Bear Country USA

This was a spectacular experience! Both the drive through and walk through experiences were better than any zoo we’ve been to. The bears were especially fun. They wandered across the road while we got to see them up close and personal. The animals in the walk through area were all very active in the morning. The river otters were especially fun to watch. Ther gift shop was also very nice.

We saw some cool animals with the kids today. They fed the bears while we were here and that made it a great experience. The walking area is a reasonable walk without large hills, easy walk ways, and misters in some places. They have handicap accessible options for the walking path too. Make sure you are prepared on the warmer days shade is limited to certain areas not close to enclosures.

Recently, I visited Bear Country USA, and it was an amazing experience! 🐻🚗 It’s a drive-through wildlife park where you can see a variety of animals up close from the comfort of your car. The park features wolverines, bears, bison, small bear cubs (which I fondly call “small teddies”), and many other animals. It was thrilling to see so many bears walking right next to the car — sometimes even on the road just beside your door! 🎟️ Entry Fee: $20 per person Maximum $80 per vehicle (so if you have 5 or 6 people, it’s still just $80 — a great deal!) At the end of the drive, there’s an area with adorable baby animals and smaller wildlife. I highly recommend spending some time there! 🛍️ Don’t miss the gift shop! It has a wide range of souvenirs and unique gifts — definitely worth a visit. 📸 I’m attaching some photos from my visit so you can get a glimpse of the experience. 👉 Final thoughts: If you’re in the area, I highly recommend visiting Bear Country USA. It’s safe, fun, and perfect for families or friends. Thanks for reading my review — and have a nice and safe drive!

The drive through part of the park was fun. They fed the bears while we were here and that made it a great experience. The walking area is a reasonable walk without large hills and easy walk ways. They have handicap accessible options for the walking path too. Make sure you are prepared on the warmer days.

We Loved everything about this place & were grown adults & what a cool place. Over 100 bears here. And we'll worth the money spent! Cute gift shop * staff was very inviting & friendly. We went late morning on a warm day & all the animals were visible.

We loved our visit to Bear Country USA! We didn’t realize we couldn’t take our Jeep with the soft top through the drive, but the staff was so kind and helpful — they provided us with a courtesy minivan that fit the whole family, including our dog. They even had a treat ready for our pup, which was such a thoughtful touch! The walk-through area was our favorite part. Seeing the baby bears up close was adorable, and the rocks with the misting features were a perfect way to cool down on such a hot day. Everything was clean, well-organized, and informative, making it a fun experience for both kids and adults. Highly recommend!

Amazing experience!!! It was so fun driving through and you really do get to see animals right next to your vehicle! Especially the bears! That's the closest we've ever been to a bear! I think we saw every animal, except the lynx, on our tour. And we loved watching all the cute little baby bear cubs playing and swimming in the walk-through area:) It was a a very nice walk with animals to see in enclosures along the way:) I think it was very affordable. Wonderful gift shop and drinks and snacks, as well! This is a great place to take your family - our kiddos loved it!

This place rose well above our expectations. We saw SO many animals enjoying the somewhat cooler weather. The staff was kind and seemed happy to be working there. The baby bears were so playful and fun to watch. The facilities were really impressive and well-kept, and the gift shop was beautiful. The animals had huge, beautiful enclosures with tons of room to roam. I couldn't even begin to guess how many bears there were. This was a highlight of our week-long stay in SD.

Had the most wonderful experience bright the little kid in me out seeing all the animals from my vehicle.

It was cool they had cubs that were very entertaining they also had bison, otters, foxes, porcupines, wolves, and big horn sheep

What a wonderful place to visit! Went here last Sunday with my wife and daughter. This is a must go to place to visit like the monuments. First you drive thru several paddocks that contain free walking animals from elk to reindeer to buffalo to bears. Lots of bears!! It's such a fun time to experience looking and searching for the animals in each paddock that it's so much fun! We even saw the bears being fed and that was a lot of fun to see them eat apples, carrots and bread. After the drive thru section there is an area where you park and get to walk around the zoo that features local wild animals from otters and foxes to badgers and lots of baby bear cubs. The baby bear cubs are so cute that you want to roll around with them too! Such a great place to visit and relax! If we lived closer we would buy an annual pass and enjoy this place once a week at least! Great place and it is a must see m!

