PIERRE — The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks is celebrating another successful summer in South Dakota’s state parks and recreation areas.

“We had an absolutely terrific summer season in our parks,” said Jeff VanMeeteren, parks and recreation director. “We had excellent camping numbers, individuals purchasing park entrance licenses, and anglers reeling in memories across the state.”

Each season, GFP’s Parks and Recreation Division hosts an annual theme and the 2024 season’s is "Reel in Memories."

To date, GFP has received over 1,000 submissions from over 3,000 anglers. Approximately one third of these anglers purchased a license specifically to participate in the "Reel in Memories" activity, many of whom were new to fishing. Additionally, 78% of participants took part in their first annual state park activity.

“Many of our parks sit on tremendous fisheries,” explained VanMeeteren. “We are very excited to see existing anglers engage with our parks, new anglers join the sport, and individuals continue to add fishing to their list of activities on their camping trips.”

To date, there have been 286,880 camping nights across the South Dakota state park system this year.

“We are extremely pleased with our occupancy numbers as a whole,” continued VanMeeteren. “We also remind individuals, there is still plenty of great camping nights to be had.”

South Dakota state parks and recreation areas remain open throughout the year, and individuals can enjoy some of the best camping nights throughout the fall season.

“Whether you’re looking to set up base camp for your hunting trip, find the perfect spot for the fall bite, or just enjoy the quiet campgrounds many individuals find fall to be one of the best times of the year to camp,” elaborated VanMeeteren. “Individuals also have until Dec. 31 to submit their 'Reel in Memories' submissions.”

Additional information regarding fall camping, the "Reel in Memories" theme, and everything South Dakota state parks and recreation areas have to offer can be found at gfp.sd.gov/camp.