Lake Thompson West Game Production Area
Managed by South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
195 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
–Not graded
Outdoors in Mathews Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Mathews Township
35% of Mathews Township’s land is conserved, about 18,821 acres. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Mathews Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
35%
18,821 acres · of 84.4 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Johnson Waterfowl Production Area
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
41 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
18,821 conserved acres
35% of Mathews Township’s land. Water is left out: Mathews Township has 84.4 square miles of land and 5.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Mathews Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service20,979 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)471 ac
State fish & wildlife321 ac
Conservation Easement · 21,122 acResource Management Area · 328 acState Conservation Area · 321 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 18,335 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsbury County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 328 | Restricted |
| Lake Thompson Game Production Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 190 | Restricted |
| Albrecht State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 84 | Restricted |
| Apland State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 38 | Restricted |
| Gruenhagen State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 10 | Restricted |
When to get out
The walking year in Mathews 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 30 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Mathews Township →
Next door
Mathews Township and its neighbors
Mathews Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mathews Township12 miCarthage Township11 miManchester Township11 miEsmond Township10 miBaker Township8.1 miWhitewood Township3.2 miDe Smet Township1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathews Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| De Smet Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Carthage Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Esmond Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Whitewood Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Manchester Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Baker 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 Mathews Township
Are dogs allowed on Mathews Township’s trails?
Lake Thompson West Game Production Area and Johnson Waterfowl Production Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Mathews Township?
1,196 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mathews Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Mathews 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 →