Bear Country USA in Lead

This was the best experience! We drove through and just happened to be there at the bears lunch time. It was amazing to watch all of the bears chase after the truck with the food. I absolutely loved it and it was worth the cost to get in. I will tell anybody heading this way for vacation to drive through here because it was by far the greatest part of our entire trip.

Absolutely amazing park! Both driving through and getting up close to the animals, as well as the enclosures after youre finished driving. Did not disappoint at all. A definite must see if youre in the area.

Easy to purchase, get in, and drive around. Every now and then, I would slow down behind a car, but it wasnt too bad. The animals were cool to see upclose, but wish they were more active during my time there. Great gift store with plenty of various items!

Great place especially if you have kids! Good 45 min safari to drive yourself across Bears, wolves, reindeer, timber wolves, bisons, mountain lions and some more for $20 per adult.

This is an absolute must if you are in the area. It will take about 2 hrs or so. You will absolutely see a lot of bears and I mean a lot. They walk around your car and sit on the side of the road. My family of 6 loved this place. And if were in the area again, well be back. Make sure to go through the gift shop.

One of the many great places to stop when visiting South Dakota. You drive along a path and the animals are right next to you. It’s nice to see them living freely and they have so much land! It’s really cool to see the Bears only 3 feet from your car! And there are so many of them! There’s also a zoo at the end with smaller animals. My husband and I did a couples trip when we stopped here but I would love to return with our grandkids!Highly highly recommended!

We really enjoyed this place! $20 per adult. The loop is only a couple miles, so take your time! Then after the safari part, you park and walk around to see the animals in enclosures (bear cubs, skunks, porcupines, otters, and more). That part is about a quarter mile loop. So we were only there for probably less than a couple hours, but it was really worth it... Seeing bears and wolves up close was so cool!!!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 its less crowded.And yes, the gift shop is huge and has a lot of fun stuff!

I loved seeing all of these animals in person, and am also glad that they have a good amount of area to walk around in, rather than being kept in and displayed in small cages. It was truly an amazing experience being able to see all of these animals (bears, red foxes, porcupines, beavers, bobcats, buffalos, otters, badgers, wolves, mountain lions, rams, elk, reindeer, raccoons, groundhogs, and a few moreup close. They also have a gift stores with lots of selections, especially those in the stuffed animal category. I would recommend visiting bear country if seeing different types of animals you would likely not see up close in your day to day life is of interest to you.

Go early to avoid too many cars- we got there at 0830 and it was right at feeding time so all the animals were active and walking around. Afterwards when you park they’ve got a huge bathroom facility, a awesome gift shops, and what looked like other refreshment buildings that were closed.

So much fun! I wish they would let you just drive around and around and around! You could do it all day! Seeing all of the animals so close was just amazing! They all seem happy and they have so much more room to explore than at a zoo where you normally see them. The bear with the stick (I have an entire saga of pictureswas one of my favorite parts of my entire 8 day trip to South Dakota! He is just plain adorable! You could watch the bear cubs for HOURS! I was devastated to hear about Tank. I am so sad I never got to visit him. He brought joy to so many!

It was a hot 80 degrees so pretty decent. Elk were in abundance. We played chicken with the caribou. The mountain lions stayed in their little Dens. There were probably 30 bears of different kinds wandering around a 10 acre paddock. Trees, stumps and water to play around in/on.

This place was amazing. We went in the evening when the heat finally broke (6pmand the animals were starting to be active again. The kids, who had complained for 2 hours about how tired they were, were so excited they begged us to stay for an extra hour. The bear cubs were adorable, the wolves were howling, the rams were active, the elk grazing. What an amazing place to get to see animals up close and personal.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!

Another must see if your in South Dakota. I would recommend going as soon as they open or as early as possible so you can see as many of the animals as possible before it gets too hot. Also, if you go in the morning you get to see them feed the animals. Kids loved it.

This place is amazing! I arrived mid day- its busiest time. Even though there were many people, I was able to pull over and take as long as I wanted viewing the animals, of which included: wolves, b8g cats, bears, caribou and elk.Baby animals were available for viewing in the walking section close to the welcome center.I love how close you can get with all of the animals. They walk right past your car and expect you to stop. So cool! Dog friendly park, allows you to bring your pup so long as it stays in the vehicle and you keep your windows up.

