School Programs at the Outdoor Campus Rapid City
Our goal for school programming is to provide exciting and fulfilling educational opportunities that enrich the concepts that teachers are already covering in the classroom. Our programming is designed to align with state education standards and give students the opportunity to learn and experience things they may not typically receive in the classroom.
Other Opportunities: As much as we love having classes visit the Outdoor Campus, we also have other exciting opportunities. We have programming that can be delivered in the classroom and over Zoom.
The Facility
School Program Volunteers
Our Exhibits
Welcome to the Outdoor Campus Rapid City! At the front of our building (pictured), school groups meet our naturalists at the antelope to be welcomed before their exciting educational experience begins. On your journey through the campus you'll investigate different habitats. Here is a quick overview of our facility:
The first habitat you come to as you enter our building is the Black Hills exhibit. Students will investigate the lay of the land and learn about the area's wildlife. In the Black Hills there will be whitetail deer, elk, bighorn sheep, marmots, and all different types of birds, as well as two interactive trees! Look hard enough and you'll find the mountain lion.
After the Black Hills, students can crawl through a tunnel into the Badlands exhibit. In this habitat, students will get to see prairie dogs, badgers, and pelts of other wildlife that live there as they open the drawers built into the exhibit.
Next up is the prairies of South Dakota. This exhibit shows different plants and how deep their roots go, along with the area's wildlife — from mule deer, grouse, coyotes, hare, antelope, a bobcat, and even a live bullsnake. If you are lucky enough, you may get a chance to see Jake the snake out of his habitat and get to touch him.
The last display in the building is the Lakes and Streams exhibit. This habitat has two parts, the first is an area with a beaver dam, pelts, skulls and shells, and some waterfowl.
The second part is our giant fish tank that represents Sylvan Lake. This fish tank holds many different types of fish that you may see or catch in lakes and streams around the Black Hills.
Behind our fish tank is an open area to hang out. There are restrooms at the end and a water fountain between. To the side are our three classrooms that we use for many of the classes we offer.
Out front from our classrooms you can find our fishing dock and front pond. This dock is where almost all of our fishing classes take place. It is the perfect size to comfortably fit about 20 students. This pond is also where we host canoeing and kayaking classes, with our launch area just across from the dock. Get lucky enough and you may see northern pike or the big snapping turtle while fishing or paddling!
Out the far end of the building and across the yard is one of our picnic shelters. This is our large shelter that has an in-place picnic table that is wheelchair accessible. Next to the shelter is our fire ring that can only be used for classes. This shelter is not able to be reserved, but feel free to eat lunch here while on your field trip if it's nice out! The area around the shelter also includes space to play, which is great when students have a lot of energy.
View the classes we offer for different grade levels
To see offerings for other grades, press the arrow buttons located on the side of picture.
Program Registration Opens August 1, for the upcoming School Year.
- Programs scheduled on first come/first serve basis.
- We schedule school programs Tuesday—Friday.
- 2 classes of students at a time (40 students max). Schools may be able to schedule multiple days so that the whole grade can come and learn.
- School programs are free!
- Thank a hunter or angler for supporting our education efforts!
To Register for Programs:
Email Cheyenne.parke@state.sd.us or call Cheyenne at 605.394.2528
Critter Crates and Loaner Equipment
Game, Fish and Parks provides crates complete with props and curriculum to help aid educational instruction. These crate options include everything from hides and scat to aquatic bug sampling equipment for your class or group. Game, Fish and Parks also has loaner equipment available. Feel free to look at the list below to see what we have to offer at the Outdoor Campus Rapid City. If you have any questions or want to check something out contact Cheyenne at 605.394.2528 or email cheyenne.parke@state.sd.us
Critter Crates
- Bat Crate
- Cougar Crate
- Elk Crate
- Reptiles and Amphibians Crate
- Wetlands Crate
- Aquatic Invertebrate Crate
- Raptor Box
- Horns and Antler Box
Loaner Equipment
- Fishing Crate
- Ice Fishing Kit
- GPS Kit
- Snowshoes
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the program cost? Nothing! At the Outdoor Campus, our programs don't cost anything. A portion of hunting and fishing licenses are put to the side for educational programs which pay for the programs, so thank an angler or hunter!
What do we need to bring to participate? It isn't required to bring anything specific, however wearing closed toed shoes is highly preferred especially in fishing and archery classes. All supplies are provided for classes.
Where can we eat lunch? Classes are more than welcome to eat lunch in the building at our tables, in the classrooms if not in use, or outside at one of the picnic shelters. We do ask that you bring trash bags to throw away trash from lunch, we will dispose of the trash but if you could bag your own that would be appreciated.
Where do we park? If taking a bus, the bus can drop off students by the antelope statue at the end of the bridge and park by the grass in the last row of parking lot, or the bus can park in the gravel by the Hunter Education building parking lot. If travelling in any other vehicle, you can park anywhere in our front parking lot.
Where do we meet? Naturalists will meet the students and teachers at the end of the bridge by the antelope statue. If weather is bad, we will meet inside behind the fish tank or in the Aldo Leopold classroom. A naturalist will let you know when you get here.
How long are educational field trips? Visits can be different lengths of time. Typically we do half and full days. A half day would be 2-3 hours of classes, while full days are 4-5 hours of classes.
What is the schedule structure of classes? The schedule of our classes are done in rotations. Students rotate through 2-4 different classes and have time for lunch between classes as well.
Additional Information
The Outdoor Campus offers free community programming throughout the year for families to attend. Classes range from archery to fishing and backpacking to wild game cooking and everything in between. Students will receive a card with information on the Outdoor Campus, if they participate in one of our community programs and bring the card they receive a prize !