We enjoyed this. We did see a LOT of bears. Eating, playing, fighting (wow!). It was nice to drive through. There were not a ton of cars driving through at the same time as we were, I might have not liked it so much if there had been. You keep your windows up, obviously, so hopefully your car A/C is good. What was kind of bothering me is that this is REALLY a lot of bears, and also a LOT of baby bears. It seemed...not right. Also, there was food out for them. It involved meat, sweet potatoes, carrots, grapes, etc...but there was also a lot of sliced bread. I don't know exactly what wild bears eat but I don't think it involves baked goods. So that made me feel not great about it.

We tried to see Mount Rushmore in the morning but it was rainy and foggy and you couldn't see a thing so we decided to give Bear Country a try. It was well worth the $ and time. So fun, we saw so many neat animals but the star of the whole place was the baby bears playing. They were so fun to watch. We laughed and laughed at their antics. We kept hearing kids telling their parents it's the best place they'd been to and how much they loved it. There's a place to stop and clean off your windshield at the entrance since it's a drive thru park. That took about 45 min then they have a walk around area similar to a zoo. There's a small snack bar with reasonably priced snacks. A huge gift shop and bathrooms. One thing to note is they do not allow any pets into the walk around area including service animals which I was very surprised at.

Lots of animals! There were so many and they hung out in the road so we were able to get kind of close. The walk afterwards was nice, too. Worth what we paid for the amount we saw.

We were looking for things to do around Rapid City and Bear Country USA seemed to be a popular option. This was my first time doing a 'drive-thru zoo' and I have to say, I may prefer it over regular zoos! It was a smooth and easy process getting in. We were given a map to know where to go and where each of the different animals are located, but the road is a one-way path so it's very simple to know where to go. I could not believe all of the different animals that they had! Wolves, bison, and so many bears!! I loved how the animals were able to free roam rather than being caged up, and it was pretty interesting seeing them doing their own thing or interacting with the environment. After the driving trail, there is a small spot where you can walk out and see more animals, including baby bears.... oh my gosh, they were so cute. Bear Country USA is so much fun!! Probably one of our favorite things that we did in Rapid City.

I don't think we had the best luck during our visit to Bear Country. It was a bit tough to spot the animals while driving through, and unlike some other reviews, we didn't have any come up close to the car. That said, I know it's kind of the luck of the draw, so I didn't want to rate them too low for that. Where I had the most fun was in the walk-through exhibits after the drive. The bear cubs were an absolute blast to watch--I could have spent hours just enjoying them run around and play. All in all, it's not a bad way to spend a few hours, especially if you enjoy wildlife and a relaxed pace.

This place lives up to its name! There a ton of bears. The drive thru zoo is really cool and the animals were active and get very close to your car! We went right at opening time, and we think morning is when animals are most active. Drive thru zoo takes about 45 minutes, then 45 more minutes to do the walk through zoo. There's also a little gift. The bear cubs stood out as being very funny and cute. The price for how many animals you see is great too. We loved it!

This is a great location. I love this place. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I love seeing the animals up close on the drive through and the walk through. I would highly recommend this attraction for anybody. This is such a really fun experience. What a fantastic experience. It is very clean.

I would not visit again. The most fascinating part was the bears! Lol. We saw elk, and a few big horn sheep. We did not see wolves, saw only three bison that were very far away, and saw no reindeer. I think it was a waste of money ‍

My family and I loved it! We had such a great time seeing all of the animals. We loved seeing all of the bears and the highlight of the trip were the baby bears. Adorable! We could've watched them all day long. The property is clean, well organized, and there are plenty of bathrooms. The bathrooms were clean as well. The gift shop is a great addition. It's so cute!

Fun time driving and walking through the park. So many bears and other animals too. Seeing the baby bears playing was definitely the best part. Great for kids, I'm sure, but us adults enjoyed it too.

The staff was great, experience amazing, gift shop reasonably priced. We will definitely visit again when we are in town.

Thank you Carol for the wonderful run around in the cart and private information on the animals. My grandkids had a wonderful time. I was amazed by how many animals we saw up close. Beautiful place!

Everything. Bears everywhere, walking around, chasing each other, swimming. All animals seemed happy and active. Went at 8am, highly recommend. I have no idea how this isn't rated 5+ stars unless animals are all sleeping in afternoon.

