Other Sports and Recreation
MOTOR
SPORTS
Motorcycles, motocross bikes, golf carts
and all-terrain and off-road vehicles
(ATVs and ORVs) are allowed in many
public areas around Pierre and Fort
Pierre.
In the Oahe
Downstream ORV area, you’ll find a
motocross race track open to the public
as well as some 400 acres of hills,
bluffs and shale slopes to explore.
There are no designated
trails, but boundaries are marked — and ORVs are only
allowed within these areas of Oahe Downstream.
Vehicles don’t have to be licensed or have a
park entrance license within the ORV area.
In all other state parks, licensed ARVs and ORVs
may be used on designated, marked roads and
trails; a valid park entrance license is
required to use such vehicles on park grounds.
For more information, go to the South Dakota
Game, Fish and Parks Web site, www.sdgfp.info or
call (605) 223-7722.
GOLF
Fish in the morning, golf in the afternoon: It’s
possible in Pierre, where all three area golf
courses are located adjacent to the river.
Next to the Fort Chouteau Historical Site, the
Dunes Golf Course is a USGA-rated 18-hole,
par-63 course with a driving range, a lounge and
a short-order grill. One mile north of Fort
Pierre on Highway 1806. (605) 223-2525.
Pierre’s 18-hole, par-72 championship Hillsview
Municipal Golf Course is open to the public and
groups are welcome. The golf complex features an
outstanding practice facility and group and
private lessons with PGA professional staff.
Call for tee times up to a week in advance. Two
miles east of Pierre on Highway 34. (605)
224-6191.
www.hillsviewgolfcourse.com
Located on Lake Oahe, the Oahe Trails Golf
Course offers beautiful views of the lake. This
championship course has five tee boxes to
accommodate all levels of players. (605)
224-9340.
www.oahetrails.com.
DISC GOLF
A growing sport among people of all ages, disc
golf is popular in the Pierre–Fort Pierre area,
which features two disc golf courses.
The game is simple: Players take turns throwing
plastic discs — Frisbees — at a metal basket.
Each player then throws again from wherever his
disc lands, until he lands the disc in the
basket. At the end of the course, typically nine
“holes,” the player who finishes the hole in the
fewest throws wins.
Play at the Oahe Downstream and Steamboat Park
disc golf courses is free; at Oahe, a valid park
entrance license is required. Both parks have
discs available for check-out. Contact the
Pierre Parks Department for more information:
(605) 773-7445.
TENNIS
Tennis is a popular warm-weather pastime in
Pierre, which offers a dozen free public courts
at city parks. Griffin Park is the local center
for playing, learning or watching tennis. The
riverside park’s eight courts include six
completed in 2004; four are lighted. A nearby
clubhouse and concessions provide convenient
services to players and spectators.
Devine Park, located a few blocks away, and
LaBarge Park, on the north side of town, each
feature two tennis courts. Contact the Pierre
Parks Department for more information about
tennis facilities and activities:
Website, or (605)
773-7445.
WINTER SPORTS
South Dakota’s season of cold and snow creates
the ideal setting for winter sports. The trails
at Oahe Downstream, La Framboise Island and Farm
Island are popular places to snowshoe and
cross-country ski.
The best sledding is found at Hilger’s Gulch
Park, located close to the Capitol in Pierre.
On the smaller lakes and ponds in the area, ice
skating is a popular winter pastime. Ice skaters
also enjoy open skating, hockey and figure
skating at the two ice rinks in the Fort Pierre
Community Expo Center, open mid-October through
mid-March; rental skates are available. For
hours and fees, contact the Expo Center at (605)
223-2178.
As the New Year begins, so does South Dakota’s
remarkable ice fishing season. Walleye and
northern pike are the biggest of the winter
catches, but it’s the smaller yellow perch,
topping out at about two pounds, that draws the
most attention.
For perch, crappie, bass, northern pike and
walleye, fish through the ice at Griffin Park
and Farm Island. Find walleye, sauger, northern
pike, bass, channel catfish, salmon, trout and
panfish at Oahe Downstream.
Ice fishing isn’t the only option: Cast from the
fishing pier at the causeway north of
LaFramboise Island, a well-known spot for
wintertime walleye, trout and northern pike
fishing. General information about fishing in
South Dakota, including licensing and fishing
tips, is online at
www.sdgfp.info.
