Outdoor Recreation | Black Hills & Badlands - South Dakota

Outdoor Recreation

The Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota offer a stunning natural playground with a diverse range of recreational activities. Spanning over 10,000 square miles, the region boasts seven National Parks, Monuments, Memorials, Forests, Grasslands, and State Parks. With elevations ranging from 2,500’ to 7,242’, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the vast prairies, grasslands, badlands landscapes, and rugged mountains.

Outdoor Adventures

Year-round opportunities for outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and ATV trails.

Scenic Drives and Wildlife Watching

A variety of scenic byways and wildlife loops offering panoramic vistas of the great outdoors.

Explore the Natural Beauty

Excellent public access to the region's natural beauty, with opportunities for families, solo adventurers, and nature lovers.

Explore the stunning natural playground of the Black Hills and Badlands, where exhilarating outdoor activities and panoramic views await.

ATV & Off-Roading

ATV & Off-Roading

The Black Hills National Forest boasts one of the largest motorized trail systems in a National Forest that is open to vehicles 62 inches or less in width.

Trails

Trails

The Black Hills are full of monumental works of both human and nature, evident too in the world-class hiking, biking, motorized and non-motorized trail offerings one can find here.

Hiking & Backpacking

Hiking & Backpacking

The uncrowded, natural surroundings of Western South Dakota are ideal for walking, hiking and backpacking.

Canoeing & Kayaking

Canoeing & Kayaking

Canoeing and kayaking on the waters of the Black Hills and

Wildlife Viewing, Animals & Bird Watching

Wildlife Viewing, Animals & Bird Watching

Prepare for plenty of impromptu encounters with the animals of the northern plains and mountains in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota.

Be on the lookout for bison, deer, pronghorn (commonly called antelope), bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, elk and more.

Caves & Cave Tours

Caves & Cave Tours

There's plenty to discover beneath the surface in the hundreds of miles of caves throughout the Black Hills, including two that are national parks. Find rare, intricate rock designs and stand in massive chambers.

Snowmobiling

Abundant snow, hundreds of miles of groomed trails, jaw-dropping scenery and warm, western South Dakota hospitality await you and your sled.

Biking

Biking

Bicycle Touring & Road Cycling

Trail, Wagon Rides & Horse Camps

Trail, Wagon Rides & Horse Camps

Saddle up at a sprawling dude ranch or trot along winding trails on a scenic guided horseback ride. Stunning landscapes and trusted trails make the Black Hills and Badlands the perfect place for horseback adventures.

Fishing & Ice Fishing

Fishing & Ice Fishing

In South Dakota, the fishing season never closes! Which makes the pursuit of trout in the streams and lakes of the Black Hills a year-round sport. You can catch walleyes, northern pike, bluegills and crappies too-but trout top the list for Hills sportsmen.

Hunting

Hunting

The Black Hills and Badlands region of South Dakota is a hunter's paradise, offering a wide range of opportunities to pursue game and experience the beauty of the great outdoors.

Water Sports

In the Black Hills of South Dakota water sports are an important element of enjoying the outdoors.

Rock & Ice Climbing

Rock & Ice Climbing

Rock climbing in the Black Hills is a perfect way for friends and families to add some adventure to their vacation.

Golfing

Golfing

Black Hills golf courses twist deep into pine forests, cross rushing trout streams and open up to distractingly spectacular mountain vistas.

Photography

If it’s photo opportunities you want, you’ll hit the jackpot in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota.

Skiing & Snowboarding

Skiing & Snowboarding

Iconic snow-capped peaks surrounded by ponderosa pine set the scene for skiing and snowboarding fun in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Winter in the Black Hills is a snow-covered oasis for you to explore.

Geocaching

Geocaching

If the coordinates N 44 17.849 W 103 48.471 mean anything to you, then you’re probably into geocaching. Using your Global Positioning Device and a published longitude and latitude, you try to locate a treasure, or cache, which someone has hidden at those coordinates.

South Dakota Vacation Guide

South Dakota Vacation Guide

The South Dakota Vacation Guide is your go-to source for discovering everything the state has to offer.

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