On my vacay to South Dakota this was my favorite! My cousins took me and my sister here as we had never been. What an amazing adventure! So many beautiful animals...Big Horn Sheep, Elk, Bison, Bears, Wolves, Deer, Bobcat, Coyote, Javalina, Prairie Dog and so much more! The gift shop is outstanding! I bought lots of souvenirs for me and my cousins. Just an amazing time! I love seeing all the animals upclose and personal. Highly Recommend if you travel to South Dakota! You do not want to miss this!

I am obsessed with bears. It was a dream of mine to visit here. It did not disappoint. There are A LOT of bears. Some contained and others roaming the bear area. They walk close to your vehicles. Play, lounge, and eat in the grassy areas. The walking area is fantastic with other mammals. The baby bears are adorable. The gift shop was not full of cheap Junk. The park was clean and maintained. You can tell that a lot of pride goes into the park.

We loved this place! 1 - 1.5 hours is all you need, drive through the park with a line of other cars, then stop at the baby bear area. We saw every animal they advertised there, minus the Mountain Lion (which I would not expect to see anyways!). The Bighorn Sheep and bears were so cool, along with many bison and elk. Well worth the entry fee in our opinion, don't skip it!

Enjoyed the car ride and kids all got to see some bears. Pricey but the experience was amazing and kids got to see a variety of animals.

We came through on Sunday May1 and it was an awesome experience, sun was out and ALL the animals were as well, absolutely beautiful and a great experience! Hi Update! We have been here 3 times now and every time we have sincerely enjoyed it, we will be back again!

I've always enjoyed the outdoors and the wildlife that call it home. On a recent visit to Bear Country USA in South Dakota that fascination with wildlife was reaffirmed. Without question, out of the many exhibits I've experienced, the bear exhibit has been the most exciting, exhilarating and probably the most unnerving. This is the closest I've ever gotten and probably will ever get to a Black Bear. Bears roam freely in the enclosure and will often find their way in front of your car. However, the bears have grown accustomed to cars traveling through that they seem to ignore your presence. Prior to entering you're told to keep your windows rolled up and never leave your car and for good reason. Although, these bears seems docile their still wild animals and one must never forget that. This drive through the exhibit is definitely something you should do if you're wanting an up close and personal experience with a bear.

It was a nice place to visit and drive through. The animals were present and, while this is on the main strip for so many other attractions in the area, I would choose to ho through it again if I were to have to decide again for the first time. You get to see the animals up close and it's an easy drive through. I think the time of the day that you visit makes a difference of how many animals you see. If it's hot, some of the animals may be on their shelters. We were able to see the bears during their feeding time. It was worth the cost per person.

DO IT! The price for adults is $20 while children are $15, at least that's what we paid. It's so worth it when you get inside the facilities and see these amazing animals! Once you've reached the bears just know you've got Bison left and then that's the end of the adventure. I recommend watching the bears, they'll do some funny things. We noticed a wolf fighting with a bear over food, the bear walked away and the wolf took off with the food. Once you've ended the animals, you come to restrooms and the Gift shop. There's also MORE animals to see! We saw a Lynx, bobcat, skunk, cubs, attic fox, and otters. I can't remember them all but there's some. The gift shop is incredible, you can find the cutest stuff. If you love animals and watching them in nature, you should defy visit :)

Best experience ever. So amazing to see all these animals up close. Definitely worth the money. Even in the rain it was so amazing. I would recommend this for everyone. My daughter thought it was so cool because she just got done studying bears . And then got to see them up close.

My husband and I had a great visit here today. The enclosures were a good size for the various animals there. We loved seeing the bears, elk, reindeer, horned sheep and more. The bear cubs at the end very very cute too. We stayed about 1-1/2 hours.

Laws - a lot of bears, lovely shiny coats, shambling around, playing in their waterfall and ponds or just snoozing under a tree. The habitats are Four Seasons level. There are Wolves, Elk and baby bears and other critters. It's a drive through then a stroll to the baby bear compound. Not busy at this time of year and well worth the money.

We really enjoyed this place! $20 per adult. The loop is only a couple miles, so take your time! You don't get to feed any animals and must keep your windows closed the whole time. Pets are allowed only by the gazebo area. Then after the safari part, you park and walk around to see the animals in enclosures (bear cubs, skunks, porcupines, otters, and more). Seeing bears and wolves up close was so cool This is definitely a private zoo that cares well for their animals. I would HIGHLY recommend a visit here if you are in the area! Highly suggest getting there around opening time on a weekday to see the most activity from the animals, no waiting in line at the entrance, and it's less crowded. The gift shop is huge and has a lot of fun stuff but pricey. We really enjoyed our visit. Most of my pictures were taken with my pro camera. I only had this one on my cell phone.

