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.

In the 1870s Split Rock Creek was harnessed to power a large flour and feed mill, and a town called Palisades formed around it.

[2][3] A steel truss bridge built over Split Rock Creek in 1908 is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Palisades State Park has a campground with 111 sites, 10 camper cabins, and a group tenting area.