Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Lewis and Clark Trail Experience

Information

Falls Park Visitor Information Center is open daily from 12pm to 7pm. (With new COVID regulations, please visit ExperienceSiouxFalls.com/FallsPark for current hours) This Visitor Information Center, located at Falls Park, has everything you need to accommodate your trip to Sioux Falls, including attraction and event information, maps, brochures and more!

(605) 367-7430

lat: 43.5460223 long: -96.731265

South Dakota’s largest city, Sioux Falls, sits in the southeast region of the state, just a short drive from the Lewis and Clark Trail. No visit to Sioux Falls is complete without a stop at Falls Park, the city’s namesake. The park features a triple-cascading waterfall from the Big Sioux River that flows through the 123-acre park. Sioux Falls has a rich art scene that is most notably known for the sculptures that make up SculptureWalk, and the Arc of Dreams. Outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of options to enjoy including the 30-mile Big Sioux River Recreation Trail, along with Good Earth State Park and Great Bear to name a few.

Nearby Attractions

Distance Unit:

Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean

Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean

Sanaa's Gourmet Mediterranean, East 8th Street, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Distance: 0.49 Away

Food and Drinks

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Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town

Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town

Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town, South Dakota 38, Buffalo Ridge, SD, USA
Distance: 8.85 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Spirit Mound

Spirit Mound

Spirit Mound, SD, USA
Distance: 48.77 Away

Outdoor Experiences Walks and Hikes Tribal Experiences LC Features

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Eponymous Brewing Company

Eponymous Brewing Company

Eponymous Brewing Company, Main Avenue South, Brookings, SD, USA
Distance: 52.56 Away

Food and Drinks Breweries and Distilleries

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Wooden Legs Brewery

Wooden Legs Brewery

Wooden Legs Brewing Company, 5th Street, Brookings, SD, USA
Distance: 52.92 Away

Food and Drinks Breweries and Distilleries

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McCrory Gardens

McCrory Gardens

McCrory Gardens, 22nd Avenue, Brookings, SD, USA
Distance: 53.18 Away

Outdoor Experiences

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South Dakota State Agricultural Museum

South Dakota State Agricultural Museum

977 11th Street, Brookings, SD, USA
Distance: 53.48 Away

Galleries and Venues Museums and Interpretive Centers

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National Music Museum

National Music Museum

National Music Museum, E Clark St, Vermillion, SD, USA
Distance: 53.63 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Missouri River Rafting / Guided Raft Tours On The Missouri River

Missouri River Rafting / Guided Raft Tours On The Missouri River

Missouri River Rafting, 450th Avenue, Gayville, SD, USA
Distance: 54.36 Away

Outdoor Experiences Outfitters

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Mead Cultural Education Center

Mead Cultural Education Center

82 Mickelson Drive, Yankton, SD 57078, USA
Distance: 55.25 Away

Galleries and Venues

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Mead Museum

Mead Museum

Mead Museum / Dakota Territorial Museum, Mickelson Drive, Yankton, SD, USA
Distance: 55.25 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center

NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center

NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center, Archery Lane, Yankton, SD, USA
Distance: 56.22 Away

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Holidays on the Trail “In the first few decades

Holidays on the Trail

“In the first few decades of the 1800s, throughout the North, Christmas was just another ordinary day; it didn’t become an official holiday in the US until 1870. Meanwhile, most southerners observed it with fireworks, hunting, dancing, food, and drink. However, on the western frontier—in Kentucky, for instance—Christmas was an occasion to indulge in a few extra rations and to recall the pleasures of lives and times left behind, beyond the Appalachians. Easter was even less significant in the puritanical early American church. Not until after the Civil War, during which violent death had touched nearly every family, did Easter become as significant as Christmas.

In a compromise with its multicultural makeup, the Corps of Discovery celebrated just three special days—Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Independence Day—and each must have been observed with a jovial mixture of traditions.”

Click the link below to learn more about the Corps and the 3 Christmases they spent while on the expedition - Camp Dubois in 1803, Fort Mandan in 1804, and Fort Clatsop in 1805.

https://lewis-clark.org/other/holidays-on-the-trail/

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, all!

Site of the Week: Falls of the Ohio State Park St

Site of the Week: Falls of the Ohio State Park

St. Louis is often recognized as the starting place of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. However, others would argue that the Expedition began further east where Lewis and Clark met to begin traveling together. Today, this site is the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

In 1803, Meriwether Lewis brought the keelboat down the Ohio River to meet Clark in Louisville. While Lewis had been overseeing the building of said keelboat, Clarj had been busily recruiting local men by way of a strict interview process. Once Lewis arrived with his two men and joined them with Clark’s seven men in Louisville, these first men of the Expedition became known as “the Nine Young Men from Kentucky.” These were William Bratton, John Colter, Joseph and Reuben Field, George Shannon, John Shields, Nathaniel Pryor, George Gibson, and Charles Floyd.

While the Falls of the Ohio are no longer visible, the fossil beds are still very prominent. These Devonian fossil beds are famously recognized as being one of the largest exposed fossil beds in the world. There is a museum on site which tells the history of these fossils, as well as the evolution of the area’s wildlife. The museum also provides information about Lewis and Clark’s time at the Falls and the complicated relationships between the incoming settlers and the local native tribes. The museum was recently renovated and has significantly expanded its exhibits.

Photos credited to Mitchell Pence and the Department of Natural Resources

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #fallsoftheohiostatepark #ohioriver

Check out our YouTube Channel! We have some great

Check out our YouTube Channel!

We have some great content being posted there every Saturday - you’ll see videos related to personal stories and adventures on the trail, special reports on various trail locations, and much more!

Be sure to subscribe and share with friends as well!

https://www.youtube.com/@lewisandclarktrailalliance

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you haven’t yet to bring the adventure and magic of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail on your mobile device. Scan the QR code here or find it on your app store.

Site of the Week: Pompey’s Pillar National Monum

Site of the Week: Pompey’s Pillar National Monument

William Clark christened the rock formation “Pompey’s Tower” on July 25, 1806, as he and his party descended the Yellowstone River. Clark gave the huge monolith the nickname that he himself had fondly bestowed upon Sacagawea’s young son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Nicholas Biddle, as he edited the journals upon Lewis and Clark’s return, changed the name to “Pompey’s Pillar.”

Pompey’s Pillar is known for being the only site with visible physical evidence of Lewis and Clark’s journey: Clark carved his name and the date onto the rock’s face. Now covered by a clear panel, the signature is protected from the elements while still being visible to visitors willing to climb up the steps to see it. Visitors can continue up the steps to the top of the rock where they can enjoy a 360-degree view of the landscape surrounding the site. There is also a highly informative and very well-designed visitor’s center at the base of Pompey’s Pillar, along with several outdoor educational structures and hiking trails.

Photos credited to Cait Clark.

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #pompeyspillar #Montana #pompeyspillarnationalmonument