How Is South Dakota One of the Worst Places to Camp in America?

Sometimes numbers are the best way to measure things.

But other times they fall way short on things that don't always lend themselves to data-based formulas or rankings.

Case in point: the camping experience in South Dakota.

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For those who have been immersed in all of the wonderment that the great outdoors of the Mount Rushmore State has to offer, the experiences are nothing short of spectacular, whether it be in the Black Hills, somewhere along the Missouri River, or a number of places in between.

So it came as a bit of a surprise when 24/7 Wall St ranked South Dakota in the bottom ten of the best states for camping in America.

WORST STATES FOR CAMPING (24/7 Wall St)

1. Nevada
2. Alabama
3. Mississippi
4. Delaware
5. Rhode Island
6. Louisiana
7. New Jersey
8. Maryland
9. South Dakota
10. Hawaii

The state's spot at number 42 on the list is in large part due to one of the qualifying standards on a key category - the number of campsites.

Would you be a bit shocked if I told you that South Dakota only has 167 campsites in the entire state?

We do when you factor in the website's definition of a 'campsite' as one that has toilets and water.

That eliminates a ton of quality places.

The other issue for South Dakota in this ranking, with so few official 'campsites', the per diem is the ninth highest in the nation ($84.07).

We also get dinged for the fifth-worst 'supplies' ranking in America, which factors in things like the number of camping gear stores, RV sites, and RV rental offers.

Never mind that we have the sixth-best safety raking and a 94 percent consumer rating.

You can keep your numbers, we know what a good thing we've got going around here.

BEST STATES FOR CAMPING (24/7 Wall St)

1. California
2. Washington
3. Minnesota
4. Michigan
5. Florida
6. Ohio
7. Texas
8. Colorado
9. New York
10. Oregon