South Dakota State Parks · South Dakota
Whetstone Bay Lakeside Use Area
South Dakota State Parks · South Dakota, United States
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 1,345 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Bonesteel
- Address
- 36345 SD Hwy 1806 Bonesteel, SD 57317
- Phone
- 605-773-8239
18 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Whetstone Bay Lakeside Use Area is a South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Lakeside Use Area with camping available.
Fees
South Dakota GFP's general statewide camping reference (no per-park camping-fee breakdown was found for this park): Statewide Modern (electric) sites ~$23/night, Statewide Basic (non-electric) sites ~$16/night, Electrical Fee add-on ~$7/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 | 30° | 13° | -16° | 54° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 38° | 18° | -20° | 69° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 50° | 29° | 7° | 75° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 61° | 36° | 16° | 86° | 8 of 11 |
| May | 69° | 52° | 38° | 87° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 85° | 64° | 52° | 105° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 89° | 69° | 61° | 102° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 85° | 67° | 59° | 97° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 84° | 62° | 41° | 94° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 65° | 43° | 27° | 82° | 2 of 10 |
| November | 53° | 34° | 12° | 76° | 7 of 10 |
| December | 36° | 22° | -4° | 59° | 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
- North Wheeler Recreation Area · South Dakota State Parks · 5 mi · 25 sites
- Platte Creek Recreation Area · South Dakota State Parks · 8 mi · 36 sites
- Pease Creek Recreation Area · South Dakota State Parks · 10 mi · 28 sites
- Snake Creek Recreation Area · South Dakota State Parks · 17 mi · 115 sites
- Burke City Park Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 19 mi
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.