Notable lake · Meade, South Dakota
Bear Butte Dam
Bear Butte Dam is a lake in Meade, South Dakota.
Bear Butte Dam: crowds and conditions
Typical pattern: moderate; weekends busier. Been there recently? Post today’s status and it shows here for the next traveller.
Status options for this lake: Full / gates open · Low water level · Entry closed.
Best time to visit Bear Butte Dam
Season: August to December when reservoirs are full and gates may open.
Busiest days: Weekends and long holidays.
Crowd: Moderate; weekends busier.
Typical week: Mon light · Tue light · Wed light · Thu light · Fri light · Sat busy · Sun busy.
How to reach Bear Butte Dam — distance from nearby cities
Coordinates: 44.45448, -103.45380. Road distances are estimates; the road-trip planner uses real routes and adds stops worth the detour.
Places to visit near Bear Butte Dam
- Bear Butte · viewpoint · Meade · ~4 km · Must-see
- Adams House Museum · museum · Lawrence · ~29 km · Must-see
- Polo Peak · viewpoint · Lawrence · ~31 km · Must-see
- Spearfish Peak · waterfall · Lawrence · ~40 km · Must-see
- D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery · sanctuary · Lawrence · ~41 km · Must-see
- Terry Peak · viewpoint · Lawrence · ~42 km · Must-see
- Pactola Reservoir Recreation Area · lake · Pennington · ~53 km · Must-see
- The Journey Museum · museum · Pennington · ~56 km · Must-see
- Storybook Island · park · Pennington · ~56 km · Must-see
- Dinosaur Park · park · Pennington · ~56 km · Must-see
- Hotel Alex Johnson · fort · Pennington · ~57 km · Must-see
- Stavekirke Chapel · church · Pennington · ~59 km · Must-see
- South Dakota Air and Space Museum · museum · Pennington · ~59 km · Must-see
- Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help · church · Pennington · ~59 km · Must-see
- Sheridan Lake Dam · lake · Pennington · ~67 km · Must-see
- Reptile Gardens · sanctuary · Pennington · ~67 km · Must-see
- Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns · cave · Pennington · ~70 km · Must-see
- Vore Buffalo Jump · fort · Crook · ~71 km · Must-see
Other lakes, dams & reservoirs near Bear Butte Dam
- Pactola Reservoir Recreation Area · lake · Pennington · ~53 km · Must-see
- Sheridan Lake Dam · lake · Pennington · ~67 km · Must-see
- Horse Thief Lake Dam · lake · Pennington · ~78 km · Must-see
- Lakota Dam · lake · Custer · ~84 km · Must-see
- Sylvan Lake · lake · Custer · ~85 km · Must-see
- Keyhole State Park · lake · Crook · ~138 km · Must-see
- Lake Buffalo · lake · Meade · ~147 km · Must-see
- Anderson 5 Dam · lake · Meade · ~32 km
- Tomahawk Lake Country Club · lake · Lawrence · ~32 km
- John Anderson 2 Dam · lake · Meade · ~34 km
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · © GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0) · Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive-2.0)
Frequently asked
Is Bear Butte Dam full? Are the gates open?
No visitor has reported the water level status for Bear Butte Dam yet. Typical pattern: moderate; weekends busier. Busiest: Weekends and long holidays.
What is the best time to visit Bear Butte Dam?
August to December when reservoirs are full and gates may open. Moderate; weekends busier.
What are the places to visit near Bear Butte Dam?
Nearby: Bear Butte (viewpoint, 4 km), Adams House Museum (museum, 29 km), Polo Peak (viewpoint, 31 km), Spearfish Peak (waterfall, 40 km), D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery (sanctuary, 41 km), Terry Peak (viewpoint, 42 km).
Is Bear Butte Dam worth visiting?
Bear Butte Dam is listed as a notable lake in South Dakota on Spotwander.