Big Sioux Recreation Area is a South Dakota state recreation area in Minnehaha County,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

in the United States. The recreation area is named for the

Big Sioux River The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. It flows generally southwardly for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataTh ...

which flows through the park. The recreation area is located 4 miles east of

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

and is very popular for camping, cabin rentals, canoeing, biking, hiking, disc golf, snowmobiling and archery.

Description

The park is known for its large

bur oak ''Quercus macrocarpa'', the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'', and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub o ...

, eastern cottonwood,

box elder ''Acer negundo'', the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or inva ...

and

silver maple ''Acer saccharinum'', commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, large maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canad ...

trees. There are over 7 miles of walking trails at the park. There is a 2.5-mile paved bike trail that connects with the city of Brandon bike trail. The Prairie Vista Trail is a horseback riding and mountain bike trail that is over 2 miles long. The Jay Heath Canoe and Kayak Trail goes through the park via the

. The park is located in the southern section of the

Coteau des Prairies The Coteau des Prairies is a plateau approximately 200 miles in length and 100 miles in width (320 by 160 km), rising from the prairie flatlands in eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa in the United States. ...

land formation. Rolling hills are very common in the Coteau des Prairies. Big Sioux Recreation Area has a large hill located on the west side of the park that offers great views of the park as well as the city of the

Brandon, South Dakota Brandon is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. Brandon is located five miles east of Sioux Falls. The population was 11,048 as of the 2020 census. History A post office called Brandon has been in operation since 1878. The c ...

. The Prairie Vista Trail goes up to the summit of this hill. Just like other areas along the Big Sioux River corridor, there are 200 different kinds of bird species that will migrate through and near the park. Bald eagles are common to see during the winter months.

Deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

turkeys The turkey is a large bird in the genus ''Meleagris'', native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') of eastern and central North America and the ocellated turkey (''Meleagris ocellat ...

coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

snapping turtles The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and ''Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are ''Acherontemys' ...

and woodchucks can be found in some of the remote areas of the park. River otters can sometimes be found in secluded areas along the Big Sioux River.

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

can be found throughout the Big Sioux River. The

March 2019 North American blizzard The March 2019 North American blizzard was a powerful Colorado Low that produced up to two feet of snow in the plains and Midwest. Rapid snowmelt following the storm caused historic flooding, and some areas received hurricane-force wind gusts. C ...

caused severe flooding at the park. This weather event brought heavy rainfall that melted ground snow rapidly while the ground was still frozen. Heavy snow amounts were found upstream in the Big Sioux River drainage basin, which melted and intensified the flood event. Later on in September 2019 the park experienced historic flooding that was caused from excess rain in the area as well as areas upstream of the park. These events may be caused by the effects of Climate change in South Dakota. See

2019 Midwestern U.S. floods The Midwestern United States experienced major floods in the spring of 2019, primarily along the Missouri River and its tributaries in Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, and Kansas. The Mississippi River also saw flooding, although startin ...

for more information. A log cabin that was built in 1869 by

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

immigrants can be found at the park. The timber for the cabin came from the

forests A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

along the Big Sioux River.

References

External links

Big Sioux Recreation Area - South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
Protected areas of Minnehaha County, South Dakota Protected areas of South Dakota State parks of South Dakota {{SouthDakota-geo-stub

Description

See also

References

External links