Sometimes a smaller campground can be one of the nicest
places to stay, and Clay County is one
of our favorites. It’s just a little bit southwest of Vermillion, SD, but
beyond that, we’re not sure we want to tell you how to find it.
Just kidding! The
following link will give you more info.
For us, some of the appeal might be nostalgia. Karl grew
up in Vermillion, and we met each other there. He remembers the campground and
going fishing on the Missouri River, which is just down the road. (He remembers
doing some other things on the river during the winter, too. It’s probably a
miracle he survived to adulthood.) When he was a boy, the Clay County
Recreation Area was a primitive place to camp.
Now you will find a modern, well-maintained campground,
with flush toilets and plenty of hot water in the showers and sinks. There is
currently one bathroom building right now, but they were beginning another
bathroom facility on the north side of the campground while we were there in
May. The majority of their campsites are RV friendly, with electrical hook-ups.
Want to use your own “facilities”? When you enter the park, the potable water
hydrant is on the right (curb) side of your rig. The dump station is on the
opposite side of the entrance. Besides making it relatively easy to camp there,
we also like this site because it sits in the middle of an old cottonwood grove
(AKA very tall trees). It’s not that you won’t feel a breeze there, but the
surrounding trees provide a significant amount of protection from the
ever-present wind. They also give you a sense of being removed from
civilization, even though the rec area is surrounded by farms and close to
town.
Just
so you know, cottonwoods are well dispersed in the US, especially in the
Midwest. They’re messy in the spring, starting with sticky buds that will land
on all your gear. Following those you will see green clusters which burst open
a week or two later. The seeds are very similar to those of dandelions, only
bigger. There are probably a few still wrapped up in our awning.
This is the kind of campground you come to just for the
sheer joy of camping. Which in it’s purest form is about being outdoors, eating
“fun” food, and hanging out by the fire with your favorite people. If some of those favorite people are your
kids, there is a playground. We’ve also seen other campers bring bicycles. The
recreation area does have walking trails. Make sure to apply your mosquito and
tick repellants before a hike.
No one
has confirmed it, but we suspect putting fun lights on your awning
is a
right of passage.
You can take a boat down to the river and/or do some
fishing (with the proper license of course). It bears saying, however, that you
shouldn’t let your children go to the river without supervision, despite what
Karl did as a kid. The Missouri may look slow on the surface, but it has some
very deep channels with fast currents. There are also sandbars and dead timber
that tend to shift locations. The old girl is tricky, to say the least. Even
people who thought they knew the river very well have found themselves in
trouble if they didn’t stay vigilant.
In case you’re wondering, yes, there are some reasons you
may enjoy going into town. Many of the
big events in Vermillion will be associated with the University of South Dakota
(ex. D-Days). But you can find year-round attractions too, such as museums,
galleries and institutions which might be of interest to visitors. Vermillion
is the county seat with the accompanying court house and fair grounds. Need
more marshmallows? There is a Hy-Vee grocery store on Cherry Street and a
Wal-Mart on Princeton. They’re basically around the corner from each other (NW
corner of town). I guess you could say Cherry is the main drag. Coming from the
east on Hwy 50, if you continue into town you’re on Cherry. It will take you
past gas stations, fast food restaurants, laundromats, the center of the USD
campus, a liquor store, TruValue Hardware, the fair grounds, hotels, and
Campbell’s Supply. For those who find their way onto Main Street, this will
take you downtown. We highly recommend Café Brulé, a bakery and bistro. (Our
daughter took Kristal there for Mother’s Day.) There are some other
restaurants, two movie theaters, and a
bar or two (Duh! College town). Carey’s Bar has live music. Karl’s oldest
brother plays there on Friday nights. Our daughter seems rather fond of the
Char Bar.
The following websites are for Vermillion’s tourism and USD. To learn about USD’s museums, etc. go
to the left column and look under “Our Campus”.
History buffs and naturalists might appreciate a visit to
Spirit Mound, which is north of town. When we were growing up, this site was
owned by a few farms. It is now a state park and prairie restoration site. Last
year, our daughter went there to observe the Perseid Meteor Showers. It’s also
a nice place to watch a sunset.
Part of the appeal of RV ownership is going on grand
adventures. Nothing wrong with that. But there is a lot to be said for just
slowing down, and soaking up some peaceful moments you might not always find in
your everyday life. Even though our last 2 trips took us more than 1,000 miles
from home, we pretty much camped all the way there and back. We have fond
memories of this activity, which might be why, accumulatively, we have spent
more than 3 weeks in Clay County Campground. Whether it’s near, or far away,
get out there and go camping. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll meet you somewhere
in a campground.
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