Big Sioux Recreation Area: Prairie Vista Trail - Early Spring

For the past several weeks our hiking has revolved around weekday visits to the Big Sioux Recreation Area (BSRA) and weekends at the Wegner Arboretum/Perry Nature Area. There is a popular route at the BSRA that begins at the gazebo and leads down the bike trail to the parking lot for the shelter at the bottom of the hill. From there, we generally take a path that leads to a couple of cabins within the camping area and onto the paved roads winding around the campsites. We move along the camping loop twice and then head back down the trail that leads to the shelter, back onto the bike trail, and on to the gazebo. That route takes us about an hour. On the weekends, the BSRA area option is heavily used by people who live in Brandon, many walking their dogs. So, on the weekend we normally shift our hiking to the arboretum on the far eastern side of Sioux Falls.

Today, we thought that the mud had dried up enough on the trails leading from the park shelter across the river to the Prairie Vista trail. While there was a little mud along the trail leading to the Big Sioux River, the edges were sufficiently dried out to easily make our way to the bridge over the river.

Once across the river, the trails were just perfect. We headed toward the ridge overlooking the river valley and turned left onto the archery trail that leads around the backside of the hill forming the ridge.

This is a very scenic stroll through the grasses and along a ravine that separates most of the archery targets from the trail. The trail circles around and offers a gradual climb up to the ridgeline. There are alternative ways up the hill, but this one adds something to the hike and provides great views of the grasses, trees, and elevation of the landscape.

Once up on the ridge, there is a spectacular view of the landscape along the Big Sioux River valley. It is easy to gaze up and down the landscape to see if there are any other people hiking along. This is a multi-purpose trail that allows for hikers, mountain bikes, and horses. Since we take out little dog with us on these hikes, it is good to be aware of any other people along the trail. Seen from that elevation, there is plenty of time to anticipate meeting anyone.

Along the ridge, there are two large old cottonwood trees. These trees can be seen from the park entrance far away on the horizon in silhouette. They are dominant features of the landscape, and a walk along the ridge leads past them. Over the last thirty years, I have come to see these magnificent trees as old friends.

A park bench is situated along the ridge near the point where the trail begins to descend toward the river. This is where we take a break and provide some water for our aging miniature poodle.

The trail then leads down off the ridge through wooded patches and plum bushes.

The lower trail follows the course of the river back toward the bridge. There are many good spots to view the river as it flows south. I have traveled that stretch of the river several times on a cruise from Lien Park in Sioux Falls to the canoe access point at the edge of the BSRA – a trip of about 12 miles.

We crossed over the bridge again and walked through the dry flood plain to the bike trail and then over the disc golf course to the shelter and the parking lot.

This walk up along the ridgeline is my favorite hike in the Sioux Falls area. Adding in the loop through the archery range provides a trip of about three miles. Most of my hiking is done on weekday mornings, and most of the time I don’t meet anyone else on the trip. I always anticipate the view across Brandon and into Minnesota. Sharp eyes, or binoculars, will pick up the wind generators near Beaver Creek, Minnesota. There is generally lots of bird life to see, especially large raptors riding the thermals from the hills forming the ridge.

Big Sioux Recreation Area - Valley of The Giants: First Day of Winter

Dry conditions and warmer than normal temperatures continue to dominate this part of the northern plains, and we have taken walks in nature areas nearly each day. If the temperature is 30 degrees and there is no snow on the ground, hiking seems so much more preferable than going to a gym.

Today we returned to the Big Sioux Recreation Area for a hike along the Valley of the Giants trail. We began at the gazebo and entered the woods along a trail that parallels the Big Sioux River, leading from the heights down to the bottomland along the flood plain. We were surprised to find that there are still some green plants in the depths of the woodland.

Some of the bare trees along the way are quite interesting in silhouette, trees that might well pass unnoticed if leafed out.

There was intermittent sun appearing through the cloud cover that reflected off the river.

This walk allowed an opportunity to stroll along the shoreline on a beach that alternated from dried out mud flats to sandy stretches. Downed tree trunks that might be strainers during times of higher water extended across sections of the river flow.

