50 amp | 70 ft | 517 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 38 | standard electric | 61 ft | 50 amp | 83 ft | 378 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 39 | standard electric | 54 ft | 50 amp | 70 ft | 458 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 40 | standard electric | 60 ft | 50 amp | 91 ft | 284 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 41 | standard electric | 60 ft | 50 amp | 88 ft | 204 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 42 | standard electric | 66 ft | 50 amp | 88 ft | 125 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 43 | standard electric | 51 ft | 50 amp | 78 ft | 80 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 44 | standard electric | 73 ft | 50 amp | 63 ft | 158 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 45 | standard electric | 89 ft | 50 amp | 69 ft | 37 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 46 | standard electric | 55 ft | 50 amp | 69 ft | 90 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 47 | standard electric | 73 ft | 50 amp | 78 ft | 52 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 48 | standard electric | 46 ft | 50 amp | 71 ft | 109 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 49 | standard electric | 49 ft | 50 amp | 71 ft | 50 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 50 | standard electric | 43 ft | 50 amp | 48 ft | 106 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 51 | standard electric | 125 ft | 50 amp | 95 ft | 46 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 52 | standard electric | 41 ft | 50 amp | 48 ft | 130 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 53P | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | 53 ft | 42 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 54 | standard electric | 37 ft | 50 amp | 53 ft | 82 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 55 | standard electric | 34 ft | 50 amp | 50 ft | 112 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 56 | standard electric | 57 ft | 50 amp | 50 ft | 121 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 57P | standard electric | 80 ft | 50 amp | 78 ft | 32 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 58 | standard electric | 70 ft | 50 amp | 50 ft | 137 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 59P | standard electric | 61 ft | 50 amp | 65 ft | 50 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 60P | standard electric | 60 ft | 50 amp | 57 ft | 73 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 61 | standard electric | 51 ft | 50 amp | 59 ft | 166 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 62P | standard electric | 57 ft | 50 amp | 54 ft | 80 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 63 | standard electric | 58 ft | 50 amp | yes | 59 ft | 178 ft | $20–$22 |
| SLOO | 64P | standard electric | 52 ft | 50 amp | 36 ft | 91 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 65 | standard electric | 43 ft | 50 amp | 61 ft | 200 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 66P | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | 36 ft | 85 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 67 | standard electric | 63 ft | 50 amp | 109 ft | 171 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 68 | standard electric | 42 ft | 50 amp | 36 ft | 273 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 69 | standard electric | 55 ft | 50 amp | 64 ft | 267 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 70 | standard electric | 47 ft | 50 amp | 36 ft | 301 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 71 | standard electric | 37 ft | 50 amp | 70 ft | 371 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 72 | standard electric | 51 ft | 50 amp | 64 ft | 329 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 73 | type not stated | 53 ft | 50 amp | 257 ft | |||
| SLOO | 74 | standard electric | 52 ft | 50 amp | 65 ft | 266 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 75 | standard electric | 62 ft | 50 amp | 63 ft | 164 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 76 | standard electric | 47 ft | 50 amp | 71 ft | 187 ft | $20–$22 | |
| SLOO | 77 | standard electric | 49 ft | 50 amp | 71 ft | 130 ft | $20–$22 |
25 of 77 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Nebraska Tailwaters0.9 miGreen Island Primitive CampingMissouri National Recreational River · 4.0 mi
Bow Creek Primitive CampingMissouri National Recreational River · 18 mi
Goat Island Primitive CampingMissouri National Recreational River · 22 miFrom U.S. Hwy 81 in Yankton, South Dakota, drive four miles west on South Dakota Highway 52, then south on Dam Toe Road and follow signs.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Aten, NE
Typical weather
Typical October night 39°F, day 63°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 10°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
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Cottonwood (NE) 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 →