Welcome to Hidden Lake Campground and Resort
There is A long history of camping at Hidden Lake Campground and Resort
This is the only campground resort in the Southern Black Hills with a private lake offering a unique opportunity to relax, disconnect and enjoy life in a natural setting and guests have been enjoying it for over 100 years.
Creating Larive Lake
This land has quite the history that takes us clear back to 1891 when a gentleman from Hermosa, Frank Hesnard, owned the property and it was referred to as Hesnard’s pond. Frank had the dam built for his business, Hermosa Ice Company. Around the 1900s the lake was sold and turned into a campground. Around the 1930s they started to use the lake for entertainment purposes as well and held water carnivals here , which consisted of swimming and diving contests, as well as hosting the Miss SD Pageant contestants.
Larive Lake to Hidden Lake
Through the years many locals remember having their swim lessons here and some even tell the story of paying .25 to swim all day. Larive Lake was a campground hot spot until around the 2000’s when it was closed up and the cabins used for year-round rentals slowly edging towards neglect and disuse. We purchased the property in December of 2018 and have been diligently resurrecting and adding to this unique land. We renamed the property Hidden Lake Campground and Resort although the lake is still Larive Lake.
Harvesting Ice
Every year, when the lake froze in the winter ice was cut into blocks and hauled to individual ice houses in town and businesses like the State Soldiers Home. They were able to store ice clear into July some years by using saw dust and packing the ice blocks tight. Frank’s mammoth ice house could hold 1000 tons of ice. In April of 1893 a fire destroyed some buildings on the property but not the ice house! “Drunken tramps” started the fire and a few tons of ice melted totaling $500 in damages. The ice house foundation is still visible in the field across the lake.
In the 1920s Frank sold the property to Clem Larive giving the lake its namesake of Larive Lake. Clem owned and operated Black Hills Ice Company and was the new city ice dealer. Clem’s ice business faded out with the advent of electricity and refrigerators and at some point there was a transition to a lake resort and camping cabins.
Water Carnivals and Beauty PAGEANTS
During this time there were also Water Carnivals held with diving and swimming competitions and pageants that were the early beginning to the Miss SD Pageant. The pageants were quite the show back in the day drawing thousands of people out to the lake. This was a multicultural event with contestants of all backgrounds partaking in the pageantry.
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and finally camping
Hidden Lake Campground and Resort is a serene escape nestled in nature. Offering a range of amenities and camping experiences it’s the perfect destination for those seeking relaxation and outdoor adventures. We have 23 full hook-up RV sites and 10 fully furnished cabins with full bathrooms and full kitchens or kitchenettes. We have a shower house, laundry room, playground, outdoors games, and of course Larive Lake! Stay with us, we would love to have you as our guest.
