Palisades State Park turns 50. Here's how it plans to create 'everlasting memories'

Hidden in the wide fields of corn and soybeans sits Palisades State Park, 30 minutes outside of Sioux Falls.

The Sioux quartzite formations make the park popular with rock climbers. Access to the Split Rock Creek means those wanting to fish or cool off with a swim can do so. Families can hike along the 4 miles of trail and enjoy picnics.

It’s a popular destination for weddings, family reunions, engagements and portraits, and after 50 years of being established, it's about to grow some more. An expansion project of a few hundred acres, announced in 2019, is currently in the works and will add more camping spots, picnic areas and recreational activities.

While the rock formations have been around for more than a billion years, the Palisades celebrated its 50th anniversary as a South Dakota state park Saturday.

“I hear stories all the time of people, ‘Oh, back in the day when I was a kid, we used to come out here and do this and this,’” said Luke Dreckman, the district park supervisor for the Palisades. “It’s just a great quality of life.”

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With 50 years gone, the Argus Leader asked readers what their favorite memories were and asked what the next 50 years could look like.

A quick history of the Palisades

The Sioux quartzite formations in the Palisades are estimated to be about 1.2 billion years old, according to the Palisades State Park website. Split Rock Creek was responsible for cutting the gorges around the park.

“The history of how everything was created and put together is unique and pretty cool,” Dreckman said.

In the mid-1800s, the town of Palisades was established. There was a flour mill, powered by the creek. And in 1886, low-quality silver was discovered downstream, according to the Palisades website.

A review of the Argus Leader archives found the park was mentioned in 1947 after the state Game, Fish and Parks Department had acquired the land. Plans were put in place to add a picnic shelter and improve the road into the park.

By July 1970, it was announced Palisades was being turned into a state park and it grew to 100 acres, according to Argus Leader archives. The road into the park was to be paved, a new parking lot would be constructed and the park would develop a camp ground.

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Six years later, a group of more than 200 foreign journalists and their families toured the Palisades as part of an eight-month program exploring national parks and historic places, Argus Leader archives show.

Throughout the years, the park has been a place for people to learn more about the outdoors and get active, such as when a high school group from Pipestone, Minnesota, visited in the 1990s for their P.E. class.

Snapshots of memories

For some, the Palisades is a special place.

Jordan Alberts, 28, and her husband, Ben Alberts, visited often because of their love of nature and hiking.

“That was one place that we spent a lot of our relationship at, hiking and being able to enjoy the scenery together,” she said.

It was also on those hikes the couple started discussing the idea of marriage and what their life together would look like.

In late December 2021, the two went out for a hike along the river.

“He was being kind of weird,” Alberts said. “We went down by the water and came back up to the main spot, where the rocks overlook the water, and he proposed to me right there. It was a full circle experience, because that had been a place that we’ve been to a lot during our relationship.”

They even had their engagement photos taken there, Alberts said.

Jordan and Ben recently married in June.

Others remember the park from childhood, like Dale Olson, who shared his photography of the Palisades with the Argus Leader.

“Unlike some, I didn’t dive into the water from the bridge or rock formations.  It’s hard to imagine, but that used to occur regularly,” he wrote in an email, describing his time as a teenager going to the park.

He still visits, with his time now spent taking nature photography.

What's the future of the park?

Dreckman said the Palisades will be growing in the next few years because of an expansion project announced in 2019. Included in the expansion was a land purchase agreement between four landowners and the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

“We went from 167 acres to 435 acres,” he said, adding the park will expand from 34 camping sites to 110 and will add two more picnic shelters.

More: Celebrate the Palisades turning 50 by sending us your photos

There will also be an archery range, disc golf course and possibly a dog park, Dreckman said. Easy access to the water for fishing and kayaking opportunities are also expected.

Drekman said the project should be completed during next four years, depending on fundraising. But he’s hoping the camping expansion should be open by spring 2024.

“Obviously, we have a lot of big plans, a lot of expansion, a lot of additional opportunities and being able to accommodate all the different kinds of user groups to get everybody outdoors into nature, and put smiles on people’s faces,” he said. “That’s obviously what we’re here for, to create those everlasting memories.”

Follow Annie Todd on Twitter @AnnieTodd96. Reach out to her with tips, questions and other community news at atodd@argusleader.com or give her a call at 605-215-3757.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Palisades State Park turns 50. What's in store for the next 50 years?