September 23, 2007 – Lewis and Clark Lake

Our travels today took us into southeastern South Dakota and the countryside is still beautiful (and the wind is still strong).

We set up camp at Lewis and Clark Lake (SD state park) right on the lakefront.

Here is a picture of the lake:
We then traveled over to the visitor center at the Dam. There is a series of dams set up on the Missouri River to help in flood control as well as irrigation. This visitor center is run by both the Army Corp of Engineers and the National Park Service and had some great information and exhibits about Lewis and Clark and this area.

We spent some time talking to the two volunteers at the center and got lots of information on the Army Corp of Engineers camping areas throughout the country. (Many of the camping books and tour books that I have do not include these campgrounds and I am not sure why!) One of the volunteers saw all the pins on Andy’s hat and gave him an official park service pin on Lewis and Clark National Historic trail – that was so great!


Here is a picture of the dam:

And the Missouri River after the dam:

One of the things we learned is that there is a campground right by the dam run by the Corp. (for a lot less than we are paying at the state park.) So depending on the weather we may move there tomorrow.

We then traveled thru Yankton – what a quaint place. Maybe more exploring tomorrow???

One last note (and I am not usually a negative person) but the SD state parks charge a daily fee in addition to the camping fees. I have no problem paying a fee but I think it should be like the federal parks (good for seven days) especially if you are camping. Now you can buy a yearly pass but for those of us just passing thru, it is not cost effective. There are some parks in PA that charge a fee but it is waived if you are camping. So although the park we are at is beautiful, it becomes more expensive than one offering more amenities. (Enough said!)


Miles Traveled: 79
Routes Traveled:
South Dakota: MT-37; MT-50; MT-52