Platte Creek Campground
Pictures and Information
On our way back home from the Badlands Wilderness Campground, we stopped at Platte Creek Campground. We were familiar with the Snake Creek Campground,
and stayed in a cabin there for our anniversary. Being the adventurers
that we are, we decided to check out a couple of other campgrounds in
the area of the southern Missouri River. There are about five of them.
The first one we stopped to see was Berynuck Campground
which is on the west side of the Missouri River. We couldn't stay there
because it was too late to register. So, heading across the
Missouri River, we bypassed Snake Creek Campground, went about 5 miles east, and took a turn south, not far from a big black tower. The sign said: "Platte Creek Recreation Area, 10 miles."
The closer we got to to the campground the more scenic the views became. After 10 miles, we turned right at a stop sign, and passed several RV parks. One is called Riverside Campground, and the other is Johnsonville Campground. The Johnsonville Campground has a little store called the Platte Creek Store. We were glad to see that, in case we were missing something in our camping supplies. (Platte Creek Store Hours Open)
We were delighted with the view driving down the hill to the campground. Here's a picture of the ranger station. The ranger was very cordial, and let us drive around and pick a camping spot.
We circled the north campground, passing the restrooms. The restrooms has two shower stalls. The north campground is where the nonelectrical sites are located.
Then we headed to the south section of the campground, and found it more to our liking. We picked campsite 45E. (Here's another pic of 45E) After our first night, we switched to campsite 48E,
which was more level for our tent. So, we had to pay for an electrical
site even though we didn't need electricity. The cost per night for an
electrical site is $14.00.Site 48E is just a short walk down to the cove, where we wanted to fish.
There is a shower building there, but it is locked, and when we
asked the ranger about it, he said it was "broken." There is also an
outhouse.
The Scenic Views
We did some exploring after setting up camp, and as it turns out, 3/4 of the shoreline in the cove
is covered in clay, and if you get your shoes wet, or it rains, the
clay sticks to them. What a mess! When you stay dry, you can walk
around the clay formations. It's pretty cool, like in the Badlands, but on a real small scale. Here's a closer picture of the clay. The tiny pieces look like pebbles, but don't be fooled, it is clay! All of these supposed pebbles on the shoreline are really small pieces of clay.
So we had to do our fishing on the other side of the hill, where it is mostly sand and rocks. Here's another picture of the shoreline looking south. Vlad caught several bass there using a Rapella, and we caught several Carp on worms. Here's another fish caught with a Rapella picture.
The view from there is rather scenic. Looking south is a penninsula with a cliff. Looking west, are some hills and a good sunset view.
Platte Creek also has an "unofficial" beach area. "Swim at your own Risk." Campsite 41E overlooks this beach area. Campsite 54E is across the street. Here's a scenic view of the beach's cove.
We had such a good time at Platte Creek Campground, we went back 2
weeks later for 3 days. In fact, we have decided to make this our
official camping/fishing spot for 2009.
Huge Marina
They have a huge marina here, and on the weekends the boat parking lot is packed. So much so, they had to build a new parking area. There is two levels to the new parking area. Also nearby is an area to clean fish. We looked for signs about fish limits, but only found one about Walleye. Here's a larger picture of the Fishing Rules. There was also a sign for "Tagged fish" in the Missouri River, and what to do if you catch one.
Also they must hold fishing tournaments here, because I saw a sign that said, "Non-Tournament Parking." We can't wait to go back!
More Pictures of Platte Creek Campground
- purple wildflowers along the shoreline
- shoreline erosion
- view of the cove with dead cedar tree trunk
- closer view of the dead cedar tree trunk
- a black, red, and white rock
- a sandy cove looking north
- our fishing spot looking south
- Vlad fishing from the rocks
- a boat flying on the Missouri River
- a view toward the north campground
- the boat launch and docks ... another view of marina... view toward marina
- the two docks
- the self registration box and drop at the entrance... the ranger station
- bulletin board by the restrooms... an old pay phone
- a Platte Creek brochure with phone numbers
- Platte Creek Campground map
Views of the Cliff
- view of the cliff.. Vlad standing by the cliff... another view of the cliff... view from the top of the cliff...
- an old foundation on top of the cliff... It says J.P.K 73 on the foundation
- looking down from the cliff... purple wildflowers growing on the cliff
- pinecones on the cliff... white wildflowers... fishing below the cliff
More pictures of the clay formations
- clay formation 1... clay formation 2... clay formation 3... clay formation 4... clay formation 5... close up of clay... closeup of cracked clay... closeup of clay with my shoes... clay in the sunset
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New
and Updated Pages 2009
South
Dakota Hotels - An easy site to check for SD hotels and make reservations
Badlands Wilderness Camping - We did some wilderness camping in the Badlands.
Platte Creek Campground - Tent camping on the Missouri River, Southern SD.
Buryanek Campground - A nice campground recommended by our friends.
Added a page on Pollock SD March 2008
