Canoeing & Kayaking

The reaches of the Missouri National Recreational River are some of the last remaining natural stretches of America's longest river. The MNRR Water Trail website provides maps and information about access points, places of interest, endangered species and more on the 39-mile segment which extends from Ft. Randall Dam to near Running Water and the 59-mile segment which begins just below Gavins Point Dam and ends just downstream of Ponca State Park. The MNRR is now part of the National Water Trail System.  Events on the MNNR include the South Dakota Kayak Challenge and the Fort to Field 50 Paddle Battle.

There are many other opportunities for getting on the water in South Dakota:

Here is a link to an interactive map showing all of the public accesses maintained by the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department.

At this “What to do? Canoeing and Kayaking” page at the Game, Fish, and Parks website, you will find links to information on all of the accessible rivers in our state as well as a specific map for canoeing and kayaking the Big Sioux River.

There are also numerous small bodies of water that you could have all to yourself, on any given day. These areas are often on public lands that may be more difficult to access, but offer great outing potential. Use the "image" base map on the Game, Fish and Park’s interactive map to public hunting areas, so you can see which areas have larger bodies of water, and where you might be able to access them.