Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve
Park
48 acres0.3 mi of trail
River Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Jefferson Township
Jefferson Township has 54 acres of parks, 50 for every 1,000 residents
5.4 miles of mapped trail cross Jefferson Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 29% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
179 acres · of 38.8 sq mi of land
Trails
5.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
54 ac
50 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jefferson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson Township is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical SD town 3% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · SD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land50 acres of park per 1,000 residents (54 acres) · SD 13 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home29% of residents within a half mile of a park · SD 87% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 36%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− 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 Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
179 conserved acres
1% of Jefferson Township’s land. Who manages Jefferson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)132 ac
State parks47 ac
Conservation Easement · 132 acState Conservation Area · 47 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 132 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Nature Area State Conservation Area | State parks | 47 | Restricted |
Things to do
1 places to go in Jefferson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Campgrounds in Jefferson Township
1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
River Loop0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Jefferson Township
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 35 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 82 | 86 | 83 | 77 | 63 | 47 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jefferson Township →
Next door
Jefferson Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | 1% | 0.1 | 50 | 29% | C+ |
| Big Sioux Township | 21% | 2.1 | 302 | 34% | A |
| Civil Bend Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Elk Point 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 Jefferson Township
Where can I hike in Jefferson Township?
The longest trail networks: Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jefferson Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Jefferson Township’s trails?
Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Jefferson Township?
10,282 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 54 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson Township have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Jefferson Township 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 →