South Dakota holds natural spaces, historical sites, and cultural locations beyond Mount Rushmore. These locations include waterfalls in Spearfish Canyon, Native American heritage sites, underground caves, and geological formations in the Badlands. Museums, parks, and historical buildings across the state present regional artifacts, art collections, and educational displays. Natural areas provide opportunities for wildlife observation, hiking, and outdoor activities.
Lawrence, USA
This waterfall in Spearfish Canyon drops 50 feet in three cascades. Visitors can observe it from wooden observation platforms along paved paths.
Clay, USA
This 320-acre natural prairie rises 100 feet above the surrounding plain. Native American tribes of the region consider the hill a sacred place.
Custer, USA
This limestone cave system extends over 200 miles underground. Its walls contain calcite crystals and rare formations of hydromagnesite balloons.
Pennington, USA
This wooden church replicates the Borgund stavkirke from Norway, built in 1969. The building features dragon heads and carved portals typical to Norwegian architecture.
Jackson, USA
A 64,250-acre natural area with eroded rock formations, deep canyons, and steep cliffs formed over millions of years.
Meade, USA
A 4,426-foot mountain where Native American tribes conduct ceremonies and vision quests, featuring a hiking trail to the summit.
Custer, USA
A forest site containing mineralized tree remains from prehistoric times, with visible wood grain patterns and cellular structures.
Dewey, USA
A 1,000-acre park near Lake Moreau with native grasslands, deer populations, and paths for hiking and bird watching.
Charles Mix, USA
Educational center presenting historical artifacts, photographs and documents about Northern Plains Indian tribes with focus on Dakota culture.
Moody, USA
40-acre outdoor art park featuring over 50 large metal sculptures created by artist Wayne Porter, including a 60-foot bull head.
Union, USA
1872 restored farm with period buildings on 1500 acres of land featuring educational exhibits, hiking trails and native wildlife.
Minnehaha, USA
Natural ravine with an 18-foot gap where outlaw Jesse James reportedly jumped on horseback while escaping from law enforcement in 1876.
Pennington, USA
A former mining site offering guided tours through tunnels with original equipment from the 1880s Black Hills Gold Rush.
Beadle, USA
A public park with native trees, sports fields, walking paths and a playground near Lake Byron.
Brookings, USA
A 25-acre garden on the South Dakota State University campus featuring regional plants, flowers and research areas.
Meade, USA
A stone monument marking the location of negotiations between U.S. military forces and Cheyenne River tribal leaders in 1876.
Oglala Lakota, USA
Museum documenting the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre through photographs, artifacts and historical records of the Lakota people.
Deuel, USA
Park with swimming beach, boat ramps, and camping facilities around a spring-fed lake covering 1,450 acres of protected land.
Brown, USA
21,500-acre wetland sanctuary providing nesting grounds for waterfowl, with observation points and hiking trails throughout the preserve.
Hill City, USA
Museum displaying tools, photographs and documents about the 1933-1942 public work relief program that employed young men in South Dakota.
Lake, USA
Museum displaying farming equipment, household objects and photographs showing the history of Madison since the 1880s.
Lincoln, USA
Archaeological site near Big Sioux River with trails and exhibits presenting the history of Oneota indigenous people.
Hughes, USA
Island in Missouri River containing 8 miles of trails where visitors spot local wildlife including deer, turkey and birds.
Lawrence, USA
Fish breeding facility from 1896 with historical displays, underwater observation windows and scheduled trout feeding activities.
Marshall, USA
Military installation from the 1860s with 14 buildings, parade grounds, and exhibitions showing soldier life during the Dakota Territory period.
Lawrence, USA
Stone observation tower constructed in 1919 on Mount Roosevelt, standing 31 feet tall with views of three states from its summit.
Clay, USA
Elevated platform near the river bank offering views of water birds, native plants, and seasonal fish migrations in their natural habitat.
Badlands National Park, United States of America
Hiking access point in Badlands National Park that leads to a steep path through eroded rock formations and prairie grasslands.
Custer, USA
Mountain sculpture carved since 1948 depicting Lakota leader on horseback, measuring 563 feet high and 641 feet long when completed.
Cherry, USA
State park containing a 63-foot waterfall surrounded by forest area. The water flows from a stream across a rock ledge into the Niobrara River.
Pennington, USA
Research center displaying dinosaur specimens, including T-Rex skeletons, along with regional minerals and geological artifacts from the Black Hills region.
Marshall, USA
Forest park with natural springs that produce red-tinted water. Native American tribes called this area the 'Land Where the Waters Run Red'.
Codington, USA
Art gallery displaying Terry Redlin's paintings of wildlife and rural American life. The center includes a conservation park and educational exhibits.
Kingsbury, USA
Historical farm where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived with her family in the 1880s. The location now features educational agricultural demonstrations.
Roberts, USA
Observation tower reaching 75 feet high with viewing platforms offering views of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota across the Coteau des Prairies.
Sully, USA
Recreational site on Lake Oahe with boat ramps, camping areas, and fishing spots. The area contains prairie grass fields and native wildlife.
Day, USA
Natural lake area spanning 955 acres with sandy beaches, wooded camping sites, and fishing docks. The water reaches depths of 43 feet.
Lyon, USA
A natural area with Sioux quartzite rock formations, prairie grass, and archaeological sites from indigenous settlements dating back centuries.
Minnehaha, USA
A recreation center offering winter skiing on multiple slopes, summer hiking trails, and seasonal tubing runs across 220 acres of varied terrain.
Minnehaha, USA
Three-story quartzite building from 1893 featuring exhibits about regional development, Native American artifacts, and early settler history of South Dakota.