Basically just come to watch the bear cubs play with each other in their enclosure. My family could have spent a couple of hours just watching the cute cubs fall over each other. The price is a little pricey but if you drive slow, you can make it worth your money. Don't quickly drive through the enclosures, or you will miss out. We came during the slow season so did not run into any crowding issues but I have heard that the park can get pretty full and slow during the busy season. Come early to beat the crowds if that is the case. There is a good assortment of animals in the open enclosures including elk, caribou, big horn sheep, wolves, bear, and bison. Once you finish the nature loop, you can get out and walk around to see other North American animals. Animals seemed happy and well taken care of, especially those bear cubs. They were just so much fun to watch. The gift store is huge and has a lot to look through. I am not much of a gift store guy so I made it out unscathed but there looked like a good assortment of fun gifts and finds for all ages to take home. Bear Country is a unique experience from what you normally would find at a regular zoo and worth the visit at least once if you are in Rapid City area.

After going I went to leave a review and was shocked that this place isn't all 5 star reviews. Our group of six adults and three kids loved it. None of us knew what to expect and for the rest of the day we all talked about how fun it was. I would highly recommend this to anyone. I guess for the low star review people , don't go to a zoo type place and set yourself up for disappointment. Maybe I'm wrong, but I assume that these animals were hurt, rescued, or being a nuisance.

I was hesitant because of some of the negative reviews about the size of the habitats, however i disagree on those reviews so im going to give this stop the most stars! I love that the drive thru is hit or miss with the animals because of the space they have. Of course i want to see everything but it was nice to know they had area to hideout when they don't want to be so social. The bear area wasn't overcrowded by bears but there were more bears than anything there, i mean it is named Bear Country..... so...... but you see elk, big horn sheep, timber wolves, arctic wolves, mountain lions, mule deer, reindeer, mountain goats, bison and more. So that was impressive. We got there just as they were getting a huge load of breakfast so they all came running and there was more than enough for all of them. Once done with the drive thru you can park and do the walk through enclosures zoo. We loved that! It gave me time to recover from getting a bit carsick lol! There are sweet baby bear cubs in a quite large enclosure and they looked more than comfortable and everything was extremely well kept up and clean. The bathrooms were clean too! You pay per car to get into this place and when you have 8+ people in a car it's awesome price wise instead of doing it per person. We would definitely come back if we were here.

What a treat! Bears are normally too dangerous to approach but this park allowes you to be essentially fave to face with countless black Bears! There were other animals as well such as big horn sheep and mountain goat and elk but the ebars are definitely the highlight. Plus, it's pet friendly! My dogs name means bear in hindi and he finally got to see why he got his namesake!

This is my second time going to Bear Country. The first time I went, I thought it was a stupid idea. Ride through zoo....so what. Boy was I wrong. And going back 4 years later it was just as exciting! The animals are active and there is great variety. Then to see the baby bears....so stinkin cute! Love this place. Once you get to the gift shop area there are more animals, bathrooms and a picnic area. Wonderful place!

Family vacation 2021...bringing the California variant of COVID-19 to your city. Bear Country was one of our favorite places we visited on our June road trip. I had no intentions coming here. To me, Bear Country seemed like just a zoo. We have enough zoos in California. It was my wife and daughter who wanted to visit, and I'm glad they convinced me. They lazy me liked driving through the different habitats to see the different animals. It was neat driving up to and parking next to the animals and watching them. After the driving tour was over, they had an area where you could walk and watch the cubs and other animals. It was nice finding out that they rescue young orphaned bear cubs that would not survive out in the wild. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours and watch cute animals. If in Rapid City again, I definitely would make a return visit.

Bear Country USA was a real treat! We saw arctic foxes, all kinds of deer and elk, bison, and dozens of bears! Our personal car had a convertible top so they gave us a "courtesy car" to drive through the park in case bears damaged the fabric. The park is clean and well kept - overall a very enjoyable day! We highly recommend!

More fun than a barrel of monkeys for sure! I spent a week driving from TX to SD. Saw all the sites and had a fabulous time in the black hills. The morning of my departure via plane (I flew home and my dad continued his drive to the PNW) we had just enough time for a tour through Bear Country. I didn't know what to expect but saw the great reviews. It did not disappoint and I think the driving and then walking tours are perfect for people of all ages!

