New Campground at Hartford Beach State Park Opens

PIERRE, S.D. – One of South Dakota’s oldest state parks has a brand new campground. Harford Beach State Park’s East Campground will be open for campers this weekend.

“The new 57-site campground will allow more visitors to enjoy the beauty and historical significance of Hartford Beach,” said Park Manager Jeff Nodsle. “The new sites have a panoramic overview of Big Stone Lake.”

The new campground is located one-half mile east and about 80 feet higher in elevation than the original West Campground. The new campsites include two paved handicap accessible sites, and all sites feature 50-amp electrical hookups. A new camper dump station and a comfort station with two family shower rooms serve the additional visitors to the park.

Other areas of the park have also been improved. The disc golf course between the two campgrounds has been redesigned and has a convenient new parking area for course users. In addition, changes were made to the original West Campground to expand the space between campsites and provide more parking.

Campsites have been re-numbered to reflect the changes. Campground maps are available online at www.gfp.sd.gov.

— From a state Game, Fish and Parks Department news release