The Rapid City Parks and Recreation Department strives to make Rapid City a better place to live, work, and play. Our purpose is to provide and maintain parks and open space throughout the community as well as a wide range of recreation facilities and opportunities for citizens of all ages. There are around 1,700 acres of parkland owned and maintained by the City.

For many years, the Parks and Recreation Department has discussed the need for a system-wide master plan. Rapid City is the second largest community in South Dakota with a population of 74,703, as of the 2020 Census. It is estimated that within the last four years alone, the city has welcomed around 8,000 new residents, and that growth is not expected to stop soon. Serving the needs and desires of an expanding populace presents a myriad of challenges and opportunities that will be addressed in this master plan. 

This plan will guide the direction of future improvements and growth for the next ten years by gathering ideas from the public we serve, defining development priorities, aligning recommendations with City Comprehensive Plan goals, and suggesting strategies to utilize staff, facilities, partnerships, and funding most efficiently.

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