South Dakota: 13 state parks, 45 recreation areas, 6 natural areas and 1 state trail

Camping, trails, fees and current alerts are on each park’s page. See these parks on a map

All 65 parks

Adams Homestead and Nature PreserveMary and Maud Adams gave these 1,500 acres on the Missouri River to the state in 1984, and almost 10 miles of…
Amsden Lakeside Use AreaTwelve non-electric campsites near Groton share the shore with a boat ramp and a swim beach, with room to…
Angostura Recreation AreaA 1949 dam on the Cheyenne River holds this reservoir, which runs to 36 miles of shoreline with sandy beaches…
Bear Butte State ParkSacred to many tribes as Mato Paha, this igneous peak carries a 1.85-mile summit trail past prayer cloths…
Beaver Creek Nature AreaEarly settlers named this spring-fed creek near Brandon for the beaver living along it, and it still runs all…
Big Sioux Recreation AreaCampsites and three camping cabins line the Big Sioux River near Brandon, with an archery range and trail, a…
Big Stone Island Nature AreaPaddle over from the Rearing Ponds Access Area to this 100-acre island, which has no trails or facilities…
Burke Lake Recreation AreaA 206-acre park near Burke wraps a tree-lined 25-acre lake, shallow at about eight feet on average, with a…
Buryanek Recreation AreaBoaters and anglers put in on the Missouri River here, where the Lewis and Clark expedition passed and…
Chief White Crane Recreation AreaWith 146 campsites plus ten cabins west of Yankton, this area is built for big gatherings, close to Lewis &…
Cow Creek Recreation AreaForty-six campsites and four camping cabins sit on Lake Oahe northwest of Pierre, plus primitive sites strung…
Custer State ParkBison and elk roam 71,000 acres of the Black Hills, best seen from the Wildlife Loop road, and the Bison…
Farm Island Recreation AreaAn island nature area on Lake Sharpe east of Pierre carries 8 miles of trail, with a wildlife blind for…
Fisher Grove State ParkStagecoaches between Watertown and Pierre forded the James River at Belchers Ford inside this park near…
Fort Sisseton Historic State ParkBuilt in 1864 as Fort Wadsworth on the Coteau des Prairies, this frontier army post keeps its stone barracks…
George S. Mickelson TrailA 109-mile crushed-limestone rail trail through the Black Hills from Edgemont to Deadwood, crossing more than…
Good Earth State ParkFrom 1300 to 1700 A.D., Omaha, Ponca, Ioway and Otoe peoples traded pipestone here, southeast of Sioux Falls…
Hartford Beach State ParkFive hiking trails above Big Stone Lake pass American Indian burial mounds, a prehistoric village site and an…
Indian Creek Recreation AreaThree trails totaling over 2.5 miles cross the hills near Mobridge, where you might spot bull snakes…
LaFramboise Island Nature AreaLewis and Clark saw elk and buffalo on this Missouri River island in 1804, naming it Good Humored Island…
Lake Alvin Recreation AreaLake Alvin is a 105-acre no-wake lake behind a dam on Nine Mile Creek, named for Alvin Dempewolf, a…
Lake Carthage Lakeside Use AreaSixteen campsites, most with electric hookups, sit above the 1,300-acre Lake Carthage alongside a boat ramp…
Lake Cochrane Recreation AreaLake Cochrane and Lake Oliver flank this park on the Minnesota border, each with a fishing pier, a boat ramp…
Lake Herman State ParkHerman Luce, who claimed land here in 1870, built the hand-hewn oak cabin that still stands on this peninsula…
Lake Hiddenwood Recreation AreaSettlers named this glacier-cut valley for trees hidden from the open prairie until you topped the hills; the…
Lake Louise Recreation AreaCamping at Lake Louise near Miller comes in two halves: 32 electric sites and two cabins by the boat dock, or…
Lake Poinsett Recreation AreaJoseph Nicollet and John Fremont camped on this big lake's north shore in 1838, and the visitor center museum…
Lake Thompson Recreation AreaOnce dry pasture, this lake filled past 20 feet in the mid-1980s and is now a National Natural Landmark, and…
Lake Vermillion Recreation AreaDamming the Vermillion River's east fork in 1958 made this 512-acre reservoir 27 miles west of Sioux Falls…
Lewis and Clark Recreation AreaFour campgrounds with 418 sites and 20 camping cabins spread along Lewis and Clark Lake outside Yankton…
Little Moreau Recreation AreaFive first-come campsites and a boat ramp sit in the Little Moreau valley, where Cheyenne, then Minneconjou…
Llewellyn Johns Recreation AreaTen electric campsites south of Lemmon make a quiet base near Shadehill Recreation Area, in country Custer's…
Mina Lake Recreation AreaWest of Aberdeen, Mina Lake has a sandy swim beach, a fishing pier and rentals from kayaks to a floating…
