What It Is

A free, public park surrounding a 100-foot waterfall within walking distance (less than a mile, approximately 20 minutes) of downtown Sioux Falls.  The park covers more than 128 acres, features the Big Sioux River—which drops an average of 7,400 gallons of water over the falls every second—and includes multiple viewing platforms, a visitor center, public restrooms, a five-story observation tower, a cafe, and the remnants of an historic mill.  The park is open every day from 5:00 a.m. until midnight.  The buildings have more limited hours.

Where It Is

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

When We Went

July 2025

What We Did

We viewed the falls from the top of the five-story observation tower and from various viewing areas.  We climbed on the rocks near the falls, walked upstream and crossed the Sixth Street Bridge, and came back down the other side of the river, where we crossed a pedestrian bridge that brought us back to the Visitor Information Center.

At the recommendation of one of our favorite vloggers, Josh, with Through My Lens, we headed to Bread and Circus Sandwich Kitchen on Main Street for dinner.  Outdoor seating was full (it was a very pleasant 79 degrees), but there was plenty of seating inside, and we ordered and were served quickly.  

After dinner, we drove through downtown, looking for sculptures.

How Much We Spent

Nothing.  Parking, access to the park, and access to the observation tower are all free.

How Much Time We Spent There

Around two hours at the park itself.  We arrived at 4:30 p.m.

What We Liked

The park was beautiful.  Despite having a city as its backdrop, it is expansive, unencumbered, and open.  The beautiful, pinkish-red Sioux Quartzite that the river bubbles over is extremely hard and erosion-resistant, which makes walking on the rock and around the falls safe and fun.  There were plenty of sidewalks for navigating through the park and plenty of open, green spaces.

We also liked that we could see one of the highlights of SculptureWalk—a year-round, outdoor exhibit of 80 sculptures—from the Sixth Street Bridge.  This sculpture, called the Arc of Dreams, is a stainless-steel curve that spans the width of the Big Sioux River (roughly the length of a football field).  It was the main sculpture I was interested in seeing, and the view from the bridge was perfect.

What We Didn't Like

There wasn’t anything unpleasant about our experience.  Parking was easy.  Crowds were low.  The setting was calming. 


Was it worth it? 

Yes.  I’m not surprised that we enjoyed it, but I am surprised by how much time we spent there.  Our son, who brought his remote control crawler, thoroughly enjoyed driving his truck across and up the large rock surfaces.  I loved the peacefulness of the falls and the beauty of the Sioux Quartzite (the more we explore the states, the more I appreciate the variety of rocks we encounter).  My husband and our daughter enjoyed checking out the different viewing platforms, and our daughter was quite delighted to find a couple of baby ducks in the river.

In addition, we all really enjoyed the vibe of the town.  The sidewalks were busy but not crowded; there was a happy-looking group gathering at Levitt at the Falls, an outdoor concert venue; and there were plenty of fun cars cruising the streets.  The downtown area looked pretty clean and new, too.  My son really liked this city and said he could picture himself just chilling in downtown.

For more information, visit https://www.explorethefalls.org/parks-paths/falls-park.​

Was It Worth It?
Falls Park

​Posted March 2, 2026, by Janet Wolfe