Parks around Yankton

Imagine a 100-mile stretch of North America's longest river, a vestige of the untamed American West. The Missouri National Recreational River is where imagination meets reality. Two free flowing stretches of the Missouri make up the National Park. Relive the past by making an exploration of the wild, untamed and mighty river that continues to flow as nature intended.

Straddling the Nebraska/South Dakota border, Gavins Point Dam, SD is the smallest of the six Missouri River main stem dams and the southernmost dam on the river. Lewis and Clark Lake, named for the first documented explorers of the Louisiana Territory, is 25 miles long, has 90 miles of shoreline, and 27 recreation areas offering camping, picnicking, fishing, hunting, boating, water-skiing, swimmi...

The Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex is comprised of Lake Andes NWR, Karl E. Mundt NWR, and Lake Andes Wetland Management District (WMD). The Complex headquarters is located on the east shore of Lake Andes. Wildlife habitat on the Complex is extremely important to conservation of waterfowl, bald eagles, and grassland birds. The Complex occupies the southern portion of t...

The Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex is comprised of Lake Andes NWR, Karl E. Mundt NWR, and Lake Andes Wetland Management District (WMD). The Complex headquarters is located on the east shore of Lake Andes. Wildlife habitat on the Complex is extremely important to conservation of waterfowl, bald eagles, and grassland birds. The Complex occupies the southern portion of t...

Fort Randall Dam, SD, located near Lake Andes in southeastern South Dakota along the Missouri River, is home to one of America's largest wintering concentrations of bald and golden eagles. The 19 recreation areas located around Lake Francis Case reservoir range from highly developed campgrounds and day use areas to primitive areas. Recreation opportunities at the lake include camping, picnicking,...

The Madison Wetland Management District (WMD) was established to preserve wetlands and manage habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Headquartered in Madison, South Dakota, the District staff manages 38,500 acres of upland and wetland areas, called waterfowl production areas (WPA). The wetlands found on WPAs also help prevent flooding in rainy years by storing the water while it slowly percolat...

For countless generations, American Indians have quarried the red pipestone found at this site. These grounds are sacred to many people because the pipestone quarried here is carved into pipes used for prayer. Many believe that the pipe's smoke carries one's prayer to the Great Spirit. The traditions of quarrying and pipemaking continue here today.

The public lands of Huron Wetland Management District (WMD), called waterfowl production areas (WPAs), are a part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. National wildlife refuges and WPAs are vitally important to wildlife and people. These lands are managed to provide habitat for endangered species, migratory birds, and other wildlife and to provide places for people to learn about and enjoy wild...

Virginia Smith Dam (formerly called Calamus Dam) and Calamus Reservoir, North Loup Division, P-SMBP, are on the Calamus River in Nebraska. Recreation at the site is managed for the Bureau of Reclamation by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Reservoir open 24 hours. Good access roads. Fishing season is year round. Available species include walleye, wiper, white bass, northern pike, largemouth...

The James Diversion Dam and Reservoir are located on the James River in east-central South Dakota about 17 miles north of Huron. The reservoir has approximately 960 water surface acres, 521 land acres and 85 miles of shoreline. Recreation activities are managed by the SD Department of Game, Fish and Parks. There is a public-use area, a picnic area, and boating. Available fish species include cr...

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is part of a network of refuges devoted to preserving and restoring increasingly scarce habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. The refuge is comprised of 8,358 acres in Iowa and Nebraska and lies in the Missouri River Valley floodplain on a former meander of the Missouri River. Each year, especially during the fall, spectacular flights of duck...

John W. and Louise Seier National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is 2,400 acres in size. It was established in 1999 to preserve, restore, and enhance the ecological diversity and abundance of migratory and resident wildlife. The Refuge lies among the sandhills of Nebraska -- the largest remaining tract of mid- and tallgrass prairie in North America.

Davis Creek Dam and Reservoir are features of the North Loup Division, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program. Reservoir open 24 hours. Fair access roads. Available species include largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and bullhead. Irrigation supply reservoir experiencing extreme fluctuations. The reservoir has 1,145 water surface acres. Fishing season is year-round.Huntin...

