Bear Country USA

We loved Bear Country! It’s obviously cooler seeing bears and other animals in the wild but this was a unique experience that allowed us to watch them safely and see them guaranteed. The bears came really close to our vehicle. They were fun to watch play and swim and scratch themselves. The cubs were our favorite part though, in the walking section. Don’t skip the walking section! We could have stayed much longer if we didn’t have other plans.

We have been to zoos all over the country but have never been to a drive through experience like this. We figured we would see some bears but we never expected to see as many animals as we did ! There were bears EVERYWHERE ! Big bears, small bears, and everything in between. The place is clean and spacious and the bears all looked VERY happy and healthy. There is an area where you can park and walk through more zoo type exhibits. This is highly recommended if you are in the rapid city area.

Bear Country was amazing! I visited as a little girl and I got to visit again with my family. We enjoyed every minute and spent several hours soaking up the experience. They have window washing stations before you drive into the park which is nice because it’s a requirement to keep your windows rolled up. After you drive through the park, they have another area that you can walk through that is set up more like a zoo. They also have a cute gift shop that’s pretty reasonable in pricing. We were not disappointed in anyway!

Bear Country USA is a fantastic drive through wildlife park, you get to see a wide variety of animals up close, all from the comfort of your car. Along the route, we spotted bighorn sheep, bison, reindeer, pronghorn and of course, the bears. The highlight was definitely watching bears casually wander right alongside the vehicle, sometimes just a few feet from the doors. It was truly a one of a kind experience. Admission is $24 per person, with a maximum of $80 per vehicle at the time we went in September. I definitely think it’s worth the price point. After the drive, the walk through area features even more animals, including timber wolves, bear cubs, porcupines, foxes and more. It’s definitely worth spending some time there before you leave. The gift shop is well stocked with fun souvenirs and unique gifts. Overall, Bear Country USA is a must see in the Black Hills. It’s safe, family friendly and an unforgettable way to get close to wildlife. Highly recommended for anyone visiting the area.

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 came here expecting a fun wildlife drive-thru… and left wanting to hug a fat raccoon and adopt a fuzzy skunk. Seriously. The animals are well cared for, healthy, and incredibly active. The wolves came right up to the vehicle, pacing with curiosity — an unforgettable moment. And the bears? Fluffy, playful, and full of personality. Every size, every shade, and a whole tree full of them! Watching four bears playing high up in the treetops like mischievous siblings was one of the best laughs we’ve had in a while. The walk-through portion stole the show for our girls — the baby bears were hilarious, and the smaller animals like foxes, skunks, and raccoons had our whole family grinning ear to ear. If you’re in the Black Hills, do not miss this place. It’s entertaining, educational, and just plain magical

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!

Bear Country USA, not just a home to bears, but many other cool praire animals! I visited in mid-October and I was happy to see such active wildlife. The bears even walked in front of the car for a short duration of my drive through the park. I was able to see some baby goats sitting out along side the park road. The staff were very friendly and there is a walkable mini zoo at the end of the drive. This is an excellent stop during a trip to the Black Hills!

Pretty awesome and would not miss worth every penny! And the gift shop.......... Thee cubs are amazing

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.

Was not sure about going. Started off slow but the bears totally made up for it!! Was a nice little experience! Would recommend!

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 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.

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.

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 lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. We saw animals that were mostly elusive during our trip. The 12 baby bear cubs were adorable. The cutest thing I've seen in a long time all the bears and the bear area must've been 20 of them. It was very good experience.

What a great experience. Wonderful views of the animals in the park. Well worth lived every minute. Watching the bears from so close was a great experience. We visited as part of Operation Black Hills Cabin. Thank you for supporting their program and for supporting wounded veterans.

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 ‍

By far the coolest thing we did on our trip! Getting to see animals this close was so cool, especially the bears. Every single animal was out and active. The grounds were so clean and beautifully kept. The staff were so kind! It was an amazing experience and we will definitely be back!

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.

One of our favorite parts of our trip to South Dakota! LOVED seeing all of the animals, and then visiting the cubs after the drive through the park. It is a WONDERFUL place to visit, and we highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. The people in the gift shop were very friendly, and everyone we met was outstanding!

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!

Amazing place. So many bears walking close to your car as you drive though. The kids loved it! They have a wonderful gift shop at the end too.

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!

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!

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.

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

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

Everything was amazing! Lots of beautiful anoto see and so well taken care of. A must see!

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 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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!