We had a great time moving along the pathway and along the river bank. Taking these walks on December 21, the first day of winter and the longest day of the year, is a special seasonal gift that appears only rarely in this climate.

Big Sioux Recreation Area – Prairie Vista Trail: Early Winter

Taking advantage of the remarkable delay in the arrival of winter here in the Sioux Falls area, we again headed out for a hike this afternoon. The temperature was about 32 degrees and there was no wind. There was also no sun, but that was almost immaterial to our decision.

The Prairie Vista trail at the Big Sioux Recreation Area is my favorite hiking location in the area. The trail begins at the lower shelter within the BSRA and leads across the edge of the disc golf course, crosses the bike trail, and continues to the edge of the Big Sioux River. A suspension bridge crosses over the river to a multi-use trail system for hikers, bikes, and horses.

After moving along for a few hundred yards, the trail comes to an intersection with one pathway moving parallel to the BSR, one pathway leading directly up onto the ridge of a long hill that dominates the area, and one that leads around the archery range.

As long as there are no archers about, my preferred route is to move along the ravine that borders the archery range and circle around the backside of the large hill overlooking the BSR valley. This is a wonderful walk with a continuing view of the landscape while climbing the hill.

This pathway up to the ridge is a circuitous route that winds up the backside of the hill toward the ridgeline. The alternate route up to the ridge is one of those pathways that lead nearly straight up the hill. The walk around the archery range is more pleasant, assuming that people shooting arrows are not about.

The view from the ridge is spectacular. The trail continues along the ridge for half a mile or so, past a couple of large cottonwood trees, and reaches a rest bench that looks out over the valley. All of Brandon is spread out in the view from this spot. With binoculars, the wind turbines located over the border in Minnesota are visible.

This panoramic view is well worth any effort required to climb the hill. Since we take our dog with us on this walk, it is comforting to see a long distance ahead to note the presence of any other hiker, especially one with a dog.

Just in front of the bench is a straight path that runs down to the valley floor. This a path used by very fit people who are trying to build endurance and strength – not by me!

After passing this point on the trail, the pathway moves down through a thin thicket of trees as it descends to the valley floor. Plum and chokecherry trees are thick along the perimeter of the pathway on this portion of the hike.

The landscape between the hill and the woods along the riverbank is largely native prairie grasses with scattered trees in a meadow-like setting.

Once down off the ridge, the trail moves along the river back toward the suspension bridge that leads back into the flood plain and crosses the Brandon bike trail. Another short pathway then leads back to the park shelter building and the parking lot.

With the walk around the archery trail, the hiking distance is about 3 miles, and it takes me something over an hour. Avoiding the archery trail would shorten the trip down to something just over 2 miles.

I encounter someone else along this trail occasionally, but usually it offers the chance for a more solitary hike. This is really a great hiking spot for people in this area from May through November. The flooding along the BSR can inhibit access to the trail, although the trail itself is high enough to be relatively free of flood waters. In the winter, this area is used by snowmobiles. We feel lucky indeed to have been able to roam about the trail this late in the year. Surely, the time is near when access will be closed for hiking because of deep snow.

Big Sioux Recreation Area - Along the River: Early Winter

Sunday was a grey day with temperatures in the low 30s and a stiff wind. We decided to take our hike at the Big Sioux Recreation Area on the edge of Brandon. Although we wanted to go up on the ridge across the river along the Prairie Vista trail, we were dissuaded by the biting wind.

Instead, we took another of our routine hiking routes, this time beginning at the kiosk up on the rise and starting off down the bike trail. This is the trail that extends into the park from Brandon and moves around the perimeter of the park before continuing on back into Brandon from the park entrance.

We started off down the slope of the bike trail for a half-mile or so until we reached a point near the parking lot for the playground equipment alongside the park shelter.

From there we entered the wooded area through the disc golf course, a pathway that moves through the woods parallel to the Big Sioux River. This is a great pathway over a flood plain of grey soil and through a wooded area between the bike trail and the river. There are many opportunities to walk up to the bank and observe the flow of the river.

