Under the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the government purchased failed homesteads in order to minimize the economic hardships.

These purchased lands were consolidated and rehabilitated and the administration was transferred to the Forest Service and formally designated the Grand River National Grassland in 1960.

There is a local Ranger District office (shared with Cedar River National Grassland) in Lemmon, South Dakota.

[3] The District has a variety of habitats: mixed grass prairie, river bottom, green ash draws, sand dunes along the South Fork of the Grand River, badlands, sandstone outcrops and buttes, and claypan areas with a few small playas in Corson County.

The trail takes you through mixed grass prairie and badlands and passes near one of only two aspen stands on the District.

Recent projects on the District include planting cottonwoods along the South Fork of the Grand River and revamping crested wheatgrass stands with native seedings.