Photo: devriesm · CC BY 2.0Hot Springs has 6.0 miles of mapped trails, 1.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Butler Park (1 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7% of Hot Springs’ land is conserved, about 204 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #3 of 35 in South Dakota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Hot Springs?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Hot Springs have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hot Springs is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #3 of 35 in South Dakota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Butler Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Upper Chautauqua Park
Lower Chautauqua Park
Brookside Park
All 8 parks & preserves
204 conserved acres
7% of Hot Springs’ land. Who manages Hot Springs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sd Public Land State Resource Management Area | State land board | 142 | Open |
| Butler Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Black Hills National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 14 | Open |
| Brookside Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Upper Chautauqua Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Mueller Center Soccer Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| School Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Lower Chautauqua Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Umiker Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
5 places to go in Hot Springs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
8 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Hot Springs: August and September
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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 40 | 51 | 59 | 68 | 79 | 87 | 86 | 77 | 62 | 48 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
January is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 3.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hot Springs →
Questions about parks and trails in Hot Springs
Where can I hike in Hot Springs?
The longest trail networks: Butler Park, 1 miles; Brookside Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hot Springs is conserved land?
7% 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 Hot Springs’ trails?
Butler Park and Upper Chautauqua Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hot Springs?
73,681 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hot Springs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 233 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hot Springs have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 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 Hot Springs neighbors.
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 →