South Dakota’s Palisades State Park has dramatic spires and 1800s lore

It’s an ominous, enchanting scene right in the middle of farmland: 50-foot, gothic rock formations with a clear-water creek running through it.

Maybe it’s just another campground in South Dakota, but if you kayak in the canyon, scale the spires or cross the legendary bridges of Palisades State Park, you’ve made it to another era indeed.

As part of a USA Today Network project exploring places across America with historical and cultural significance, and a celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, here’s a look at an ideal outdoor destination for a family day trip.

Location

48422 256th Street in Garretson, South Dakota.

Why it matters

It’s been celebrated as a state park for over 50 years now, but old Indian legends here date back centuries, and the quartzite rock chasms are over a billion years old.

History lessons really hold up at the Palisades, remembered for its 19th-century silver rush and that one time Minnesota bandit Jesse James allegedly jumped an 18-foot gap on horseback nearby the park after a botched bank robbery in 1876 – and made it, managing as a fugitive for five more years before his assassination.

In 1924, then Garretson newspaper reporter W.W. Sanders wrote, “It was across the Devil’s Gulch, as pedigree legend has it, that Jesse James jumped.”

Devil’s Gulch, actually its own city-managed park a couple miles north of the Palisades, still maintains intrigue for the Palisades.

What to see today

Many come to see the migrant birds, who flock along the 1.5-mile-long creek, but the park is wooded enough to spot Great Horned Owls or even white-tailed deer.

Geologists come to marvel at the metamorphic processes of the park’s pink quartzite.

Ask a local

Ok, you didn’t hear it from us but spend a warm Sunday cliff jumping into Split Rock Creek. Some are over 50-foot drops, but what a thrill! Otherwise, you can more safely canoe, fish, hike or have a picnic. It’s a very clean park, with over 100 campsites and many picnic shelters.

Plan your visit

• Best time: It feels like an Italian summer to swim in the canyons of Split Rock Creek, but, ohh, you should see those colors in the fall.
• Hours/admission: Open year-round, with water systems closed from October-April. Camping fees range from $16-$60.
• Getting there: Palisades is located 20 miles northeast of Sioux Falls. Take exit 406 along Interstate 90. The park is 9 miles north, toward Garretson.
• Learn more: Palisades State Park | South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks

Written by Angela George with the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. USA 250 Most Treasured Views is a USA TODAY Network project exploring places across America with historical and cultural significance, created in celebration of the USA 250 initiative marking the nation’s 250th birthday.