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Breathtaking Palisades State Park is a popular getaway in South Dakota

Palisades State Park is a state park in Garretson, South Dakota. It features a steep walled canyon in the Split Rock Creek.

Palisades State Park is one of the most unique areas in South Dakota. The cliffs are made of the pink Sioux quartzite prominent in the area. Their height is approximately 30 to 50 feet. The sheerness of some of the faces attract local rock climbers. Scenic overlooks and rushing water make Palisades a popular getaway. The park is popular among campers, photographers, sightseers, picnickers, rock climbers and hikers.

Split Rock Creek is lined with Sioux quartzite formations

Split Rock Creek, which flows through the park, is lined with Sioux quartzite formations varying from shelves several feet above the water to 50-foot vertical cliffs.

The Sioux Quartzite rocks are 1.2 billion years old

The Sioux Quartzite rocks are 1.2 billion years old and up to 50 feet (15 m) high. They are exposed on either side of Split Rock Creek, which also flows through Split Rock Creek State Park in Minnesota. Within the quartzite are deposits of catlinite, a softer mineral essential to many Native American groups to make ceremonial pipes. The park lies on the Coteau des Prairies, a plateau on the northern Great Plains.

Palisades State Park features a Steel Truss Bridge from 1908

A steel truss bridge was built over Split Rock Creek in 1908. In 1908 the Western Bridge and Construction Company of Omaha, Nebraska built this Pratt Through Truss Bridge. Workers fastened beams together with diagonal bracing to create a strong, rigid framework. Each beam of the truss bridge shares a portion of the weight of the bridge to help displace the weight of traffic. The steel bridge rests on natural abutments of Sioux quartzite. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.