Agency-listedMunicipalFree
Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)
Drive-up · public land · SD · 44.36119, -97.12955
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
The second of Arlington's two city campgrounds, on the north side of Lake Arlington off US-14 and US-81, with what the city calls a scenic view of Lake Arlington and Nordland Isle. Same deal as the city's Maxwell Park downtown, and the same catch: the GRASS AREA FOR TENT CAMPERS IS FREE, while the five camper pads (three 50-amp, two 30-amp) cost $10.00 per night for the electricity. Tent or self-contained and unplugged, you stay free; plug in and it is ten dollars. The dump station is at Maxwell Park, about a third of a mile away, not here. As at Maxwell, the city's page states no stay limit and no payment method -- worth a call rather than an assumption, and do not read the silence as permission to settle in. Arlington is offering this to pull travelers off the US-14/US-81 junction and into town, so buy your fuel and dinner locally. Be a good guest and it stays free for the next traveler. Town rules change often and we have not visited -- confirm current rules with the City of Arlington before you go.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,827 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)NIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Nordland Park Campground (Arlington) · public land · SD
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail9 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- DDump12 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- EVEV fast charger17 mi
- WWater17 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- ShShower24 mi
- PPropane49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 11 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
1,827 ft
State
SD
Coordinates
44.36119, -97.12955
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Nordland Park Campground (Arlington) · public land · SD (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCasey's · ~10.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~11.8 mi
- GroceriesCasey's General Store · ~10.6 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~18.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicSanford Health Lake Norden Clinic · ~15.7 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~10.3 mi
EV charging — from Nordland Park Campground (Arlington) · public land · SD — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.9 mi straight-line E — Brookings Activity Center SD (at a public site) · RED_E · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 28 within 100 · 67 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)25.4 mi — PROSTROLLOAUTO PROSTROLLO 01, Madison
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)16.9 mi — Brookings Activity Center SD (at a public site) · RED_E · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 250744 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Nordland Park Campground (Arlington) · public land · SD — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 4 · ~23.3 mi SE
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 3 · ~27.2 mi NE
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 5 · ~27.3 mi NE
- RestroomFederal restroom · ~27.5 mi S · FWS
Open Nordland Park Campground (Arlington) elsewhere
Other camps near Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
How we know this — Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)
Source
municipal park records
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
Camping rules and price: City of Arlington official camping page, https://cityofarlingtonsd.com/camping , fetched 2026-07-20, which states verbatim "Both are free for non-electrical spots but if electricity is needed the cost is just $10.00 per night." and for this park "There is a $10.00/night charge for the electricity." Free tier = grass area for tent campers; 5 camper pads (3x50-amp, 2x30-amp) are the paid tier. Located north side of Lake Arlington on Highways 14 & 81. Coordinates: OSM node 7633859598, tourism=camp_site. NAME DISCREPANCY, disclosed deliberately: OSM spells this 'Northland Park Campground' but the City of Arlington calls it NORDLAND Park, and the nearby OSM way 152644220 'Nordland Cemetery' supports Nordland as the local spelling -- we use the city's spelling and treat the OSM name as a typo. NOTE: 0.33 mi from the Maxwell Park lead, inside the usual 0.5 mi dedup radius, but a distinct city campground per the city's own page -- not a duplicate. fee=0 reflects the genuinely free non-electric tier; the $10 electric charge is stated plainly in field_note. Verified 2026-07-20. Not visited.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Nordland Park Campground (Arlington)
Water on public land →Cold-weather camping →Fire rules & restrictions →Power off-grid →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →