Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Vermillion has 102 acres of parks, 8.5 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Prentis Park (0.7 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.7 miles of mapped trail cross Vermillion, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns · #19 of 35 in South Dakota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Vermillion?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Vermillion have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vermillion is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #19 of 35 in South Dakota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
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 Prentis Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Barstow Park
All 7 parks & preserves
92 conserved acres
3% of Vermillion’s land. Who manages Vermillion’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Barstow Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Prentis Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Autobahn Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Sertoma Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Ty Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
9 places to go in Vermillion
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
3.7 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.
25 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
13 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Vermillion: April 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 47 | 60 | 72 | 82 | 86 | 83 | 76 | 63 | 47 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Vermillion →
Vermillion 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermillion | 3% | 0.6 | 9 | 87% | B |
| Vermillion Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fairview 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 Vermillion
Where can I hike in Vermillion?
The longest trail networks: Prentis Park, 0.7 miles; Cotton Park, 0.1 miles; Lion's Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Vermillion is conserved land?
3% 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 Vermillion’s trails?
Prentis Park and Barstow Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Vermillion?
3.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Vermillion?
1,450 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vermillion or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 102 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Vermillion have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 Vermillion 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 →