South Dakota State Parks · South Dakota
Pelican Lake Recreation Area
South Dakota State Parks · South Dakota, United States
- Sites
- 83
- Hookups
- 76 electric, 7 no hookups
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 1,729 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 4
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile weak · AT&T good · Verizon good (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Watertown
- Address
- 17450 450th Avenue Watertown, SD 57201
- Phone
- 605.882.5392
86 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Pelican Lake Recreation Area is a South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Recreation Area with 83 campsites available for camping.
Fees
Pelican Lake Recreation Area's own published camping fees: Campsites - electrical: $30 per night; Camping Cabins: $60 per night; Horse Camp: $30 per night. Plus a required Park Entrance License at every GFP park/recreation area: Daily $10 resident / $15 nonresident, Annual $40 resident / $60 nonresident. (Source: gfp.sd.gov/pel-fees/ and each park's own Fees section.)
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 2° | -22° | 43° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 26° | 7° | -26° | 59° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 39° | 24° | -10° | 67° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 49° | 31° | 11° | 76° | 10 of 11 |
| May | 67° | 47° | 32° | 84° | 1 of 11 |
| June | 78° | 60° | 47° | 93° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 83° | 65° | 55° | 93° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 79° | 63° | 55° | 92° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 77° | 58° | 40° | 87° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 57° | 42° | 22° | 74° | 3 of 10 |
| November | 45° | 31° | 7° | 65° | 8 of 10 |
| December | 31° | 21° | -8° | 48° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Sandy Shore Recreation Area · South Dakota State Parks · 3 mi · 17 sites
- Memorial Park Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 5 mi · 106 sites
- Stokes-Thomas Lake City Park Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 6 mi · 63 sites
- Dakota Sioux Casino RV Park · Tribal Lands · 11 mi
- Castlewood City Park Municipal Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 13 mi · 6 sites
All public campgrounds in South Dakota · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-24. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.