Split Rock Creek

Split Rock Creek is one of the most scenic cruises in the Sioux Falls area. It can be accessed at the Garretson city park. A dam in the park backs up the water so that a kayak can cruise upstream among overhanging cliffs of quartzite. It takes about 30 minutes to kayak upstream and about 20 minutes to paddle/float back downstream, and the water is deep enough to ensure easy paddling throughout the summer. Large colonies of swallows inhabit cliffs along the waterway.




A paddler may also see a family of beavers or a lone muskrat swimming alongside. A deer might be seen bounding through the woods as a kayak passes. Since the creek runs along agricultural land on one side, it is not uncommon to find a cow standing in shallow water. A large pontoon boat, the SS Jessie James, provides tours for those who don't want to paddle. On the return trip down the creek, a kayak can go through an arched bridge into the gulch where Jesse James is said to have escaped a posse while fleeing a bank robbery in Minnesota. The city of Garretson maintains a visitor center in the park where the returning kayaker might slake his thirst with a cold beverage. In my first trip up Split Rock in May of this year, there was a backlog of driftwood caught up in the arches into the gulch, and it was a little tricky to pass through one of the arches. Taking the kayak into the gulch offers a chance to visit a magical and undisturbed world of rock faces, interesting vegitation, and sleeping turtles.




In my view, if a person is taking a guest out for a first kayak ride, this is a wonderful place to introduce kayaking. I go to this site several times each year, sometimes alone and sometimes with a friend or one of my sons. I sometimes also go with my wife and dog. While I am out in the kayak, they stroll about the park and camp grounds.