Lake Park Campground and Cottages

Getting to Rapid City was a straight and easy shot from Sioux Falls on the eastern most part of South Dakota on border of Iowa along I-90. There was no problem following the route given by Map Quest and being on an early Tuesday afternoon traffic was light enough to leave my nerves intact. I was pretty anxious to check in and check out the place where I would lay my weary body and relax my mind, as if I really thought I could contain the excitement of being at the base of the Black Hills.

Of course, there had a be a glitch, traveling back and forth along Jackson Blvd trying to find County Club Blvd that would take me to Chapel Lane and whatever cabin would be my home for the next two weeks. Twice I reached a point where buildings became fewer and the twist of a bend found me where there were none.

After passing Sheridan Lake Rd and the Meadow Brook Golf Course and Country Club three times there still wasn’t a road labeled as it should have been. I was so intent on finding Country Club Blvd that frustration finally set in as I began to eagle-hawk every street and driveway along Jackson Blvd. Finally, there was a small, white on green street sign that read Chapel Ln! From there it would have been a quick walk to the entrance of Lake Park Campground if I hadn’t been riding in a four-wheeler.

If I hadn’t been astute to the surroundings, I might have missed the entrance, but there it was with ivy covering part of the sign that told me I had reached my destination.

The office was easily identified with an ice bin, which I would soon find was no longer stocked. Sherry was behind the counter, quick to remember the name from a couple of conversations we had a few weeks prior to arriving. We were a day earlier since we had left a day earlier than planned and drove straight through the first night of travel.

Sherry was very friendly, made us feel welcome and actually gave us the choice of two cabins, both next to each other, one decorated in the mode of a hunter’s abode with an animal’s head hung on the wall, etc. The other cabin had a less manly feel about it but Cabin 11 was the winner, only because the TV was aligned for viewing from an easy chair and a sofa bed. Other than the positioning of the TV the cabins were identical with the same amenities yet in reversed order.

Two bedrooms, a full kitchen, a large cloakroom adjacent to small bathroom with the basic washbowl, toilet and stand-alone shower. In the cloakroom the best friend a traveler can expect was a hot water heater! For us alone, no attached cabins where sharing would have affected water pressure and available hot water. What a pleasure!

The kitchen was equipped with dishes; silverware; glasses; coffee maker, cups and filters; a window air conditioner and a gas heater; refrigerator; basic cable; and pots and pans. There were enough towels for a family of six and a huge supply of quality toilet paper, which saved the rolls I had brought along… just in case Of course, there were plenty of And an outside gas grill – a real one, not some chintzy piece of metal housing. Clean and neat with no acception.

Upon arriving, I had asked Sherry if there was a microwave. Yes. She explained it wasn’t including with any promotional information, including the Inet, because it pleases people to find more than what they expect rather than falling short of expectations. Outside the cabin, next to the grill, was a full-sized picnic table.

Sherry gave me fair warning that I would most likely see resident deer roaming the area, which there were. Without warning and without a camera handy, at one point two deer and three fawns passed next to the cabin, not more than five feet from where I sat in pleasant awe. The first week they were in sight often then they seemed to have disappeared, but Sherry suggested I just walk behind the cabin a short way where she had just seen them. They’re definitely accustomed to humans but still attune to their survival instincts. I saw then quite a few times afterward.

Lake Park Campgrounds and Cottages was the perfect place to lay my head to rest after each day’s adventures. There are other choices in different areas among the hills but the location gave me easy access to Rapid City with its restaurants, museums and a true small town feel of friendliness. Just the right size – not too big, not too small.

Mount Rushmore; a variety of caverns; Custer State Park; Hill City and Keystone, which are quaint tourist havens; Deadwood, where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane dwelled; Sturgis, where the 69th Annual Motorcycle Rally will be held the first week in August next year; and so many other wondrous adventures filled the days. These were less than hour’s drive away from the cabin. Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and the Mammoth Site downstate were within a two-hour drive.

Wherever a person travels along the roads, there’s no boredom as the scenery engulfs a person’s eyesight. Even the driver can enjoy the views without taking the eyes off the road – they’re all around!

Yes, Lake Park Campground and Cottages is strongly recommended to anyone visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota. It’s a temporary home, a haven of tranquility among towering trees with open views of the sky and the friendliest of people, Sherry first and foremost.

www.lakeparkcampground.com