Bear Butte State Park: A park north of Sturgis famous for its hiking trail up a geological formation of igneous rock that formed millions of years ago. It is an important landmark and religious site of the Plains Indians tribes.
Custer State Park: South Dakota’s first and largest state park is one of the world’s top wildlife destinations. It is famous for its bison herds, as nearly 1,300 wander the 71,000 acres of the park. It also contains fishing lakes, scenic drives, historic sites and a campground.
Fort Sisseton Historic State Park: One of the nation’s best preserved frontier outposts. Fort Sisseton was established in 1864 and has 14 original buildings remaining. It is also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Good Earth State Park: This park is a natural island in the residential and commercial development southeast of Sioux Falls along the Big Sioux River. It also contains the most important Oneota cultural site in the Midwest.
Hartford Beach State Park: A popular recreation area for camping and picnics on Big Stone Lake.
Lake Herman State Park: This park is located on a peninsula on the western shore of Lake Herman, a 1,350 acre lake formed thousands of years ago by melting glacial ice. Popular activities include camping, boating, fishing and cross country skiing.
Newton Hills State Park: A 1,063 acre park with hiking, camping and scenic views. The park is named for William Newton, who settled in the area with his wife in the 1850s.
Oakwood Lakes State Park: A park near Brookings at the epicenter of eight connecting glacial lakes including Johnson Lake and Lake Tetonkaha. Popular activities include swimming, hiking, camping, fishing, ice fishing and cross-country skiing.
Palisades State Park: A popular park with campers, photographers, rock climbers and hikers due to Split Rock Creek, which cut deep gorges lined with Sioux quartzite formations.
Roy Lake State Park: This park is best known for its fishing but also includes camping, hiking, and sandy beaches. There are two sections on the popular picturesque glacial lake.
Sica Hollow State Park: A scenic, wooded park in the northeast corner of South Dakota. It was named Sica, meaning evil or bad, by the Hollow’s first Native American visitors. Some say the forested ravines of the eastern sloper of the Prairie Coteau Hills, including Sica Hollow, are haunted. The park includes the 1.5 mile Trail of the Spirits, a National Recreation Trail, where you can see reddish water gurgling from the bogs.
Union Grove State Park: A popular area for hiking, biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing on the park’s miles of trails along Brule Creek. It is also a popular area with botanists and birders.