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Opening for the Season on Friday April 25th, 2025

A Unique Wildlife Experience

Come see black bears, elk, reindeer, cougars, bison and more!

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Bear tracks

Drive thru and Walk thru Park

Come see the black bears, elk, reindeer,
cougars, buffalo and more!

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Welcome to Bear Country USA!

Few people have had the unforgettable experience of a full-grown bear peering into their car window—and for those who have, it was probably unplanned! Seeing reindeer or elk up close in their natural habitat is just as memorable, and at Bear Country U.S.A. in the picturesque Black Hills of South Dakota, these encounters are all part of the adventure.

Spread across over 200 acres of lush pine forests and rolling meadows, just eight miles south of Rapid City, Bear Country U.S.A. offers an unparalleled opportunity to get close to wildlife. Guests can enjoy a relaxed three-mile drive through enclosures, spotting animals such as black bears, elk, reindeer, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and bison. From the comfort of their cars, visitors can watch as bears climb trees, splash in pools, and stroll across the road just feet away.

Tickets are available for purchase at the admissions office or can be conveniently booked online using the link below.

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Experience the Park

Upon entry, you’ll begin your journey with the drive-thru portion of the park. This winding road takes you through several animal enclosures set in a natural, spacious environment. Watch as the animals roam freely and enjoy their expansive habitats. 

After completing the drive-thru, take a leisurely stroll along our Wildlife Walkway. This ¼-mile path offers even more opportunities for up-close views of a variety of animals!

Don’t forget to stop by the Bear’s Den Gift Shop—there’s something for everyone. For a quick bite or refreshing treat, visit the Cub Grub Snack Shack while you relax and take in the sights of the park.

Drive Thru
Walk Thru
baby bear climbing up a tree
Bear Paw

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Discover Our Wildlife

At Bear Country USA, discover the excitement of seeing bears, mountain lions, timber wolves, and more in their natural habitats. Our park offers a rare opportunity to observe these magnificent creatures up close. Come and explore the wild side of South Dakota like never before.

bear

Black Bear

Read About Black Bears
mountain lion

Mountain Lion

Read About Mountain Lions
Timber wolf

Timber Wolf

Read About Timber Wolves
Learn About Our Animals
Visit our online shop! Enter The Bear's Den
yellow bear country logo

Nestled on over 200 acres amidst towering pines and along rolling meadows just eight miles south of Rapid City, Bear Country U.S.A. offers visitors intimate views of wildlife.

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Black Bear

  • Scientific Name: Ursus americanus
  • Size: 50-80 inches in length, 25-40 inches shoulder height.  Males weigh from 130-500 lbs., females usually weigh 100-350 lbs.  There is a pronounced seasonal variation in weight.
  • Diet: Omnivorous
  • Lifespan: 15-18 years in the wild

The American black bear is the most widely distributed bear species in North America, inhabiting a diverse range of environments, including forests, swamps, and mountainous regions across Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. Their adaptability allows them to thrive in both remote wilderness and areas near human settlements.

Black bears are omnivores, with diets that vary by season and location. They primarily eat fruits, nuts, berries, insects, fish, and small mammals but will also scavenge for carrion or human food when available. Their strong sense of smell—seven times more powerful than that of a dog—helps them locate food over long distances.

Despite their name, black bears come in a variety of colors, including brown, cinnamon, blonde, and even white in rare cases. They are excellent climbers and swimmers, often using trees as a refuge from danger or to find food. During winter, black bears enter a state of torpor, a form of hibernation where their metabolism slows down, allowing them to survive off stored body fat until spring.

Highly intelligent and adaptable, black bears play an essential role in their ecosystems by dispersing seeds and maintaining healthy forest environments. However, human-bear interactions have increased as development expands into their habitats, making conservation efforts crucial to ensuring their long-term survival.

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Mountain Lion

  • Scientific Name: Puma concolor
  • Size: Adult males typically weigh between 120–220 pounds and measure 7 to 8 feet from nose to tail. Females are smaller, weighing 64–140 pounds and measuring 6 to 7 feet long.
  • Diet: Mountain lions are carnivorous apex predators. Their diet primarily consists of deer, but they also hunt smaller animals like rabbits, hares, raccoons, birds, and even livestock if available. They’re opportunistic hunters and capable of taking down prey much larger than themselves, often caching food and returning to it over several days.
  • Lifespan: Around 10 years

 

The mountain lion, also known as cougar, puma, or panther (depending on the region), is one of the most widely distributed wild cats in the Americas. Found from the Canadian Yukon all the way down to the southern Andes of South America, this elusive predator is incredibly adaptable and thrives in a wide range of habitats—mountains, forests, deserts, and even near suburban areas.

Known for its solitary nature, the mountain lion is a quiet and stealthy animal that prefers to avoid human interaction whenever possible. These cats are primarily nocturnal or crepuscular, being most active during dawn and dusk. Despite their size and power, they rely more on stealth than speed, silently stalking their prey before launching a quick, powerful ambush.

Mountain lions are territorial animals, with males maintaining large home ranges that often overlap the smaller territories of several females. These territories are marked by scent and visual cues like scratch marks or scat. Outside of mating season, they are rarely seen in groups and tend to roam alone. When mating does occur, it’s brief, and the male plays no role in raising the young. Females give birth to litters of usually two to four kittens, which stay with their mother for up to two years while they learn to hunt and survive on their own.

Despite their reclusive behavior, mountain lions occasionally come into conflict with humans, especially as development encroaches on wild spaces. While attacks on humans are rare, they can occur, particularly if the animal is young, sick, or cornered. Conservation efforts aim to preserve natural corridors that allow mountain lions to roam freely without the need to cross roads or enter urban areas, which increases the risk of conflict.

These animals play a vital ecological role as top predators. By keeping deer and other prey populations in check, they help maintain balance in ecosystems. Their presence is often an indicator of a healthy, functioning environment. In regions where mountain lions have been reintroduced or protected, positive changes in biodiversity and ecosystem stability have been observed.

Despite facing threats from habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and occasional persecution, mountain lions have shown a remarkable ability to survive near human development. Continued conservation and public education are key to ensuring their future in the wild.

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Timber Wolf

Size

  • HEIGHT: 26 – 33 inches.
  • LENGTH: 6.5 ft. (including tail)
  • WEIGHT: Can weigh up to 175 lb.

Breeding

  • MATURITY: Two years old.
  • MATING: January through March
  • GESTATION: 9 weeks.
  • YOUNG: One to eleven pups.

Lifestyle

  • HABIT: Most active at night, but may be seen during the day. Hunt in packs.
  • DIET: Small animals and birds. When in packs, will hunt sheep and other large animals.
  • LIFESPAN: N/A

Scientific Name

  • FAMILY: Other common name: “Gray Wolf”. Family: “Canidae”. Species classification: “Canus lupis”. Related to the jackal, coyote, and domestic dog.

General Information

Timber wolves are widely distributed. They are found in various parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. In the United States, they range from the Rocky Mountain ranges to areas in the Great Lakes states. Timbers can be found of prairies and forests, but usually not in high mountain ranges because of the lack of food. Their color ranges from nearly white to nearly black, but are usually grayish.

The “pack” is a very complex and strict organization. They communicate through posture, voice, and scent. The alpha, or dominant, male is the leader. Only the alpha male and alpha female are allowed to breed. The entire pack cooperates in feeding, protecting, and training the pups. The pack distinguishes its territory by marking it with urine and feces. Dominant males can stare down other wolves in the pack to prevent a fight and dominate females do the same to prevent females from mating with her mate, but fights are very rare. Some members may stay with the pack for life.

Wolves are big game hunters. After a howling chorus, the pack will leave the den for the evening hunt with one adult guardian staying behind to watch over the young. Timber wolves will generally hunt in packs of 12 or more during the non-breeding season. They feed on anything that is available. They primarily hunt birds and mammals such as deer and caribou. Their hunting range can be up to 60 miles is diameter. Wolves can run up to 40 miles an hour and can easily cover 50 miles a day. By smell alone, wolves can locate prey, other pack members or enemies. It can tell them if other wolves were in the territory, if they were male or female, and how recently they visited.

In the spring, females have litters of one to eleven pups. The pups are born blind and deaf, so they have to depend on the their mother and other members of the pack. The whole pack takes care and raises the pups (non-breeding females produce milk and males compete to baby sit). The pups also eat regurgitated food. When the hunters return from a hunt, the pups will jump and bite at their throats to get them to regurgitate the undigested meat from the recent kill. The pups normally stay with the parents until the following winter, but may remain much longer. Parents and their young constitute a basic pack.

Under the Endangered Species Act, the gray wolf is listed as a threatened species in Minnesota and as an endangered species in the United States. The decreasing numbers of wolves are the result of encroachments on their territory by humans, who have regarded wolves as competitors for prey and as dangerous to livestock, pets, and people. However, very few wolves attack humans. There might be “some” isolated incidents, but which is usually the case in those, the wolf was only trying to protect itself from the invasion from the human. There have been some efforts to try to reintroduce the wolf back into the wild, but those efforts have been very controversial.