June 11, 2018

The Sioux Falls KOA is offering a new camping option for the adventurous.

The campground erected a tepee over the weekend that offers a taste of glamping, mixing an outdoor experience with a few comforts. The first guests slept in it Sunday night.

The 25-foot-high tepee is made of canvas and wooden poles and is open at the top, but it’s set on a wooden deck. It features bunkbeds, a futon and a large rug. Outside, there are chairs on the deck and a picnic table and fire pit in the grass.

“It will give someone a chance to experience the outdoors, but they don’t have to have a tent or an RV,” said Alan Spencer, operations manager. “It will give them exposure to camping, but they can sleep in beds instead of on the ground in a tent. They’ll find some of the comforts of home.”

There’s no TV, but there are power outlets and Wi-Fi, Spencer said. The tepee has a fan and an air-conditioning unit.

Spencer also envisions families with campers renting the tepee as an added experience. The campground along Interstate 90 east of Cliff Avenue includes 75 camping vehicle spots, 20 tent sites and six cabins.

Nationwide, KOAs are embracing the glamping experience, adding tepees and covered wagons to rent for overnight stays, Spencer said.

The Sioux Falls KOA’s location is “not so nature-centered” as some of the other campgrounds in the chain, so Spencer isn’t sure how much this franchise will expand into the glamping offerings. It could add more tepees, “depending on the popularity of it.”

Glamping brings unique, luxury options to Black Hills campers