South Dakota's Wildly Underrated State Park Explodes With Fall Colors, Extensive Trails, And Geocaching

South Dakota's claim to fame may be the iconic Mount Rushmore, which can be spotted in the state's Black Hills landscape along a scenic road trip that hugs majestic mountain curves. Besides these landmarks and a fall-favorite region for crowd-free trails and wildlife spotting, other corners of the state shelter an underrated state park radiating fall colors, extensive trails, and adventure-based geocaching. 

Located 17 miles from Sisseton and tucked in the northeast near the border with North Dakota and Minnesota, Sica Hollow State Park (pronounced she-cha) was founded in 1968. It offers nature exploration along its 10 miles of trails, boasting oak woodland and grasslands intertwined with streams. During autumn, above all in the last week of September, the thick, verdant forest turns warm, earthy shades, with afternoon light that enhances the beauty of the changing season.

Beyond the most common nature-immersed adventures, Sica Hollow State Park is an ideal location for geocaching. If you have never heard of it, geocaching is a real-world treasure hunt where participants use GPS-enabled tools to detect where waterproof boxes called geocaches have been hidden. Around the world, there are 5 million people playing this game and 3 million caches kept out of sight, waiting to be discovered. These containers hold keychains or little toys, so the real reward is being able to find them, rather than what's inside. It's a way to play a more tech-advanced hide-and-seek and explore the park at the same time. You need to enter the coordinates given into the GPS or smartphone and follow the directions. Once you find it, take what's inside and replace it with something of the same or higher value, then hide the cache again so another fellow gamer can hunt it too.

Sica Hollow's multi-use trails are suitable for hiking, biking, birdwatching, and horseback riding. The main trails featured in the park are the Perimeter Loop Trail, intersecting with Hollow Creek and Meadow Wood, the Maple Valley Trail, and the popular Trail of Spirits. The Perimeter Loop is a moderate circuit that takes between two and three hours to complete. Running along the perimeter of the park and snaking through ravines and the forest edge. As you hike along this trail, you can connect with the Meadow Wood Trail, an easy 34-minute walk, intertwining with Hollow Creek through the rugged terrain. The Maple Valley Trail is a moderate hike and takes less than 40 minutes to complete. These trails are perfect for birding or even cross-country skiing in the winter. 

The Trail of Spirits is imbued with a mysterious allure. The park is linked to the Sioux tribes, who once saw the red-colored water that streams here as a symbol of their ancestors' blood. Legend says that this used to be a peaceful corner of the Earth until a stranger invaded the land. Thanks to a flood sent by a Great Spirit that drowned the man, the lost harmony was restored. Established as a National Recreation Trail in 1971, the Sica Hollow (Sica means "evil") is a modest 30-minute walk surrounded by lush vegetation and towering trees.

Sica Hollow State Park is open to the public with a modest entry fee of $15 ($10 for state residents). The park also features 14 campsites, many of which are horse-friendly. Campsites cost $16 per night and can be reserved online.