Minnesota to the Black Hills Disc Golf Road Trip

Turn Your Drive Across South Dakota Into a Disc Golf Adventure

Heading west from Minnesota toward the Black Hills?

Interstate 90 crosses nearly the entire width of South Dakota, making it one of the easiest routes in the region to turn into a disc golf road trip. Instead of simply driving from one side of the state to the other, players can break up the journey with courses ranging from established city layouts to wooded fairways, prairie golf and some of the most scenic disc golf in South Dakota.

And just south of I-90, PrairieDisc at the Prairie Arboretum in Freeman offers a very different kind of stop.

Minnesota → Sioux Falls → Freeman → Mitchell → Central South Dakota → Black Hills

Whether you're making the Black Hills your final destination or building an entire South Dakota disc golf trip, there is plenty of golf along the way.

Start in Eastern South Dakota

Sioux Falls and the I-90 Gateway

For many players arriving from Minnesota, Sioux Falls is the natural beginning of a South Dakota disc golf trip.

The Sioux Falls area has an established disc golf community and multiple courses, making it easy to begin the trip with a round before continuing west.

From there, however, you don't have to stay directly on the interstate.

A short trip south opens the door to one of the more unusual disc golf settings in the region.

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Take the Detour to Freeman

PrairieDisc — Prairie Arboretum Disc Golf

Freeman, South Dakota

PrairieDisc is located at the Prairie Arboretum in Freeman, approximately 24 miles south of Interstate 90 along U.S. Highway 81.

For disc golfers traveling across South Dakota, that makes Freeman an easy addition to an I-90 road trip—and the setting is very different from a typical roadside park course.

The course winds through the Prairie Arboretum, where players encounter mature tree collections, landscaped gardens, ponds, bridges, prairie areas and other features of the grounds.

The Arboretum also provides something road-tripping players appreciate: a place to get out of the vehicle, walk through a beautiful landscape and spend some time somewhere that feels completely different from the interstate.

Why Make the Stop?

PrairieDisc combines disc golf with the experience of exploring the Prairie Arboretum.

Players can encounter:

• Mature and unusual tree collections

• Ponds and water features

• Landscaped gardens

• Prairie landscapes

• Bridges and wooded corridors

• An island gazebo

• An amphitheater

• Visitor Center amenities

• Picnic areas and places to relax before getting back on the road

The result is a stop that can be part disc golf round, part road-trip break and part visit to the Arboretum itself.

Worth the Detour. Worth the Round.

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The Future of PrairieDisc

PrairieDisc is also planning a major expansion from its current course into a complete 18-hole destination layout.

The proposed course is designed around the natural and landscaped features of the Arboretum rather than simply placing baskets in an open park.

Future holes are planned to incorporate water carries, protected prairie, mature tree corridors, long drives, technical wooded lines, landscaped areas and a dramatic island finish beside the Visitor Center and amphitheater.

Multiple tee levels are planned so that beginners, recreational players, experienced golfers and high-level competitors can experience the same property at an appropriate level of difficulty.

For players who return to South Dakota in future years, PrairieDisc may look very different the next time through.

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Back to I-90: Mitchell

After visiting Freeman, U.S. Highway 81 leads directly back north toward Interstate 90.

That puts travelers in position to continue west toward Mitchell.

Mitchell is already an established disc golf stop and makes a natural next stage of the trip. Players looking to build a multi-round day can combine eastern South Dakota golf with PrairieDisc before continuing across the state.

It is also an easy place to combine disc golf with the other attractions and services available in one of eastern South Dakota's major I-90 communities.

Across the South Dakota Prairie

Make the Drive Part of the Trip

West of Mitchell, the landscape begins to open up.

This portion of I-90 crosses the broad South Dakota prairie and eventually reaches the Missouri River before continuing toward western South Dakota.

For a disc golfer, this is where the trip itself becomes part of the experience.

Instead of trying to squeeze every possible course into a single day, consider choosing a few memorable stops and leaving time to enjoy them.

PrairieDisc can work particularly well as an early-trip round: play in Freeman, return to I-90 and then continue west with much of South Dakota still ahead of you.

Finish in the Black Hills

The landscape changes dramatically as you approach western South Dakota.

Prairie gives way to the pine forests, rock formations, elevation changes and mountain scenery of the Black Hills.

For traveling disc golfers, the Rapid City, Custer and Spearfish areas provide opportunities to finish the trip with an entirely different style of golf from what players experienced on the eastern side of the state.

That contrast is what makes a South Dakota disc golf road trip interesting.

You can begin among the parks and prairie of eastern South Dakota, experience the landscaped grounds and water of the Prairie Arboretum, cross the Great Plains and finish among the forests and elevation of the Black Hills.

It's not simply a drive to another course.

It's a disc golf trip across South Dakota.

Build Your Own Minnesota-to-Black-Hills Disc Golf Trip

One possible itinerary:

Day 1 — Minnesota to Eastern South Dakota

Enter South Dakota and play in the Sioux Falls area.

Day 2 — PrairieDisc and Mitchell

Head south to Freeman for a round at PrairieDisc and time to explore the Prairie Arboretum.

Return north toward I-90 and continue to Mitchell for another round or an overnight stop.

Day 3 — Cross South Dakota

Continue west across the prairie and Missouri River toward western South Dakota.

Day 4 and Beyond — Black Hills Disc Golf

Explore courses around Rapid City, Custer, Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills while enjoying one of South Dakota's premier tourism regions.

The trip can also be compressed into fewer days or expanded into a longer disc golf vacation.

Why Add PrairieDisc to the Route?

There are plenty of places to throw discs.

There are far fewer places where a round takes you through an arboretum.

PrairieDisc offers travelers an opportunity to step away from the interstate and experience ponds, gardens, mature trees, prairie, bridges and the distinctive landscape of the Prairie Arboretum.

And as the planned 18-hole course develops, that experience is intended to become even more ambitious.

If you're driving across South Dakota with discs in the vehicle, consider taking the turn south.

PrairieDisc

Freeman, South Dakota

Approximately 24 miles south of I-90 on U.S. Highway 81

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More Disc Golf in Southeast South Dakota

PrairieDisc is only one part of the regional disc golf scene.

Explore our Regional Disc Golf guide for additional courses, communities and ideas for building a disc golf trip through southeast South Dakota.

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