Lakes / South Dakota / Pennington County / Pactola Reservoir
Pactola Reservoir, South Dakota
840.65 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - South Dakota
44.08 degrees N, 103.51 degrees W - Pennington 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 Pactola Reservoir Stacks Up
- Larger than 87% of the 533 lakes counted in South Dakota.
- The largest lake in Pennington County among those counted.
- About 14 miles from Rapid City, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan Lake | Pennington | 7.3 mi | 382.77 acres |
| Canyon Lake | Pennington | 11 mi | 38.45 acres |
| Deerfield Lake | Pennington | 15 mi | 327.91 acres |
| Stockade Lake | Custer | 21 mi | 125.28 acres |
| Bear Butte Lake | Meade | 26 mi | 199.41 acres |
| Curlew Lake | Meade | 39 mi | 152.71 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Pactola Reservoir
How Big Is Pactola Reservoir?
Pactola Reservoir covers 840.65 acres in Pennington County, South Dakota.
What Is the Largest Lake in Pennington County?
Pactola Reservoir is the largest lake in Pennington County, at 840.65 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 143987572). Verified October 30, 2026.