Parks and nature in South Dakota

Parks & Natural Areas

South Dakota's natural landscape features a mix of geologic wonders and historic prairie lands. This collection includes the pink quartzite cliffs of Palisades State Park and the expansive Missouri River views at Lewis and Clark Lake. The selection highlights the life-sized sculptures of Dinosaur Park, the urban waterfalls of Sioux Falls, and the rugged, fossil-rich terrain of Badlands National Park. It also covers significant recreation areas and the historic Spirit Mound, a site documented by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Parks & Natural Areas — Map

Cti613 / CC BY-SA 3.0

A

Dinosaur Park

Dinosaur Park is a tourist attraction and dinosaur park in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States.

Colin.faulkingham / Public domain

B

Falls Park

Falls Park is a public park in north central Sioux Falls, South Dakota, surrounding the city's waterfalls.

C

Palisades State Park

Palisades State Park is a state park of South Dakota, USA, featuring cliffs and rock formations eroded out of pink Sioux Quartzite.

D

Buffalo Gap National Grassland

Buffalo Gap National Grassland is a National Grassland located primarily in southwestern South Dakota, United States.

E

Badlands National Park

Protects 244,000 acres of eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires mixed with the largest protected mixed-grass prairie in the United States. The park contains one of the world’s richest fossil beds, dating to the Eocene and Oligocene epochs.

F

Spirit Mound Historic Prairie

Spirit Mound Historic Prairie is a state park of South Dakota, USA, featuring a prominent hill on the Great Plains.

G

Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area

Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area is an 864-acre State Recreation Area located on the southern shore of Lewis and Clark Lake, in…

H

Ponca State Park

Situated on high bluffs overlooking the Missouri National Recreational River. The area features heavily forested hills and access to an unchannelized portion of the Missouri River.

I

Newton Hills State Park

Located on the southern end of the Coteau des Prairies, this park features a hardwood forest ecosystem atop a glacial moraine, characterized by deep ravines and historic burial mounds.

J

Lake Herman State Park

Lake Herman State Park is a South Dakota state park in Lake County, South Dakota in the United States.

K

Fisher Grove State Park

Fisher Grove State Park is a South Dakota state park in Spink County, South Dakota in the United States.

L

Pierson Ranch Recreation Area

Pierson Ranch Recreation Area is a state recreation area in Yankton County, South Dakota in the United States.

M

Chief White Crane Recreation Area

Chief White Crane Recreation Area is a state recreation area in southeastern South Dakota, United States.

N

Angostura Recreation Area

A recreation area centered around a 4,700-acre reservoir created by the Angostura Dam on the Cheyenne River. It features sandy beaches and clear water against the backdrop of the southern Black Hills.

O

Cascade Falls Picnic Ground

A natural swimming hole within the Black Hills National Forest fed by warm artesian springs. The site features unique travertine rock formations and small cascading waterfalls.

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