Things To Do

South Dakota is all about the outdoors.

Conserving our state's outdoor heritage to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations is a top priority for us. From the shores to the trails, we have things to do and places to go that the whole family will enjoy.

In 2017, over 8,000 new acres were enrolled in the Walk-In Area hunting access program; adding to over 1 million acres of existing publicly owned and privately leased land open for public hunting. Plus, we have approximately 730 Game Production Areas totaling more than 281,000 acres. 

Now let's talk parks. The South Dakota State Park System includes 13 state parks, 43 recreation areas, 5 nature areas, 1 historic prairie, and 69 lakeside use areas. In addition to all of that, we also manage the 109-mile Mickelson Trail, the snowmobile trails program, and 240 public water access sites!

Each year, South Dakota State Parks highlight an activity to encourage everyone to visit their local parks all year long. In 2024, Reel In Memories!