Hiking and Biking
Whether you enjoy a challenging hike across rugged terrain or a leisurely stroll through a city park, you’ll find the perfect path in Pierre.
Hiking through the Fort Pierre National Grassland is like stepping back in time. The grassland is 116,000 acres of rugged, unspoiled terrain, offering seasoned hikers and cyclists a look at the South Dakota prairie as it was hundreds of years ago.
There
are no developed campgrounds, but camping is
permitted throughout the area; the reservoirs
and ponds dotting the prairie are popular spots.
More information about the grassland may be
found at
http://www.sdgrass.org/
The parks and woods around Lake Oahe and Lake
Sharpe feature both easy and challenging paths
with excellent birding and nature-watching
opportunities. Oahe Downstream’s Cottonwood
Path, a National Recreation Trail, is popular
with hikers, cyclists and birders. Open
year-round, the seven miles of hiking, biking
and walking trails at LaFramboise Island wind
through woods and meadows inhabited by diverse
wildlife. Farm Island Recreation Area features a
three-mile Island Nature Trail.
Information about all three state parks is at
www.sdgfp.info.
The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trail runs from
Farm Island south of town to Oahe Downstream
Recreation Area. At 26 miles, it’s an easy to
moderate bike trip, with interesting sites and
stops along its route. Find information on the
Lewis and Clark Trail in brochures distributed
by the Pierre Convention and Tourism Bureau, or
at numerous Web sites, including
www.nps.gov/lecl and
www.lewisandclarktrail.com.
Within the city of Pierre, bike trails and
walking paths connect historical sites and
recreation areas. Hiking paths through Pierre’s
Native Plant Arboretum, located off the Farm
Island Nature Trail, can provide excellent views
of deer, wild turkey, mourning doves, bald
eagles, songbirds and pheasant. The Nature Trail
ends near the Riverwalk/Bicycle Path, which runs
about 14 miles along the Missouri River
shoreline. The Capitol Creek Walk connects the
Capitol grounds to the Riverwalk. The Governor’s
Walk winds just over a mile through Hilger’s
Gulch Park.
Click on the link to the city map to see the
location of these walks and paths. Contact the
Pierre Convention and Tourism Bureau at
800-962-2034 for more information.
Volksmarches, a noncompetitive walking event
that originated in Germany, offer another way to
explore Pierre. The Pierre Capitol Walk
Volksmarch, held every year,
winds along the river through scenic areas that
include several of the city’s parks. Also held
yearly, the Pierre Lewis and Clark Volksmarch follows a 10 kilometer (roughly 6
mile) trail around LaFramboise Island.
