Photo: National Park Service · Public domainYankton has 8.4 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Riverside Park (0.5 mi). 4% of Yankton’s land is conserved, about 253 acres.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #10 of 35 in South Dakota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Yankton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Yankton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Yankton is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #10 of 35 in South Dakota. Trail miles hold 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 Riverside Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fox Run Park
Morgen Park
All 6 parks & preserves
253 conserved acres
4% of Yankton’s land. Who manages Yankton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis And Clark Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 104 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Fantle Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Sertoma Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Westside Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Rotary Nature Area Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Aviation Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Fox Run Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Tripp Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Augusta Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
15 places to go in Yankton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
7.4 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.
September is the best month for walking in Yankton
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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 35 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 82 | 86 | 83 | 76 | 63 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Yankton →
Yankton and its neighbors
Yankton has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yankton | 4% | 1.0 | 10 | 94% | B+ |
| Utica Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mission Hill 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 Yankton
Where can I hike in Yankton?
The longest trail networks: Riverside Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Yankton is conserved land?
4% 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 Yankton’s trails?
Riverside Park and Westside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Yankton?
7.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Yankton?
5,286 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Yankton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 265 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Yankton have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 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 Yankton 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 →