Pro scans every minute· 119K campsites tracked

Moderate to Book

Left Tailrace Campground

Lake Sharpe, South Dakota

Sold out? We check Left Tailrace Campground for cancellations and email you the moment a site opens.

Cancellation alerts

Sold out for your dates?

ArriveLeave

Free to start. Email alerts included.

As of October 2026, Left Tailrace Campground is a campground in South Dakota with 88 campsites. Left Tailrace Campground is booked through Recreation.gov.

PermitSnag checks Left Tailrace Campground for availability and tells alert holders when a site opens up.
Left Tailrace Campground is located at 44.0408° N, 99.4394° W.

people allowed on each site: 8

Left Tailrace Campground reservations and next available dates

October 2026

November 2026

open, tap to book on Recreation.govsold outin your alert

Stay and booking rules

Mid-stay changes allowed
Maximum consecutive stay: 14 consecutive days
Maximum stay: 14 nights
Military discount available

Published by Recreation.gov for Left Tailrace Campground, read on September 29, 2026.

Campsites at Left Tailrace Campground

12345678910111214A14B15A15B16A16B17A17B18A18B19A19B20A20B21A21B22A22BT01T02T03T04T05T06T07T08T09T10T11T1223242526272829303132333435363738414445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172

Standard 76
Tent 12
Accessible 2
Hookups 76

What an RV fits

40–44 ft2 sites
45–49 ft14 sites
50–54 ft12 sites
55–59 ft11 sites
60–64 ft6 sites
65–69 ft2 sites
70–74 ft3 sites
75–79 ft13 sites
80–84 ft9 sites
85–89 ft4 sites

Amenities

restrooms
showers
potable water
dump station

At a glance: Setting: Lake · Access: Paved road.

Things to do: fishing, boating, wildlife.

All sites at Left Tailrace Campground, as listed by Recreation.gov

Site	Loop	Type	Sleeps	Max RV	Hookups	Access
01	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	89 ft	Electric	-
02	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	84 ft	Electric	-
03	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	76 ft	Electric	-
04	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	76 ft	Electric	-
05	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	74 ft	Electric	-
06	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	76 ft	Electric	-
07	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	79 ft	Electric	-
08	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	80 ft	Electric	-
09	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	80 ft	Electric	-
10	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	77 ft	Electric	-
11	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	77 ft	Electric	-
12	Lower Loop Sites 1-12 singles	Standard	8	71 ft	Electric	-
14A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	51 ft	Electric	-
14B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	50 ft	Electric	-
15A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	55 ft	Electric	-
15B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	63 ft	Electric	-
16A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	57 ft	Electric	-
16B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	50 ft	Electric	-
17A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	60 ft	Electric	-
17B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	53 ft	Electric	-
18A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	65 ft	Electric	-
18B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	53 ft	Electric	-
19A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	67 ft	Electric	-
19B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	57 ft	Electric	-
20A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	55 ft	Electric	-
20B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	64 ft	Electric	-
21A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	54 ft	Electric	-
21B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	62 ft	Electric	-
22A	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	54 ft	Electric	-
22B	Lower Loop Sites 14-22 doubles	Standard	8	60 ft	Electric	-
T01	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T02	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T03	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T04	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T05	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T06	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T07	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T08	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T09	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T10	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T11	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
T12	Tent Area	Tent	8	-	-	-
23	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	84 ft	Electric	-
24	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	85 ft	Electric	-
25	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	75 ft	Electric	-
26	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	84 ft	Electric	-
27	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	80 ft	Electric	Accessible
28	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	84 ft	Electric	-
29	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	85 ft	Electric	-
30	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	85 ft	Electric	-
31	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	83 ft	Electric	-
32	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	84 ft	Electric	-
33	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	75 ft	Electric	-
34	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	77 ft	Electric	-
35	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	78 ft	Electric	-
36	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	77 ft	Electric	-
37	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	77 ft	Electric	-
38	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	79 ft	Electric	-
41	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	73 ft	Electric	Accessible
44	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	47 ft	Electric	-
45	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	55 ft	Electric	-
46	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	54 ft	Electric	-
47	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	56 ft	Electric	-
48	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	56 ft	Electric	-
49	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	60 ft	Electric	-
50	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	59 ft	Electric	-
51	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	58 ft	Electric	-
52	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	56 ft	Electric	-
53	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	52 ft	Electric	-
54	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	56 ft	Electric	-
55	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	52 ft	Electric	-
56	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	54 ft	Electric	-
57	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	51 ft	Electric	-
58	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	48 ft	Electric	-
59	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	44 ft	Electric	-
60	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	47 ft	Electric	-
61	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	48 ft	Electric	-
62	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	47 ft	Electric	-
63	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	49 ft	Electric	-
64	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	47 ft	Electric	-
65	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	45 ft	Electric	-
66	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	46 ft	Electric	-
67	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	44 ft	Electric	-
68	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	46 ft	Electric	-
69	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	46 ft	Electric	-
70	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	45 ft	Electric	-
71	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	46 ft	Electric	-
72	Upper Loop Sites 23-72	Standard	8	45 ft	Electric	-

About Left Tailrace Campground

Overview

Left Tailrace Campgound at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Big Bend Project, sits on the shore of Lake Francis Case on the Missouri River below Big Bend Dam. Just upstream of Left Tailrace, Lake Sharpe, a popular recreation destination in the Great Plains,was created by the completion of Big Bend Dam in 1966.

