Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park (Lakota: Makȟóšiča) is a national park of the United States in southwestern South Dakota. The park protects 242,756 acres (379.3 sq mi; 9…
National Park System · South Dakota
National parks in South Dakota
7 destinations across the National Park System call South Dakota home — from headline parks to lesser-known historic sites worth a detour.
The parks listed below cover everything the National Park Service maintains within South Dakota. They include flagship parks (the names most travelers come for), plus the smaller monuments, historic sites, battlefields, and recreation areas that round out a serious itinerary. If you're putting together a state-focused trip, working from this list — rather than a generic top-five — will surface places you'd otherwise miss.
Each link below opens a full visitor guide: hikes, camping, nearby attractions, and visitor tips for that specific destination. Read them in any order — they're written to be standalone.
Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park is a national park of the United States located 10 miles (16 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. Established o…
Jewel Cave National Monument
Jewel Cave National Monument contains Jewel Cave, currently the fifth longest cave in the world and second longest cave in the United States, with 220.33 miles …
Mount Rushmore
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: Tȟuŋkášila …
Fossil Cycad National Monument
Fossil Cycad National Monument was a national monument in the U.S. state of South Dakota beginning in 1922. The site contained hundreds of fossils of the cycad-…
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is an American national historic site established in 1999 near Wall, South Dakota, to illustrate the history and si…
Big Stone Lake State Park
Big Stone Lake State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the shore of Big Stone Lake, the headwaters of the Minnesota River. It is home to wil…