Enjoy The Outdoors by Camping BY KELLY HERTZ The Press & Dakotan If you want to know about camping at Lewis and Clark Recreation Area, consider what happened in 2011. Last year, the area — which traditionally attracts more than 1 million visitors a year — saw its first drop in annual overall attendance in 20 years. The likely reason? The historic flooding on the Missouri River system may have scared off some people, even though the Lewis and Clark Lake area itself was only nominally impacted by the high waters. Still, flooding was the word of the year on the Missouri River system, and that perception may well have led to the decrease. Because of the 20-year run of success, local officials view that as an anomaly. One of the key components in that success has been the camping opportunities in the lake area, which are among the best in the Midwest. The Lewis and Clark Recreation Area has more than 400 campsites and 17 camping cabins, and they are often filled — even with the recent additions of camp pads in the area. The campgrounds are part of a Recreation Area that has almost 90 miles of shoreline and offers great boating, swimming and fishing opportunities. And there are numerous other activities and programs that keep drawing people back to the Yankton area. The popularity of LCRA camping opportunities are second to none. Even in years when the economy is down, the campground proved to be a huge attraction Remember, the Recreation Area saw almost 20 straight years of increasing attendance numbers before last year’s flooding, and those visitor increases occurred in good and bad economic times. LCRA camping is popular among visitors from across the nation as well as area residents looking for a little break. There are also campgrounds below Gavins Point Dam, and they did good business last year despite the flooding. The Cottonwood Campground has rebounded nicely from a 2010 storm that caused considerable damage. But extensive work has once again returned the campground to full operation, now with a better entrance providing easier access. Meanwhile, if you’re a traveler looking for a campsite that is located closer to Yankton as opposed to the lake area, Yankton has a KOA campground site near the National Field Archery Headquarters. This new campground has already won national awards and offers visitors yet another to set up camp in the Yankton area. So, if you enjoy camping and want to spend some time in the beautiful outdoors, Yankton is the place to be. VISITORS GUIDE • YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA – 37