Today, approximately 80,000 acres of public lands and water provide a variety of benefits to the public including flood control, recreation, conservation of our natural resources, fish and wildlife habitat, irrigation, and hydropower production.

It is possible to view many types of wildlife on the Missouri River at Lake Sharpe. Tribal bison herds can be seen grazing the lake area's grasslands north of the towns of Fort Thompson and Lower Brule. The shoreline areas of the lake also offer excellent waterfowl, upland game birds and big game hunting opportunities. Big game animals include whitetail and mule deer, elk, bison, coyotes and wild turkeys. Waterfowl and upland game birds include ducks, geese, pheasants, prairie chickens, and grouse. Hunting regulations are established and enforced by the State of South Dakota, and the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Tribes.

For more information, visit the Big Bend Project website .

Recreation

Lake Sharpe provides many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Recreation areas vary from primitive to highly developed areas like the Left Tailrace area located below the dam. Facilities at the Left Tailrace include campsites with electrical hookups, comfort stations with showers, a dump station, boat ramp, fish cleaning station, courtesy dock, picnic shelters, tables, grills, drinking water, disc golf, etc.

Fishing is the main attraction to the area, with walleye being the primary sport fish, although sauger, smallmouth bass, white bass, channel catfish and northern pike also provide great fishing action.

Facilities

Left Tailrace Campground offers 81 electrical hookups and 12 non-electrical tent sites. Electrical sites have a 30 and 50 amp pedastal, paved pull-thru and back-in sites. Left Tailrace Campground also offers men's and women's comfort stations with showers and toilet stalls. Each site has a picnic table and most with shelter covering, fire ring and shade nearby. Tents sites have fire rings and picinic tables. The area also offers large day use areas with shelters and grills, play grounds and a nine-hole disc golf range.

Natural Features

Left Tailrace Campground is located in central South Dakota, three miles from the town of Fort Thompson, 20 miles from Chamberlain and 65 miles from Pierre, which is the state capitol.

Lake Sharpe was the last of the Missouri River reservoirs completed and follows a serpentine course of 80 miles between Big Bend Dam and Pierre, SD.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (605) 245-2255.

Nearby Attractions

Charges & Cancellations

Reservation changes and cancellations can be made on Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.

For more information on rules and policies regarding reservation cancellations and changes, please visit: https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies.

Rules and notices at Left Tailrace Campground

Recreation.gov does not date these notices. We last read them on September 29, 2026. Check Left Tailrace Campground on Recreation.gov

Notices from Recreation.gov

Summary of Campground Rules & Policies:

•All public-use of Corps of Engineers lands and waters are governed by Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) .
•Maximum length of Reservation: Each person and camping unit is limited to a 14 day stay in a 30 day period, 14 day stay 16 days away. Reference Title 36 Sec. 327.7(b).
•Standard Electric Campsites are limited to one (1) wheeled camping unit and one (1) tent. If there is no wheeled camping unit then two (2) tents are allowed.
•Tent-only campsites are limited to two (2) tents.
•All motor vehicles are restricted to designated roadways only, off-road use is prohibited.
•All motor vehicles parked at campsites are restricted to two (2) wheels on pavement and two (2) on grass.
•No All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs/UTVs), golf carts, or dirt bikes - unless licensed and considered street legal.
•Pets are allowed, but must be kept on a leash of no more than six feet (6').
•Fireworks are prohibited.
•For more information, please call (605) 245-1800.

Firewood Alert! Don't Move Firewood: Due to the spread of invasive insects such as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Help protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit DontMoveFirewood.org for further information.

Protect Your Waters! Attention Boaters, Paddlers and Anglers: Do your part to help stop the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) by remembering to always Clean, Drain, and Dry! Visit SDLeastWanted.com for more information.

Want to know the latest happenings at Big Bend Dam? Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook at USACE Big Bend Dam for up-to-date information. Big Bend: Social Media

Recreation.gov permit and campground cancellations →

Left Tailrace Campground FAQ

How hard is it to get a campsite at Left Tailrace Campground?

Left Tailrace Campground is rated "Moderate to Book" based on historical demand. With 88 sites available, you have good chances of finding availability, especially on weekdays.

How do I find last-minute availability at Left Tailrace Campground?

Cancellations happen frequently at Left Tailrace Campground, especially 1-2 weeks before check-in dates. PermitSnag monitors availability 24/7 and sends instant alerts when sites open up due to cancellations. This is often the best way to snag popular campsites.

How many campsites does Left Tailrace Campground have?

Left Tailrace Campground has 88 campsites.

Campgrounds