North Point Recreation Area, Ft. Randall Dam

A view from the north side of Lake Francis Case to the south,

looking across the main channel of the reservoir and Missouri River.

If you’ve ever traveled in South Dakota it’s a good possibility you have encountered the Missouri river at least once. Traveling East/West on I-90, or through the Southeast corner of the state to/from Nebraska, means crossing it somewhere along the way.

When it comes to rivers in the United States, the Mississippi is probably the most famous. But it isn’t actually the longest. That honor actually goes to the Missouri, which is one of the Mississippi’s larger tributaries. While the Mississippi is a major shipping route, the Missouri is the gateway to the West. It has long-standing importance to Native Americans, but its contribution to US history starts with the explorers Lewis and Clark. During the early 19^th century it continued to be a route for fur trappers, then became a thoroughfare for pioneers and river boats. By the 20^th century, it was a source of irrigation and electricity, with several dams built on it, including the 6 mainstem dams. The mainstems are hydroelectric and hold some of the largest reservoirs in the US. Four of those dams are in South Dakota.

South Dakotans are well aware of the recreational opportunities to be found on the Missouri River. But if you’re in the habit of just crossing over it on the way to the Black Hills, you’re missing an opportunity to see a state which is far more interesting than the view from I-90 would have you believe. Starting from South to North the dams are Gavin’s Point (Yankton), Ft. Randall (Pickstown/Lake Andes), Big Bend (Chamberlain/Ft. Thompson) and Oahe (Pierre, the state capitol). After our daughter’s graduation we planned a visit to a relative in the Black Hills, traveling from Vermillion to Hermosa. We made it a two night trip by way of Ft. Randall Dam and the Badlands.

Northpoint Recreation Area has some nice, long campsites.

They’re also reasonably spaced from their next door neighbors.

Ft. Randall Dam/Lake Francis Case has at least 2 state parks located near the dam. North Point Recreation area is located on the north side and just a bit up creek. It’s nicely maintained with paved roads, gravel campsites that have electrical hook-ups, and modern bathrooms whose showers have free hot water. (For those who prefer to use the provided bathrooms, hot water in the showers, without having to pay extra for it, is a big deal. We encountered state parks in Oklahoma and Nebraska who didn’t provide hot water unless some quarters were given in exchange.)

Like most reservoirs, camping, boating, fishing and hunting are some of the activities that can be found around the Mainstem dams during certain times of year. Their hydroelectric facilities are also available for tours. Since we were there for one night, it was mostly enjoying the scenery and taking the dogs for a walk. However, though it was a sunny day, our visit was during the cold spell which came to South Dakota for almost 3 weeks. Besides being chilly it was plenty windy when we arrived in the afternoon. The wind finally died down to reasonable levels in the evening, allowing Kristal to take her camera out during the golden hour for some photo taking.

Another view to the west, across a large bay which borders

the west side of the campground.

Kristal liked the strong contrast between light and dark

that the setting sun created on the hills.

Considering we were there on a Saturday, it was a pleasant surprise to have the place mostly to ourselves. Might have had something to do with the colder weather or that our visit occurred before Memorial Day. We don’t really know for sure, but it was nice.

Want to learn more about the Missouri river in South Dakota? Start at this site - http://sdmissouririver.com/. Find info on North Point Recreation Area here - http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/north-point/. From this page you can find links which will allow you to locate all the state parks in South Dakota, including others which can also be found by the Missouri River reservoirs.