Cottonwood Springs Campground
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- A night
- $18From, per site
- Sites
- 1817 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 5 notices
In the agency’s own words
Located just 5 miles west of Hot Springs, SD is a hidden gem of a campground. Cottonwood Springs Campground is a quiet, peaceful campground tucked away in the southern part of the Black Hills of South Dakota. It offers beautiful scenic views within a short walk of each campsite. Keep reading
Recreation
While Cottonwood Springs Lake is a small lake, it provides a quiet opportunity to wet a line and possibly catch a large mouth bass, rainbow trout, or various pan fish. Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, or any other small non-gas motorized boat can commonly be seen on the lake. The non-motorized gravel path in the wildlife area is a great spot for a short hike or for 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
Cottonwood Springs Campground features 17 primitive campsites with no water or electric hook-ups. Amenities like potable water, flush toilets, and a playground are provided to help increase camping experience. A camp host is also on site to greet visitors and help with any questions they may have. Access to Cottonwood Springs Lake is only a mile drive from the campground. The boat ramp at the lake is steep, limiting the size of the boat being able to be put in and no gas motors are permitted. Picnic shelters, grills, potable water, flush toilets, and a playground are also located near the lake.
Natural Features
Located in the Southern Black Hills of South Dakota, construction of Cottonwood Springs Dam began in 1968 and was completed in 1969. Cottonwood Springs Dam began construction in 1968 and was completed in 1969. Although the dam was originally built for flood control, it has created a park with approximately 600 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 and evergreen trees create a picturesque site.
Nearby Attractions
Popular nearby attractions include: Wind Cave National Park Black Hills National Forest The Mammoth Site Evans Plunge Buffalo Gap National Grassland Jewel Cave National Monument Badlands National Park Custer State Park Crazy Horse Memorial Mount Rushmore National Memorial Contact Info This location is staffed. Please call (605) 745-5476 to speak with local staff.
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 Park Rules and Regulations: - 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. - All public-use of Cottonwood Springs Lake & Dam Project is governed by Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) . Rules and Regulations are enforced by uniformed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Rangers. - Maximum Camping Stay: Each person and camping unit is limited to 14-days in a 30-day period. - All campsites are 100 percent reservable with a zero day booking This means you can check and reserve your campsite on the same day you are planning to camp. However, by that time all campsites might already be booked and not available. - 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 on 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-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. - Quiet hours are from 10:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. - All fires must be contained within designated fire rings or grills. - All visitors must properly dispose of all garbage in designated containers. Do not place garbage in fire rings or grills. - Use of gasoline motors on Cottonwood Lake is strictly prohibited. - Archery hunting is permitted within designated areas during open seasons in accordance with South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks rules and regulations. - Fishing, boating and hunting rules and regulations apply and are enforced by South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks . - In case of Emergency, Dial 9-1-1. - For more information, please contact the Corps of Engineers, Hot Springs Office at 605-745-5476.
Life Jackets Worn…Nobody Mourns, Wear your Life Jacket! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) asks you to please play it safe while on, in, or near the water. USACE public recreation fatality statistics show that 88 percent were male, 89 percent were not wearing a life jacket, and 47 percent were swimming in areas not designated as a swimming area. Most people that drown would have survived if they had worn a life jacket. Life jackets come in many styles, sizes, and colors. Choose the right one that fits you properly and make sure to wear it correctly. There is a life jacket for every kind of water activity including swimming. For more information, please visit www.PleaseWearIt.com .
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.
Everything else this campground posts · 2
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.
Be Weather Aware! Weather conditions can vary and can change rapidly year-round. Tune to local media or radio for weather alerts or visit the National Weather Service - Rapid City Office Website for up-to-date information.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 18
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 67 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Little
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- “…hook-ups. Amenities like potable water, flush toilets, and a playground are provided to help increase…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…or electric hook-ups. Amenities like potable water, flush toilets, and a playground are provided to…”
- 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
- Birding
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Picnicking
- Water access
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 23rd darkest of 52 in SD
- Bortle 3
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
recreation.gov lists 17 of the 18 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
18 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 17 mapped sitesAll 18 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 17 of the 18 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 17 of the 18 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 | 56 ft | 78 ft | 966 ft | 158 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 10 | standard nonelectric | 54 ft | 50 ft | 600 ft | 211 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 11 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 53 ft | 692 ft | 157 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 12 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 46 ft | 742 ft | 143 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 13 | standard nonelectric | 56 ft | 33 ft | 753 ft | 155 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 14 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 33 ft | 739 ft | 170 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 15 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 45 ft | 735 ft | 196 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 16 | standard nonelectric | 67 ft | 45 ft | 749 ft | 210 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 17 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 58 ft | 779 ft | 227 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 18 | standard nonelectric | 64 ft | 81 ft | 860 ft | 196 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 2 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft | 76 ft | 941 ft | 162 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 3 | type not stated | |||||
| 1 | 4 | standard nonelectric | 66 ft | 76 ft | 871 ft | 133 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 5 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | 45 ft | 618 ft | 350 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 6 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 45 ft | 578 ft | 351 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 7 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 72 ft | 627 ft | 279 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 8 | standard nonelectric | 49 ft | 61 ft | 555 ft | 320 ft | $18 |
| 1 | 9 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 50 ft | 574 ft | 246 ft | $18 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Cold Brook Campground4.3 mi
Elk Mountain CampgroundWind Cave National Park · 9.7 mi
Comanche ParkBlack Hills National Forest · 22 miComanche Park CampgroundBlack Hills National Forest · 22 mi
Bismark Lake24 mi
Iron Creek Horse Camp27 mi- From Rapid City, SD take US-79 S, turn right onto US-18 W/US-385N, turn left onto US-18 BYP, turn left onto US-18W, take a right on County Road 17/Memorial Road, stay to the left as the road Y's staying on Couny Road 17 and then enter Cottonwood Springs by taking a right at the gate.
- From Chadron, NE take US-385 N, turn left onto US-18 W/US-385N, turn left onto US-18 BYP, turn left onto US-18W, take a right on County Road 17/Memorial Road, stay to the left as the road Y's staying on County Road 17 and then enter Cottonwood Springs by taking a right at the gate.
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
Cottonwood Springs 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 →