Enjoy A Long Walk At This Underrated State Park In South Dakota
By Tori Jane|Published December 26, 2023
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Just southeast of Sioux Falls is an amazing place that, if you ask me, just doesn’t get the appreciation it so rightly deserves. Just about every square mile of South Dakota is beautiful, but our state parks provide a front-row seat to all the best of it. Take the awesome park known as Good Earth State Park – an underrated state park in South Dakota just a skip away from Sioux Falls – and make a day to explore it from top to bottom. It’s the perfect place for a nice, long, peaceful walk, be it to clear your head or simply to enjoy the beauty all around us.
...but if I'm being honest here, it's so much MORE than "just" a place to relax.
This just so happens to be a remarkably important historical site as well. It's one of the oldest known sites of long-term human inhabitation in the world.
From approximately 1300 to 1700 C.E., it's believed that people used this as an important gathering site and center of trade.
They picked an excellent spot; the river, which runs right through the region, provides never-ending life, which this park seems to teem with in every nook and crannie.
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At these times, the primary people residing here were the Oneota peoples, including folks from Ponca, Omaha, Otoe and Ioway.
It's almost too easy to get lost out here, and I wouldn't blame you if you did - unless, of course, you go off a trail. Please don't do that. Keep your wandering on established trails for your safety (and the safety of the wilderness, too).
The Big Sioux River is one of the most beloved aspects of the park.
Sink your toes in the sand or skip stones across the more peaceful parts of the river... or simply get some rays. Kayaking is another popular activity.
Unfortunately, as of right now, there is no camping allowed in this underrated state park in South Dakota.
Perhaps that's WHY it's so underrated: folks often confuse no camping with being "less than."
Personally, I disagree: I feel like that just makes the space all the more special… and all the better for a long walk over anything else. To learn more about the park, please visit the official Good Earth State Park site on SD.gov. Do you love this underrated state park in South Dakota? Let me know!
Planning on hiking while you’re here? You might also be interested in our definitive hiking packing list.
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