Douglas Chittick Community Gardens
Park
76 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ivan Cobel House · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Brookings
6% of Brookings’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Douglas Chittick Community Gardens (1.4 mi), McCrory Gardens (1 mi). 638 acres are parks and preserves, 27 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #5 of 35 in South Dakota. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
513 acres · of 14.0 sq mi of land
Trails
6.2 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
638 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
33 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 25 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Brookings?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brookings have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brookings is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #5 of 35 in South Dakota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brookings’ overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical SD town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · SD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (638 acres) · SD 13 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · SD 87% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
South Dakota towns of 2,500+ (35)Ahead of 88%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. 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 Douglas Chittick Community Gardens, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dakota Nature Park
Park
145 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 22 parks & preserves
Douglas Chittick Community Gardens76 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
McCrory Gardens70 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsDakota Nature Park145 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMedary Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMickelson Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSexauer Park & Campground21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMoriarty Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
McClemans Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Fishback Soccer Complex86 acres
DirectionsSouthbrook Softball Fields25 acres
DirectionsLarson Park & Disc Golf Course20 acres
DirectionsPioneer Park17 acres
DirectionsArrowhead Park16 acres
Dakota Prairie Park10 acres
DirectionsCamelot Park6 acres
DirectionsBrookings County Veterans Memorial Park4 acres
DirectionsHillcrest Aquatic Center4 acres
DirectionsSouthSide Park4 acres
Indian Hills Park3 acres
Valley View Park3 acres
Lions Park2 acres · Brookings Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department
Outdoor Prairie Play1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
513 conserved acres
6% of Brookings’ land. Who manages Brookings’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city405 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)103 ac
Other state land4 ac
Local Park · 330 acConservation Easement · 103 acLocal Recreation Area · 75 acState Other or Unknown · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 103 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 137 | Open |
| Fishback Soccer Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Go Kart Track & Archery Range Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Softball Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Dwiggins Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Sexauer Park & Campground Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Larson Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Hillcrest Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Gustafson Pond Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Brookings
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Brookings
50 meter poolIn Hillcrest Aquatic Center
Directionsplunge poolIn Hillcrest Aquatic Center
Directionswading poolIn Hillcrest Aquatic Center
Directionszero-depth leisure poolIn Hillcrest Aquatic Center
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Brookings
30 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brookings
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Brookings
7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Brookings
SDSU Disc Golf Course
DirectionsBiking & sports
33 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
25 mi
off-road bike paths
6.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
21Baseball
12Soccer
10Tennis
9Basketball
8Tracks
8Pickleball
7Beach volleyball
6Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →27 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1976
About itFishback HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itBrookings County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itStock Judging PavilionBuilding · listed 1978
About itCarnegie Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1980
About itWenona Hall and Wecota HallBuilding · listed 1980
About itBrookings City HallBuilding · listed 1982
About itTrygstad Law and Commerce BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itW. A. Caldwell HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itNick's Hamburger ShopBuilding · listed 1986
About itG. A. Mathews HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itCoolidge Sylvan TheatreStructure · listed 1987
About it15 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Brookings
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brookings →
Next door
Brookings and its neighbors
Brookings has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brookings6.2 miAurora Township3.6 miTrenton Township2.2 miBrookings Township0.7 miMedary Township0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookings | 6% | 0.4 | 27 | 99%+ | A− |
| Brookings Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Aurora Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Medary Township | 13% | under 0.1 | 40 | 24% | B− |
| Trenton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brookings
Where can I hike in Brookings?
The longest trail networks: Douglas Chittick Community Gardens, 1.4 miles; McCrory Gardens, 1 miles; Dakota Nature Park, 0.4 miles; Medary Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brookings is conserved land?
6% 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 Brookings’ trails?
Douglas Chittick Community Gardens and McCrory Gardens don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brookings?
33 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes, 25 of off-road paths and 6.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Brookings?
710 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brookings or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 638 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Brookings have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 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 Brookings 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 →