Over the years, I have made several canoe trips beginning at Lein Park in Sioux Falls and continuing the 12 miles to the BSRA. There is another 12-mile stretch along the river that begins at this launching point and continues to an access point across from the Lake Alvin Recreation Area.

The walk through the flood plain along the river intersects again with the bike trail, and we continued just a hundred yards of so until we could cross into the camping area of the park.

There is a pathway near one of the log cabins that leads onto the one-way road that circles through the campgrounds. We walked along the two loops of the camping area until we could exit into a meadow that leads across to the park shelter.

The campgrounds were empty, as they usually are during this time of the year. There is abundant birdlife to notice and the occasional squirrel. Mostly, this is just a great empty road that serves as a pathway through the grounds.

After crossing the meadow and walking through the playground and picnic area parking lot, we got back on the bike trail and made our way up the slope toward the kiosk on top of the hill.

Again, this is a walk of about an hour. It is one of my first walks during the spring. As the sun gains in strength and the days lengthen in March, the bike trail and the campground road soaks up the heat and provide the first snow-free hiking opportunity. By March, I expect to again be able to roam along this part of the BSRA while looking for any possible sign of spring.

The Big Sioux Recreation Area - Valley of the Giants Hiking Trail: Late Fall

The Big Sioux Recreation Area is located on the edge of Brandon, just off Highway 11 going north near an elementary school and a large greenhouse. This state recreation area has two major hiking trails, picnic grounds, camping facilities, an archery range, a disc golf course, and a canoe/kayak access point. The Brandon bicycle trail goes through the recreation area offering another hiking opportunity, including a variation that extends a hike into the wooded area along the banks of the Big Sioux River.

One of my favorite walks is along the Valley of the Giants trail that begins at the gazebo situated up the hill past the old settler cabin. The trail moves through the wooded area, down the slope, and along the banks of the river. Unfortunately, this is the part of the park that most frequently floods and is inaccessible for some part of the year, usually during the spring melt and time of high river water level.

A couple of days ago, my wife, our little miniature poodle, and I took a hike on this trail. The landscape is especially interesting at this time of the year because vistas are so increased through the bare trees and bushes.

The hike begins with a trail along the hill overlooking the river below. A nice view of the river is presented early into the hike, just before descending down the slope toward the river edge.

During a period of little rain over several weeks, the water level of the river drops so that a hiker can go out along a beach of sand and stunted growth and stroll along the shelving bank for a hundred yards or so. There is an abundance of birdlife along this trail, including waterfowl on the river itself.

The trail then moves along a bottom area with large cottonwood trees and varieties of other trees, bushes, and grasses. The trail is well defined and quite easy to follow. A loop through the bottomland continues for half a mile or so before the trail slopes up an incline to the higher elevations overlooking the river valley.

Moving through this bottomland provides a view of how a river flood affects the landscape. Brush and trees that have been caught up in the flow wind up in interesting displays within the dried out bottomland.

There is a bench about three quarters of the way along the trail where we tend to stop and offer our dog a drink. Soon after that point, the trail intersects with the path going down the slope and continues on back to the starting point at the gazebo.

This hiking trail intersects with the Brandon bicycle trail and people strolling from the residential areas nearby are sometimes encountered, especially on weekends and holidays. During the weekday mornings when I go hiking, I do not often meet other hikers along this trail. It is multiuse, though, and people use the Valley of the Giants trail for hiking, bird watching, dog walking, mountain bike riding, and cross country running. Still, most often I am alone on the trail and enjoy the contemplative solitude of walking through the woods and along the river.

A park sticker is required for entering the Big Sioux Recreation Area, and enforcement of this regulation is high; the ranger responsible for the park lives in a residence just off the road leading past the settler cabin and before arriving at the gazebo. Just as it is unwise to exceed the speed limit when driving through Brandon, it is also likely to be a mistake to drive into the BSRA without paying either the daily fee or having a park sticker.

A hike along the Valley of the Giants trail will generally take about 45 minutes. The trail is about 1.25 miles in length and rated as “somewhat difficult – strenuous in some areas.”