12 state parks for stargazing in South Dakota

12 of South Dakota’s 65 state parks list stargazing. See these parks on a map

ParkEntryCampingLodgingBook
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…FreeDay use only
Amsden Lakeside Use AreaTwelve non-electric campsites near Groton share the shore with a boat ramp and a swim beach, with room to…CampsitesBook a campsite
Farm Island Recreation AreaAn island nature area on Lake Sharpe east of Pierre carries 8 miles of trail, with a wildlife blind for…CampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
LaFramboise Island Nature AreaLewis and Clark saw elk and buffalo on this Missouri River island in 1804, naming it Good Humored Island…FreeDay use only
Lake Carthage Lakeside Use AreaSixteen campsites, most with electric hookups, sit above the 1,300-acre Lake Carthage alongside a boat ramp…CampsitesBook a campsite
Lake Herman State ParkHerman Luce, who claimed land here in 1870, built the hand-hewn oak cabin that still stands on this peninsula…CampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
Lake Hiddenwood Recreation AreaSettlers named this glacier-cut valley for trees hidden from the open prairie until you topped the hills; the…CampsitesBook a campsite
Oahe Downstream Recreation AreaBelow Oahe Dam north of Fort Pierre, three campgrounds hold 205 sites, and wintering bald eagles perch in the…CampsitesCabins, LodgeBook a campsite
Palisades State ParkSplit Rock Creek runs between Sioux quartzite cliffs up to 50 feet high here, rock about 1.2 billion years…CampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
Pickerel Lake Recreation AreaCool spring water fills 955-acre Pickerel Lake, among South Dakota's deepest natural lakes, whose name means…CampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
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…CampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
West Bend Recreation AreaLake Sharpe on the Missouri River offers walleye and smallmouth bass from a sheltered boat launch, and deer…CampsitesCabinsBook a campsite

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All 65 South Dakota state parks

State parks for stargazing in other states

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