Big Bend Dam, SD takes its name from the unique bend in the Missouri River 7 miles upstream from the dam. At this point in its course, the Missouri makes almost a complete loop, traveling 25 miles before returning to the "neck" where the land is not quite a mile wide. The 19 Lake Sharpe recreation areas vary from primitive to highly developed and provide opportunities for camping, boating, picni...

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established to recover fish and wildlife habitat in and along the Missouri River. The purpose of the Boyer Chute Restoration Project is to restore essential wildlife habitat that became scarce when the Missouri River was "improved" for navigation half a century ago. River channelization, wetland drainage, and conversion of river bottom floodplain area...

Standing Bear Lake, NE, located in northwest Omaha, is named for the Ponca leader Chief Standing Bear, and is operated by the City of Omaha. The day use only facility offers picnicking, no-wake boating, hiking and bicycling trails, nature study opportunities and fishing. The lake has a surface area of 135 acres and is surrounded by 396 acres of parkland.

Glenn Cunningham Lake, NE, named for former Omaha mayor and U.S. Congressman Glenn C. Cunningham, is located in north central Omaha, and is operated by the City of Omaha. The lake has a surface area of 390 acres and is surrounded by 1,050 acres of parkland. Recreational opportunities include camping, no-wake boating, fishing, hiking and bicycling, picnicking, and horseback riding.

Sherman Dam, Farwell Unit, P-SMBP, lies across Oak Creek, about 5 miles northeast of Loup City. Reservoir open 24 hours. Good access roads. Available species include walleye, crappie, white bass, northern pike, and channel and flathead catfish. Irrigation supply reservoir experiencing extreme fluctuations. Reservoir peaks at 2,870 surface acres. Fishing season year-round.3,160 acres are open to pu...

The Windom Wetland Management District acquires and manages waterfowl production areas, enforces wetland easements, and provides conservation assistance to landowners in 12 southwestern Minnesota counties. The landscape is dominated by intense, row-crop agriculture, which has led to the drainage of most wetlands and widespread water quality problems. Deteriorating drainage tile systems and the ...

Arcadia Diversion Dam is on the Middle Loup River about 8.5 miles upstream from Arcadia, Nebraska. The project is part of the Farwell Unit, Middle Loup Division of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program. The area is managed by the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, 402-471-0641, for a wildlife management area. The site includes 777 land acres and 109 water acres and is home to pheasant, waterfowl...

Zorinsky Lake, NE, located in west Omaha, was named after the late U.S. Senator Edward Zorinsky. The lake has a surface area of 255 acres and is a day use only facility offering two modern playgrounds, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, a football field, hiking and bicycling trails, and a universally accessible fishing dock. This project has one of the few native tall grass prairies remaining in ...

Wehrspann Lake, NE, located in southwest Omaha is, operated by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District (NRD). The lake has a surface area of 246 acres and is surrounded by 940-acre Chalco Hills Recreation Area, a day use only facility. The area offers 7 miles of biking, hiking, and jogging trails, a nature trail, an arboretum, native prairie grasses, a bird-watching/waterfowl observat...

Branched Oak, NE, a State Recreation Area located 4 miles west of Raymond, NE on Oak Creek, boasts some of the finest camping facilities in the State Park system. There are 268 campsites - 187 of which have electrical hook-ups. Recreation opportunities include fishing, hiking, walking, picnicking, water-skiing, and swimming. A State Park Permit is required for entry.

Between May 1804 and September 1806, 31 men, one woman, and a baby traveled from the plains of the Midwest to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They called themselves the Corps of Discovery. In their search for a water route to the Pacific Ocean, they opened a window into the west for the young United States.

The purpose of Big Stone Wetland Management District (WMD) is to acquire and manage Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) in Lincoln and Lyon counties. District staff also serve private land resource interests by providing technical assistance for Department of Agriculture programs and restoring wetlands on private lands. Currently there are eight WPAs, two FmHA conservation easements and ...