Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park of Sioux Falls

For a great day out in the wilderness, you can head to the nearby Big Sioux State Recreation Area in Brandon. Along the banks of the Big Sioux River, you can enjoy a leisurely hike along the river, canoe along the calmly meandering river, or enjoy fishing from the banks. You can also learn a new skill at the archery range, challenge your travel companions with a game of disc golf, or simply enjoy the wildlife. If you’re traveling during the winter, you can explore the trails thanks to the help of snowshoes for a true winter wonderland experience. For some truly memorable scenery, you can spend the day at the Palisades State Park in Garretson, South Dakota. A little unique to eastern South Dakota, the quartzite formations and bluffs come in all sorts of colors, creating mosaic-like cliff faces along Split Rock Creek. If you’re an experienced rock climber, you can scale these cliff faces for a stunning view of the creek below. Or instead, you can take a canoe or kayak ride down the creek and enjoy the cliff faces from another angle. And thanks to the cliff faces, plenty of birds call the Palisades home, so avid birdwatchers are likely to see a wide variety of species. Just across the state border into Minnesota lies the Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne, Minnesota. Another great destination for rock climbers, Blue Mounds is home to several different sections of cliffs and bluffs. You can scale the bright red cliff faces and get a wide-sweeping view of the prairie below. At Blue Mounds, plenty of Midwestern wildlife call the prairie home. If you’re lucky, you just might get to see the bison herd that calls the park home. And if you’re traveling in the spring or summer, you’ll get to see the stunning bright wildflowers that decorate the prairie as well as (hopefully) baby bison.