Aspen Park
Park
49 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Brandon
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Brandon
0.9 miles of mapped trail cross Brandon, 0.1 per square mile of land. 182 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents. 3% of Brandon’s land is conserved, about 134 acres.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #18 of 35 in South Dakota. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
134 acres · of 6.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
182 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.8 mi
1.0 mi lanes · 7.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Brandon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brandon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brandon is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #18 of 35 in South Dakota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brandon’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical SD town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · SD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (182 acres) · SD 13 · U.S. 13BParks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · SD 87% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 61%
LessMore
South Dakota towns of 2,500+ (35)Ahead of 50%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Aspen Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Sioux Recreation Area
Managed by South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Aspen Park49 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
McHardy Park86 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Sioux Recreation Area18 acres · South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
Pioneer Park17 acres
DirectionsVanBuskirk Park10 acres
Tall Grass Park3 acres
DirectionsStone Ridge Park1 acres
Who protects it
134 conserved acres
3% of Brandon’s land. Who manages Brandon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city133 ac
State parks1 ac
Local Park · 133 acState Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mchardy Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Aspen Park Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Van Buskirk Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Tallgrass Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Sunrise Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Big Sioux State Recreation Area | State parks | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Brandon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brandon
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Brandon
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Brandon
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Brandon
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Tennis
9Baseball
8Soccer
4Tracks
2Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Brandon
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 31 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 75 | 61 | 44 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brandon →
Next door
Brandon and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon | 3% | 0.1 | 17 | 96% | B |
| Brandon Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Split Rock Township | 4% | 0.2 | 174 | 37% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brandon
Where can I hike in Brandon?
The longest trail networks: Aspen Park, 0.4 miles; McHardy Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brandon is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 3% for a South Dakota town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Brandon’s trails?
Aspen Park and McHardy Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brandon?
8.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes and 7.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brandon?
4,764 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brandon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 182 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Brandon have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 of 35 in South Dakota. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Brandon neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →