Jefferson, SD parks, trails & bike paths
About 12% of Jefferson is conserved land, roughly 2,801 acres. There are about 3.0 miles of mapped trails.
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Jefferson, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
Jefferson outdoors
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Parks & preserves with trails
Lakes & rivers
Tap a name for directions.
2,801 conserved acres
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 1,854 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes0.0 mi
- Off-road bike paths0.0 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes0.0 mi
The biggest protected places in Jefferson
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mccook County Waterfowl Production AreaResource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 956 | Restricted |
| Forsch LakeState Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 245 | Open |
| Gross LakeState Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 194 | Open |
| SchultzState Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 29 | Restricted |
Jefferson and its neighbors
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 12.3% | 3.0 mi | 0 |
| Bridgewater | 4.7% | 1.0 mi | 0 |
| Benton | 21.1% | 8.3 mi | 0 |
| Emery | 34.4% | 1.3 mi | 0 |
| Pleasant | 18% | 7.7 mi | 0 |
Conditions & tips from neighbors
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure
"Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 20-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.