Lakes / South Dakota / Meade County / Bear Butte Lake
Bear Butte Lake, South Dakota
199.41 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - South Dakota
44.46 degrees N, 103.45 degrees W - Meade County. State and county outlines drawn from Census boundary data; the lake marker is placed by its USGS National Hydrography Dataset coordinates, not by eye. Schematic - not a survey map.
How Bear Butte Lake Stacks Up
- Larger than 64% of the 533 lakes counted in South Dakota.
- The largest lake in Meade County among those counted.
- About 28 miles from Rapid City, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Fourche Reservoir | Butte | 23 mi | 6,106.2 acres |
| Pactola Reservoir | Pennington | 26 mi | 840.65 acres |
| Newell Lake | Butte | 27 mi | 153.39 acres |
| Canyon Lake | Pennington | 28 mi | 38.45 acres |
| Guidinger Reservoir | Butte | 30 mi | 84.29 acres |
| Sheridan Lake | Pennington | 33 mi | 382.77 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Bear Butte Lake
How Big Is Bear Butte Lake?
Bear Butte Lake covers 199.41 acres in Meade County, South Dakota.
What Is the Largest Lake in Meade County?
Bear Butte Lake is the largest lake in Meade County, at 199.41 acres.
Largest Lakes in South Dakota
| # | Lake | County | Surface Area | Max Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Oahe | Dewey | 309,912.57 acres | - |
| 2 | Lake Francis Case | Charles Mix | 82,166.92 acres | - |
| 3 | Lake Sharpe | Hughes | 58,419.67 acres | - |
| 4 | Lewis and Clark Lake | Bon Homme | 25,141.99 acres | - |
| 5 | Lake Thompson | Kingsbury | 13,887.93 acres | - |
All 533 South Dakota lakes ranked by surface area
Sources: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (The National Map) lake data (ID 154903300). Verified October 30, 2026.