South Dakota's National and State Parks

The Badlands’ striped rock formations are unlike anything you’ve seen — unless you’ve been to Mars. The 244,000 acres of Badlands National Park got their name from the Lakota phrase “mako sika,” which means “land bad.” This park is one of the world’s richest fossil beds, containing remains of three-toed horses, saber-toothed cats, and marine animals from an ancient sea. Its mixed-grass prairie habitats are home to bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and the endangered black-footed ferret.

Around 30 million years ago, acidic water flowed into cracks in the earth, carving what we know as Jewel Cave. The third-longest cave in the world. Jewel Cave National Monument has more than 208 miles of mapped passage. It’s a breathing cave, meaning air flows in and out with changes in atmospheric pressure. The “jewels” of the cave are crystals known as nailhead spar and dogtooth spar.

Finished in 1941, Mount Rushmore honors four U.S presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Each president’s face is 60 feet high — that’s 6 basketball hoops stacked on top of each other! Mount Rushmore is the biggest reason South Dakota is called the land of Great Faces, Great Places.

Bison, elk, antelope, and a host of other prairie critters roam the landscapes of Wind Cave National Park, but what this park has underground is even more exciting. Wind Cave is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. It’s also home to the world’s largest collection of rare boxwork rock formations. The Lakota — South Dakota’s native peoples — trace their origin to Wind Cave, where legend says their ancestors first emerged from the spirit world.

South Dakota has more miles of shoreline than the state of Florida. Most of that shoreline is along the Missouri River (the longest river in North America). The wildest stretch of the river — the Missouri National Recreational River — protects 59 miles of river upstream from Yankton, in the southeastern corner of the state. It remains much the same as it was when Lewis and Clark passed through on their expedition in 1804-1806.

While this site does not offer options like the other parks, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is dedicated to telling the story of Minuteman Missiles, nuclear deterrence and the Cold War (1947-1991). The Delta-01 and Delta-09 sites, along with the exhibits in the Minuteman Missile Visitor Center, help visitors understand the story of one of the most important eras in both American and World History.

This Black Hills gem is home to nearly 1,300 bison, one of the largest publicly-owned herds in the country. Bison are the largest mammal in North America—bulls can weigh 2,000 pounds— and earn that girth by eating for 9-11 hours each day. The Custer State Park area is also home to many other animals including burros, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, elk and more!

South Dakota’s newest state park is a time capsule of its oldest landscapes, like tallgrass prairies that once covered the Midwest and thickets of bur oak growing along the Big Sioux River. Good Earth State Park is a spiritual place, one that’s still a site for Lakota religious ceremonies.

Buttes are like mountains, except they often stand alone on the plains. Called “Mato Paha” by local tribes, Bear Butte is a sacred site in the northern Black Hills. You can see four states from its 4,426-foot summit.

Sica (pronounced she-ca) Hollow State Park is a densely wooded collection of ravines in northeastern South Dakota. It’s rumored to be haunted. On the Trail of Spirits, you can see the red streams and spooky hollows that have inspired countless legends and myths.