Saturday, June 1
Our RASDak adventure begins in Garretson. This town has three beautiful parks that showcase the red quartzite canyon the area is known for. Palisades State Park is considered the 3rd best state park in South Dakota behind only Custer and Bear Butte! The scenery attracts photographers, rock climbers, hikers and is going to be a great place to begin our RASDak adventure!
Come early and check out all that Sioux Falls has to offer as it is only 21 miles away. Warmup for RASDak by riding on the 34 miles of bike trails along the Big Sioux River and be sure to visit Falls Park where the Big Sioux drops over 100 feet. Falls Park is just blocks away from downtown Sioux Falls and numerous attractions, shops and restaurants.
Sunday, June 2
Garretson to Brookings. 58 miles
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44671508
We head north and will pass through the land of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, you can learn of their history and of the early settlers to Moody County at the Moody County Museum. Our overnight town is Brookings, home to three attractions that are on the listing of South Dakota Great Places: the 70 acre McCrory Gardens, the SD Art Museum, and the SD Agricultural Heritage Museum. Brookings is also home to South Dakota State University which is South Dakota’s largest institution of higher education.
Monday, June 3
Brookings to Milbank. 78 miles
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44672230
We will continue our northward journey on quiet roads and through small towns to our overnight town of Milbank. Milbank is the birthplace of American Legion Baseball which is now enjoyed by over 5000 teams representing all 50 states. Milbank is also home to numerous beautiful parks and the Holland Grist Windmill which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tuesday, June 4
Milbank to Sisseton. 52 miles
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44672604
Our first stop will be at Big Stone Lake, the lowest point in SD at 968 ft. From there we will enter the land of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, home of the beautiful “Song to the Great Spirit” building.
Our destination is Sisseton, and you will want to check out the Nicollet Tower & Interpretive Center. The tower provides a spectacular view of the valley. The Interpretive Center describes Joseph Nicollet’s visits to the area in the 1830s. Nicollet became famous for his maps which became the basis of all future maps of the upper Mississippi River valley.
Wednesday, June 5
Sisseton to Clark. 86 or 106 miles
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44678558
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44689223
We will start the day by climbing up the Coteau des Prairies, the plateau that contains the vast majority of lakes in SD. We will see more lakes on this day than on any previous day of RASDak!
Our first stop will be the Nicollet Tower for a breathtaking view of three states. The next stop is Roslyn which while in the heart of lake country, is also known for a different kind of liquid at its International Vinegar Museum.
From there we will journey south to Webster, where you will want to visit their Museum of Wildlife, Science & Industry, then continue south to our overnight community of Clark. Clark is known as the potato capital of SD and has an annual Potato Days celebration.
Thursday, June 6
Clark to Arlington. 66 miles
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44678606
The glacial lakes tour will continue along scenic county highways through the communities of Willow Lake, Erwin, and Badger until we reach our destination of Arlington.
Arlington is home of the Cardinals, you can’t miss the cardinal on the water tower. They are a past SD Community of the Year.
Friday, June 7
Arlington to Garretson. 76 miles
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44678546
We will be returning to our start in Garretson. There will be many more lakes to see as we visit the communities of Sinai, Nunda, Wentworth, and Chester. Our final stop will be at Dell Rapids with its beautiful and historic downtown area, and be sure to check out their Sioux River Red Rock Trail. Then off to Garretson to celebrate with all the other Rasdakians on completing your 416 mile Glacial Lakes of the Prairie tour!
