"A trip here might have you wondering why it’s not ranked higher." That's what the website Thrillist said about South Dakota when it ranked the "Most Beautiful States in America."

We know how beautiful the South Dakota countryside can be, especially when the corn is tasseling and the bales of hay line the landscape, but what really puts South Dakota over the top are the sights you'll see out west. From the captivating faces on Mount Rushmore to the scenic drive through the Badlands, South Dakota deserves to be high on this list. The website even mentions our natural beauty east river.

If you’re wondering how the heck a freaking DAKOTA sniffs the top 10, you’ve clearly never made a trip to the most underrated state in America. The scenery here is so much more than just a mountain with four dudes’ faces. It’s the entire Black Hills region, where you can in the morning hike to Harney Peak (the highest point between the Rockies and the Pyrenees) and spend the afternoon hiking Spearfish Canyon. Or head a little further into the Badlands, that inaptly named Martian rockscape, with more vegetation and a greater variety of colors. Even the flatter eastern part of the state has places like Palisades State Park outside Sioux Falls, where Split Rock Creek meanders through 50ft quartzite cliffs. A trip here might have you wondering why it’s not ranked higher.

To see the entire list of "Most Beautiful States in America," click here.


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