After our wonderful swim at Cascade Falls we decided to camp at nearby Sheps Canyon on Angostura Reservoir . On the east side of the reservoir is a state park with a bunch of campsites and amenities. We stayed on the west side of the reservoir which has about 4 campsites which are free.
This area is one of our favorite places to camp. Down the ridge is a beach.
We all enjoyed spending the evening relaxing in our campsite. We even got to watch 2 hot air balloons flouting over the black hills. It's not clearly visible in these photos but both our dog and cockatoo are wearing leashes. Always be cautious with your pets in any environment. (Our cockatoo has plucked her feathers since before she came to us.)
At the entrance to this area is a parking place, boat ramp, pit toilet, and some planted fruit trees. The only downside of this spot is that it is a long way to walk to the bathrooms and there are lots of black flies around. While we were there we also watched 2 hot air balloons flying.
One of the upsides of this campground is that the reservoir is clean enough to swim in (we did not put our heads under just in case), there are lots of animals, there is a breeze coming off the water, and there is apparently good fishing if you enjoy that. The first time we camped here on our first trip it was too windy for our tent, but it does make for a more comfortable night. We saw an owl, toad, lots of deer, and some fish.
One of the things I learned on this trip is that South Dakota is a large producer of Sunflowers. There were huge fields of sunflowers (they were not fully in bloom when we were there), but also lots of wild sunflowers. They were so pretty and lined many of the roads on which we drove.