Newton Hills State ParkA band of wooded glacial hills on the Coteau des Prairie south of Canton, where more than 200 bird species…
North Point Recreation AreaPrairie dogs, dubbed barking squirrels, were new to Lewis and Clark when they reached this stretch of the…
North Wheeler Recreation AreaA small, quiet campground of 25 sites that reaches the water between Pease Creek and Platte Creek. Launch…
Oahe Downstream Recreation AreaBelow Oahe Dam north of Fort Pierre, three campgrounds hold 205 sites, and wintering bald eagles perch in the…
Oakwood Lakes State ParkEight linked glacial lakes surround this park near Bruce, a summer gathering place for American Indians where…
Okobojo Point Recreation AreaRolling hills and prairie meet a long sandy beach on Lake Oahe, the Missouri River reservoir with over 2,000…
Palisades State ParkSplit Rock Creek runs between Sioux quartzite cliffs up to 50 feet high here, rock about 1.2 billion years…
Pease Creek Recreation AreaClose to 600 wooded acres rise above Lake Francis Case south of Geddes, with bluff-top trails for hikers…
Pelican Lake Recreation AreaTwo log cabins, 76 campsites and seven horse sites share Pelican Lake near Watertown, with 5.5 miles of trail…
Pickerel Lake Recreation AreaCool spring water fills 955-acre Pickerel Lake, among South Dakota's deepest natural lakes, whose name means…
Pierson Ranch Recreation AreaOpened in 1959 as the first campground built after Gavins Point Dam, Pierson Ranch lies west of Yankton…
Platte Creek Recreation AreaA quiet campground of 36 sites on Lake Francis Case, beside a creek once called Fish Creek and later named…
Randall Creek Recreation AreaOn the Missouri just below Fort Randall Dam, the stretch where bald eagles roost each winter is a National…
Revheim Bay Recreation AreaA day-use park just outside Mobridge with an archery range and trail, an off-highway vehicle area, four…
Richmond Lake Recreation AreaThree units ring a lake of over 1,000 acres near Aberdeen: a campground with a beach, a boat ramp, and Forest…
Rocky Point Recreation AreaOrman Dam holds back the 8,000-acre Belle Fourche Reservoir here, and was the world's largest earthen dam…
Roy Lake State ParkWoodland Culture peoples built burial mounds around Roy Lake, and its name traces to crops the Roy family…
Sandy Shore Recreation AreaSand beaches edge Lake Kampeska here, and two shorefront camping cabins each come with a dock of their own…
Shadehill Recreation AreaShadehill Reservoir is one of the few big lakes in western South Dakota, and this area south of Lemmon has a…
Sheps Canyon Recreation AreaAngostura Reservoir's newest campground sits on Sheps Canyon Bay south of Hot Springs, with electric…
Sica Hollow State ParkTen miles of multi-use trail wind through mature oak forest past springs, bogs and waterfalls fed from…
Snake Creek Recreation AreaLake Francis Case on the Missouri is the draw here, with a boat ramp, swim beach, 115 campsites and ten…
Spearfish Canyon Nature AreaOne trail ties together Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Falls and Savoy Pond in this Black Hills canyon, at its…
Spirit Mound Historic PrairieLewis and Clark's party came to this mound on August 25, 1804, and with most of their river sites now under…
Spring Creek Recreation AreaOn Lake Oahe northwest of Pierre, Spring Creek pairs a marina and boat slips with a convenience store and a…
Springfield Recreation AreaThis Missouri River park a mile east of Springfield has 20 campsites, two cabins, a boat ramp and a fishing…
Swan Creek Recreation AreaTwenty-six campsites split between two campgrounds on the prairie bluffs over Lake Oahe, on the Lewis and…
Union Grove State ParkHorse and bike trails wind up to 4.3 miles through the woods along Brule Creek, with a separate 1.2-mile path…
Walker's Point Recreation AreaWalkers Point sits on 2,800-acre Lake Madison southeast of Madison, with a fishing pier, a ski beach and room…
West Bend Recreation AreaLake Sharpe on the Missouri River offers walleye and smallmouth bass from a sheltered boat launch, and deer…
West Pollock Recreation AreaNamed, like the nearby town, for pioneer lay minister R.Y. Pollock, this area is a base for walleye anglers…
West Whitlock Recreation AreaArikara and Mandan people once camped on this shore west of Gettysburg; the park honors Mrs. J.F. Whitlock…

2 New Year’s Day hikes in South Dakota, 2027

South Dakota state park closures and fire bans

Parks in other states

All parks by state

🗺️ Open Park Finder — filter by activity, amenity & distance, compare parks, and see live weather

South Dakota: 13 state parks, 45 recreation areas, 6 natural areas and 1 state trail

Things to do

Camping & facilities

All 65 parks

Parks in other states