South Dakota Park List

Spanning 1,500 acres along the Missouri River, this area was donated to the people of South Dakota in 1984 by Mary and Maud Adams, granddaughters of original homesteader Stephen Searl Adams. They envisioned the area as a place where people, particularly youth, could enjoy the land and learn more ...

Angostura Reservoir is a water-lover's haven with breathtaking, scenic views. Offering crystal clear waters, 36 miles of shoreline, and some of the finest sandy beaches in the state, the area boasts many water sports and summer fun activities - camping, boating, fishing, and ...

The Angostura Dam and Reservoir are located at the southeast edge of the Black Hills on the Cheyenne River in southwestern South Dakota near the Nebraska border. Recreation on this 4,706 acre reservoir is managed by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks for the Bureau ...

Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. The Badlands Wilderness Area covers 64,000 acres and is the site of the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, ...

Bear Butte National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established as a limited-interest refuge in the late 1930s with the acquisition of easements from private landowners, the state of South Dakota, and the War Department (now transferred to the Bureau of Land Management at Fort Meade) to maintain an area for ...

Mato Paha or "Bear Mountain" is the Lakota name given to this site. To the Cheyenne, it is "Noahvose." This geological formation is one of several intrusions of igneous rock in the Black Hills that formed millions of years ago. The mountain is sacred to many American Indian tribes ...

Developed to increase environmental awareness in visitors, Beaver Creek Nature Area highlights natural and historical resources in the vicinity. Pioneers named the creek for the numerous beaver they found along the winding spring-fed stream. The stream flows year-round, supplying the numerous plants and animals with water, and in turn, ...

Visitors to the reservoir enjoy fishing, picnicking, swimming, and boating. Belle Fourche Dam and reservoir are features of the Belle Fourche Project. The reservoir is located on Owl Creek, about eight miles east of Belle Fourche, South Dakota. The name means "Beautiful Forks" in French and refers to the ...

Located along the historic Lewis and Clark route, this area boasts a plethora of recreation opportunities such as camping, swimming, boating, fishing, and hunting (outside of recreation areas). This lake is one of six large lakes on the Missouri River, and the area is of historic value because it ...

Big Sioux Recreation Area lies on the banks of South Dakota's Big Sioux River. Close to the cities of Brandon and Sioux Falls, Big Sioux is popular among campers, canoers, history buffs and archers. Disk golf is also a favorite park activity. When the snow flies, groups of snowmobilers ...

An 1823 expedition led by Major Stephan Long and geologist William Keating explored the Big Stone Lake region. Shortly after entering present-day South Dakota, they met an American Indian village. This island is now the 100-acre nature area. A park entrance license is not required. The island is a ...

The name "Black Hills" comes from the Lakota words Paha Sapa, which mean "hills that are black." Seen from a distance, these pine-covered hills, which rise several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie, appear black. The Black Hills are in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, covering an area ...

Buffalo Gap Grassland is divided into two areas located in southern South Dakota. One area is south and northeast of Hot Springs and the other is south and west of Wall. There are few developed recreation sites, but plenty of space for all kinds of recreational opportunities. There is only ...

The oasis on the prairie has a 25-acre lake surrounded by trees. Visitors enjoy boating, sailing, and canoeing on the lake, which averages only eight feet in depth. Native and introduced prairie grasses and wildflowers abound in the 206-acre park, and wildlife of all kinds inhabit this unique area. ...

Buryanek Recreation Area is popular with boaters and anglers, as well those looking for scenic beauty along the Missouri River. History buffs will enjoy knowing that the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled through the area, where they were told to watch for "burning bluffs" along the river. American Indian people ...

Located on the shores of Lake Yankton, Chief White Crane is in close proximity to the Missouri River and Gavins Point Dam. Visitors enjoy fishing, boating, hiking along the lake shore, and swimming. The park was named for Chief White Crane, who met with Lewis and Clark in this ...

Located neary Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave National Park, this lake is on the south endge of the Black Hills. This lake offers many recreational opportunities like fishing, swimming, ice fishing, skating, cross-country skiing archery, and electric motor ...

The Cottonwood Springs Dam was built to lower flood damages in the Fall River Basin. It is found 5 miles west of Hot Springs on U.S. Highway 18 and nestled in the southern Black Hills. Nature lovers flock to this area to enjoy hiking, primitive camping (no hookups), fishing, ...

Cow Creek Recreation Area provides scenic rolling hills, wide expanses of prairie, and one of the most outstanding vistas along Lake Oahe Reservoir on the Missouri River. This 251 acre park in Sully County, South Dakota has 40 non-electric campsites, a picnic shelter and boat ramp. Visitors enjoy quiet, ...

Custer State Park, the second largest state park in America, is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the park is home to a variety of wildlife and magnificent scenery spanning 71,000 acres. Nearly 1,500 bison, commonly called buffalo, roam the prairies and hills of Custer State Park, ...

Established in 1896, D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives, formerly Spearfish National Fish Hatchery, is one of the oldest operating hatcheries in the country. It is dedicated to fish culture and resource management. The hatchery was constructed to propagate, stock, and establish trout populations in the Black ...

The Deerfield Dam and Reservoir are part of the Rapid Valley Project. The reservoir is twenty-five miles west of Rapid City, South Dakota, on Castle Creek. The reservoir has 400 surface acres and 16 miles of shoreline. There are public use areas, campgrounds, picnic areas, and concessions around ...

Farm Island attracts all types of visitors: campers, swimmers, hikers, anglers, bird watchers, and bicyclists. With easy access to Lake Sharpe and popular beaches and trails, this park stays busy throughout the year. Anglers can fish for walleye, smallmouth bass, white bass, northern pike and perch on this Missouri ...

This historical park along the James River offers fishing, camping, boating and canoeing, hiking, and picnicking opportunities. A restored 1884 country school at the park reminds visitors of earlier times, when this area was a river crossroad for pioneers going east and west across the James River. The river ...

The Fort Meade Recreation Area is made up of about 6,700 acres of forest and grasslands. The area is managed to protect, preserve, and enhance its cultural, historic, recreational, and wildlife values. The Fort Meade Recreation Area offers a broad variety of resource based recreational opportunities which include archery, ...

The Fort Pierre National Grassland offers a wide variety of recreation opportunities to the public from dispersed camping to fishing to hunting. With the north boundary of the Grassland being located within 8 miles of Pierre, South Dakota, visitors have the choice of camping on the grasslands or sleeping ...

Located on the Missouri River and along the Lewis and Clark route, this area was established below Fort Randall Dam. The Damn is known as one of the first refuges in the United States maintained specially for bald eagles. Guests can enjoy camping, picnicking, boating, water-skiing, swimming, fishing, nature ...

This historic fort is now a picturesque state park that unfolds the area's past. Walk the grounds where the officers' quarters, stone barracks, powder magazine, guard house, and other buildings that remain from time of the western frontier. This 1864 fort, atop the Coteau des Prairies (or hills of the ...

The Lewis and Clark Lake is a Missouri River lake that has a tree-covered shoreline characterized by picturesque chalky bluffs and a great view of the Missouri Valley. The Lewis and Clark Visitor Center houses displays on the geology, exploration, early navigation, settlement and natural history of the ...

The George S. Mickelson Trail provides opportunities for bicyclists, hikers, and horseback riders to explore the beauty of the Black Hills. Completed in September of 1998, the trail's gentle slopes and easy access allow people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the area. Much of the trail passes ...