Roy Lake State Park - West Unit
Managed by South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
366 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Lake Township
More than half of Lake Township’s land is conserved: 73%
73% of Lake Township’s land is conserved, about 12,841 acres. 1,596 acres are parks and preserves, 19,223 per 1,000 residents. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Lake Township.
Conserved land
73%
12,841 acres · of 27.3 sq mi of land
Trails
0.4 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,596 ac
19,223 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,939 ft
Six Mile Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 1 boat launch
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 Roy Lake State Park - West Unit, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
12,841 conserved acres
73% of Lake Township’s land. Water is left out: Lake Township has 27.3 square miles of land and 8.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service14,508 ac
State fish & wildlife2,573 ac
State parks318 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)313 ac
State land board7 ac
Conservation Easement · 12,544 acResource Management Area · 2,277 acState Recreation Area · 1,679 acState Conservation Area · 1,212 acState Resource Management Area · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 8,869 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,277 | Restricted |
| Roy Lake State Recreation Area | State parks | 1,591 | Open |
| Four Mile-clubhouse-barretts State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 465 | Restricted |
| Larson's Slough State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 356 | Restricted |
| Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 172 | Restricted |
| Little Cottonwood State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 80 | Restricted |
| Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 77 | Open |
| Chokecherry Island State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 73 | Restricted |
| Nine Mile State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 55 | Restricted |
| Ivory Tower Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 12 | Restricted |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
3 places to go in Lake Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lake Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Lake Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Lake Township
Six Mile Hill1,939 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Lake 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 19 | 23 | 36 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 55 | 38 | 24 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lake Township →
Next door
Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dumarce Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Red Iron Lake 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 Lake Township
Where can I hike in Lake Township?
The longest trail networks: Roy Lake State Park - West Unit, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Lake Township’s trails?
Roy Lake State Park - West Unit and Roy Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lake Township?
6,257 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,601 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Lake 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 →