Split Rock Creek State Park

About Split Rock Creek State Park

The lake is the main feature of the park, with a variety of waterfalls, lakes, ponds and other natural features, as well as a number of hiking trails.

The park is located in the prairie of Coteau Prairies, and the famous Pipestone National Monument is located 7 miles north of the park. Visit the Beach Side Trail Center for great views and learn more about the area.

Rocky outcrops and flat soils prevent much of the land from being ploughed in the park, but grazing by native farm animals has weakened native grasses and wildflowers. The late summer offers visitors a prairie panorama in all colors of wildflowers and grass.

The hard metamorphic rock is mined in the area to be used as building material, but some remains. Behind the cash desk is a hard pink rock known as Sioux Quartzite, the only source of water for the park.

Although Split Rock Creek does not employ a full-time naturalist, the park offers interpretative programs. Please check with your park for a schedule of activities or contact the naturalists at Blue Mounds State Park, who also coordinate programming at SplitRock Creek.

Prairie animals live in the park, and skylarks, beavers and waterfowl can be seen from the lake shore. The southern, wooded part of the park is home to many bird species, such as the blue heron, the black hawk and the eagle owl.

The park was designed as a water recreation area in an area of the state with few lakes, and the large dam was completed by the Works Progress Administration (EPA) in 1938. The dam is built of hard red rock, which was mined for the construction of the dam and the nearby highways and bridges.

The area to be used as a building material is where hard metamorphic rock is mined, and behind the cash register is hard pink rock known as Sioux Quartzite. Remains of the dam construction and a large amount of hard red rock remain.

The park is located in the Coteau Prairies, or prairie highlands, and the late summer offers visitors a colorful image of prairies with wildflowers and grasses. Rocky outcrops and flat soils prevent much of the land from being ploughed within the park. However, grazing by native farm animals has weakened the native grass and wildflower.

Prairie animals live in the park, and skylarks, beavers and waterfowl can be seen on the shore. The southern forest areas of the parks are bordered to the north by the Coteau Prairies, the prairie plateaus, and to the south by Split Rock Creek State Park.

Designed as a water recreation area in an area of the state with few lakes, the park is located on the banks of Split Rock Creek, a large dam completed by the Works Progress Administration (EPA) in 1938. The dam was built by extracting hard red rock from the quarries in the area used for the construction of the dam and the nearby motorway bridges.