Awesome! A must see if in the area. It was raining today so this was a perfect activity. The bears get real close so you can see them so good. We had a great time with our 4 year old.

This was the most fun roadside stop! I'm so glad we "swerved" to go here! There are all kinds of animals and SO MANY BEARS! Well worth the money. Pet friendly too as we're traveling with our German Shepherd.

A great place to visit while in the area. The animals walk so close to the cars, it is amazing! We saw wolves, elk, mountain lions, big horn sheep, and lots and lots of bears walking around the line of cars. My daughter loved this place and I highly recommend it!

One of my favorite things we did during our family vacation in the Black Hills! It was so cool to see all the animals so close. The bears were awesome and the wolves and foxes were adorable . Highly recommend!

It's a really big park, much larger than a similar park in Williams, Arizona. We saw more bears than we could possibly imagine, as well as timber wolves. We missed this place on our first go around at the park, but definitely made time for it on this trip. We didn't get to see the animals in the enclosures, as we were pressed for time, but seeing the elk with their antlers still in velvet and the wolves was more than enough for us.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this place. Is it a true animal sanctuary, or maybe just a giant tourist trap? In the end, it's kind of both, but it's definitely worth a couple hours of your time. You start by driving through a collection of various animals including reindeer, long horn sheep, wolves, and naturally, bears. Traffic can get backed up and become almost unBEARable when the animals are doing something interesting. It is really quite cool to be so close to the bears and have them essentially pretend like you're not even there. After that, you exit the vehicle and feast your eyes on a variety of animals including otters, foxes, and wolves. But the real star of the show are the baby bears. They run, climb trees, and frolic in the water just like human kids. Really, I could have sat and watched them for an hour they were so much fun to observe. Do not pass up the gift shop, it's one of the best ones in the entire area.

I haven't been here since I was about eight years old, which I did not remember too much but I know I loved it. Coming back here as an adult was amazing. The animals are well taken care of, you get to see them in their natural habitat doing their own thing. I am happy that they are rehabilitated to other places and this location. This is a great place to educate children and adults about conservation. Their gift shop is for everyone too! A little bit of everything. I can't wait to go back again! I am happy to see the animals thriving even after 20 years of not being here. This place is worth donating to.

Definitely worth visiting if you're in the area. We saw so many different wildlife in the park (see pics). 90% of the park is drive through only and you must keep your windows and sunroof closed for safety purposes. The other 10% walkable--gift shop area and through some of the smaller animals. Bears, bears, bears!!! No wonder why it's called Bear Country USA. The bear area was filled with at least 40 bears. We even saw 2 fighting!! It was one of the most intense things I've ever seen. We also saw some cute bears that honestly looked like they were smiling and waving at us. Lol. We spent about 2 hours in the park. It was well worth our time and money. I did get kind of a "Tiger King" feel about the whole place though. Just thinking about the sheer amount of food that is needed for each bear is hard to imagine. Either way, I hope all the animals are treated well.

We had a blast! The drive through part seeing all the wildlife is fun, I recommend getting there early so it's not too crowded and the animals are more active. What stole the show was the baby cubs!!

Wild animals walking next to your cars? Are you kidding? Of course I'm in. We're talking bears, Artic Wolves, big horn sheep, Elk, etc. Some are in enclosure like the meat eating Puma. They also have a mini zoo at the end which should not be missed. We got it at 8:44 on a Saturday and there was no wait. I highly recommend this excursion.

We had a nice drive-through of the sanctuary over the weekend. One enclosure (timber wolves) we weren't able to see any animals but the rest all had lost of species that were out and about. The black ear enclosure had so many bears, it was incredible. Next time we visit we will be sure to do the foot tour as well. The price is the same if you're driving through and attending the foot tour so just make time to do both if you're in the area.

This is a wonderful attraction. Such an interesting variety of wildlife. It was busy as we pulled up, and we soon understood why, as a small group of elk were grazing on the hilltop just as we entered. They are so impressive! It's aptly named " Bear Country," with several dozen bears out and about, one of which strolled down the middle of the roadway right in front of us for a few yards, which was not something I see everyday. The small animal area is also nice. This seems like a great place to bring kids, but it's great for everyone, I'd say.

Do not recommend! We Sat in the car for 2 hours to drive 2 miles. Very few animals.