Road trip: Bring your bike, sip a wine slush, take on ‘survivor’s challenge’

This paid piece is sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Tourism.

Summer wouldn’t be summer without a beautiful sunset, camping, hiking and, if you’re so inclined, a glass of wine with friends enjoying the season.

You can do all three in eastern South Dakota and win prizes through the Peaks to Plains Passport organized by Travel South Dakota in collaboration with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks.

Visitors participating in the free mobile-exclusive passport log their locations and then win prizes based on points accumulated. Prizes range from local artist stickers to South Dakota T-shirts, an Osprey backpack or an ENO hammock.

Let’s start with the sunset.

Oakwood Lakes State Park

20247 Oakwood Drive, Bruce

Oakwood Lakes State Park, nestled among eight connecting glacial lakes, has three historic sites, said Becky Graff, park supervisor. There are burial mounds, which are more than 1,000 years old, and an old fort outpost, where you still can see the defensive berm and learn more about it through interpretive signs.

“Our most well-known historic site is Mortimer’s Cabin, which was the first home built by a white settler in Brookings County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places,” Graff said.

If you want to test your inner settler skills, you can try your hand at Mortimer’s Survival Event from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Aug. 12. Participants will be challenged to build a shelter, identify furs, tie knots, paddle and start a fire in a competition to “show off your skills as a survivalist.”

The park also features watercraft rentals and has two new kayak launches this year, as well as extensive trails.

“We have almost 5 miles of trails for walking and biking. The state park theme this year is The Trails Are Calling, so come on out and try and find the Sasquatch sign on one of the trails,” Graff said.

There also are camper cabins, along with tent, horse and RV sites. Check out the playgrounds and a nine-hole disc golf course. And, if your schedule is getting too filled up to make a trip this summer, the fall colors are fantastic, Graff said.

But her favorite part of the park happens every evening.

“The beauty of the park is awe-inspiring, especially the sunsets.”

Dakota Nature Park

1705 32nd Street South, Brookings

Dakota Nature Park in Brookings is 135 acres that were transformed from an old landfill into a city park with hiking, biking, canoeing and a pump track for bicyclists.

The park also includes the Larson Nature Center, which offers education, programming and other events.

The landscape was partly created because of gravel mining, which had created a chain of ponds and wetlands, according to the city Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department.

“It’s a city park, but you feel like you’re just in nature out there,” said Josh Bauman, assistant director of the department. “You don’t feel like you’re in town at all. We have a ton of walking trails through wooded areas, native grasslands and prairie spaces.”

Park users can rent bikes, kayaks and paddleboards in the summer, and the trails are groomed for cross-country skiing in the winter. The park trails are paved, boardwalk and gravel, and there are some “discovery trails,” or single track dirt trails.

A unique offering is the bicycle pump track, which has been open for about seven years and is busy year-round.

“There’s a center hill, and the track is designed with three levels of difficulty coming off there,” Bauman said. “You go from that starting point, and you can go across the track with minimum to no pedaling. It’s a great way to learn on Strider bikes, and we rent mountain bikes.”

After a ride, head to the water to kayak and paddleboard. Swimming isn’t recommended because the edges can drop off very quickly, putting swimmers in deeper waters than they expect, he said.

The hiking trails include signs along the way to learn more about the wildlife and pollinator plants in the areas, including how native plants can help the environment and conserve water.

“We did a burn on some of it this spring and then seeded with wildflower mix to encourage those pollinators,” Bauman said. “It’s maintaining that prairie and keeping it native and sustainable.”

Bauman particularly loves the coneflowers and the variety of grasses in the park.

“When fall hits and those grasses start turning colors, it’s an awesome place to be,” he said. “We’re on the south side of town, so you get the breezes blowing through, the variation in height and texture and seed heads. You don’t always need the flower for it to be attractive.”

Kristin Zimmerman, department director, agrees.

“It’s a great escape from the city life,” she said.

Schade Vineyard & Winery

21095 463rd Ave., Volga

At Schade Vineyard & Winery, 1 mile west of Volga  off Highway 14, guests can sit outside and enjoy a view of vineyards and farmland while sipping beer and locally grown and made wine and wine slushies.

“Our wine is fabulous,” said Molly Olson, director of sales. “It’s all South Dakota made, and our atmosphere is fun and light.”

The winery has a patio with tables, chairs and an outdoor fireplace, and a tasting room that seats up to 40. What it doesn’t have are televisions.

“People always comment on it,” she said. “We see a lot of new friendships connect here with people in the tasting room. It also gives people the opportunity to go for a walk down to the vineyards and check out the vines.”

The grounds include 2 acres of vineyards, an Airbnb that sleeps 16 people and a wedding venue with an outdoor tent that holds up to 400 people, bridal suites and bathrooms. Just this year, the winery has 20 weddings booked.

Wine tastings are five wines for $5. “It’s the equivalent to one glass of wine when you’re done with it,” Olson said. Schade Vineyard grows cold-climate grapes that are a hybrid to survive South Dakota winters. Fruit wines include chokecherry, pear, rhubarb, buffaloberry and strawberry.

And if you’d prefer something nonalcoholic, the winery offers aronia berry juice, which Olson describes as not too sweet and a little tart.

But no matter what you order, the views are the perfect accompaniment.

“It’s unforgettable views,” Olson said. “It’s of the vineyard and South Dakota farmland. You see it all from up on the hill.”

Ancient villages, nature island, famous cheese are waiting north of Sioux Falls