Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 5, 2004
For more information:  Emilie Miller, 773-4235

Memorial Day Weekend Campsites Still Available In State Parks

PIERRE, S.D. – Opportunities still exist for campers seeking sites for Memorial Day weekend, say Game, Fish and Parks officials. A number of campsites are still available for the weekend in state park campgrounds across South Dakota.

"Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for camping, so campgrounds are filling up fast," said Doug Hofer, state parks director. "However, there is still time to reserve one of the many remaining campsites."

As of May 4, sites were still available at:

• Cow Creek Recreation Area near Pierre,
• Custer State Park near Custer,
• Indian Creek Recreation Area near Mobridge,
• Platte Creek Recreation Area near Platte,
• Swan Creek Recreation Area near Akaska,
• Union Grove State Park near Beresford,
• West Bend Recreation Area near Pierre,
• West Whitlock Recreation Area near Gettysburg,
• West Pollock Recreation Area near Pollock.

Horse campsites were available at Oakwood Lakes State Park near Bruce, Pelican Lake Recreation Area near Watertown and Union Grove State Park near Beresford.

A current site availability listing is available online at www.CampSD.com. Reservations for Memorial Day weekend can be made until 10 p.m. , Wednesday, May 26, through www.CampSD.com or by calling 1-800-710-CAMP (2267). On Thursday, May 27, all sites not reserved become available on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition, a number of campgrounds offer first-come, first-served camping. These include:

• Bear Butte near Sturgis (including the horse camp),
• Burke Lake near Burke,
• Fisher Grove near Redfield,
• Lake Hiddenwood near Selby,
• Little Moreau near Timber Lake,
• Llewellyn Johns near Lemmon,
• North Wheeler near Platte
• Okobojo Point near Pierre.

For more information on the South Dakota state park system, visit www.sdgfp.info/Parks or call (605) 773-3391.

-30-