The annual Open House Weekend in South Dakota will take place May 16-18. Open House Weekend is hosted every year by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and allows free entrance into all South Dakota State Parks and Recreation Areas, and no fishing license is required.
Open House Weekend is an excellent time to take a friend to enjoy the parks, try out fishing, and celebrate this year’s South Dakota State Park theme, Make a Splash. Whether you’re fishing, boating, kayaking, or swimming there is no shortage of water recreation opportunities in our state parks.
Open House Weekend makes a great time to try out fishing as no license is required, meaning anyone can wet a line and test their luck.
While no license is required, all other fishing regulations including limits, length minimums, and other relevant regulations do still apply. This is open for both residents and nonresidents.
Similarly on the state parks front, while no park entrance license is required all camping fees and reservation policies still remain.
This means that whether you’re looking to boat, kayak, paddle, or simply take a hike along the water you can explore your local park, or try out a new one as well!
Upon the completion of Open House Weekend, the 2024 park entrance licenses will expire and a 2025 park entrance license will be required for entrance into South Dakota State Parks.
Make plans to get out and enjoy this Open House Weekend in the park and on the water!
Find Your South Dakota Fishing Spot
There is no shortage of awesome fisheries across our state, and we take a deep dive into some of our favorite fishing spots in 25 South Dakota Fishing Spots for 2025!
Learn More About Our Fisheries
Want to learn more about our fisheries in South Dakota? Check out our South Dakota Fisheries Focus page, which takes deep dives into the biology, management, and dynamics of our favorite fisheries and fish species here in South Dakota!
Get the Latest Fishing Reports for Open House Weekend
Check out our latest fishing reports to help plan your Open House Weekend fishing trip! Our weekly fishing reports cover all the bites we’ve been on and detail location, depth, presentation, and best baits! Find all of this and more on our Fishing Reports page!