It was about 5pm when we came through, so the animals were super hot, but they had the sprinkler on for the reindeer and the other animals could all be seen for the most part. The kids really enjoyed looking out.i was a bit nervous being so close to a MASSIVE bison with our rental van, but all was fine. The baby bears were entertaining and the small mountain lion in the walking part of the facility was vocal (barked/meowed to us). Again - all the animals were really hot, but seemed well cared for and had plenty of shade and resources to stay cool. Im glad we stopped in.

We will remember this forever. I did feel bad the bears didn’t have more tree coverage in the heat but to be so close to them was awesome. When the tour is over stop by and see the babies, the cubs were adorable!

My kids absolutely loved it, lots of beautiful animals to see and it was neat they had no fear of vehicles and just walked around freely.I have never seen so many bear in one place, this literally is bear country. Money well spent.I appreciate that they asked and provided us with a first responders discount, that says a lot about the organization as well.

Best part of our vacation! Bears walked right past your car. You’ll see lots of animals. We loved the bear cubs at the end during the walking tour. Make sure you stop for that! The gift shop was massive and easy to find a fun gift to remind you of the place. A must see in the Black Hills!

Wouldve gave it 5⭐ but it was hot as heck out and hardly any animals out. They really need to do more of a tram kind of tour people stop and look for the animals blocking those of us who wanted to get through. A tram ride through it would be better then you could get stats interesting facts etc etc and give the animals more places to cool off and more water areas too poor things!All in all it was okay but not great they should put in a lil more effort and money for the animals!

Been here several times. It never disappoints with all the different animals you can see. It was one of my 10 year old grandsons favorite parts of our trip

We really enjoyed our visit. There were fewer animals visible in the park than we expected, but it was very hot on the day we visited.The bear cubs were the highlight of the day. They had an abundance of energy and were running about and wrestling with each other. Would recommend a visit for families with smaller children and adults alike.

I loved this experience. You can get within a few inches of an apex predator and not have to worry if your bear spray is charged and and active. These bears are NOT anxious and under stress as some of the other reviews have suggested. The zoo area is really well done also.

A bit on the expensive side but my 4 year old loved it. Windows rolled up and doors shut is the rule, which is fine by me. Great gift shop at the end of the tour as well.

If you want to see bears!! Most certainly give it a shot! I couldnt believe how many that they actually had. It was amazing to see them all. Worth the wait. They do charge per person instead per vehicle.

For the cost of your car and sheer amount of bears youll get to see up close and personal...I highly recommend it if your in the area. Even packed and busy it only took us 2 hrs ro drive through the whole park. Usually only takes 30-40 min per the entry person. If you have doubts...just look at my pictures and anyone elses thats on this thread.

It was a good activity for the kids. Pretty cool to see the animals up close, and see so many different kinds at that. Not sure if a second visit would be needed, but glad we checked it out when we were in the area.

Amazing experience. A world class Midwest safari with so much more than we expected!We are full time RVers in a 32 foot rig and the park can easily handle most other rigs with maybe the exception of Class As. Although they also apparently offer rentals.Absolutely worth the cost of entry, as long as you know what you are doing when it comes to seeing wildlife when they are most active.

We vacation in the black hills frequently and this has always been a must stop on my kids list. This is actually the #1 request for them. This year was amazing we went early in the morning right after opening time and we saw everything active. Another benefit of heading in early we had the park to ourselves essentially. One nice thing we encountered this year...we took my 93 year old grandpa. He was greeted by a golf cart in the parking lot that drove him through the park and told him about everything. Such and unexpected blessing, he was going to wait for us after walking to the gift shop and sitting on a bench. (Bear Country staff....you guys really hit the mark here. THANK YOU!!!). Not sure if it was the cooler weather or the feeding schedule. It looked like the bears had and were still eating. Keep the windows up and enjoy this ride I cant recommend it enough!!!! At 19 my oldest still makes a very vocal pitch to make time for a Bear Country stop!

Just wow! My favorite wildlife sanctuary up until now was in Alaska, this was awesome. So many bears and all the animals were active. If you’ve ever been to a zoo where all the animals seemed miserable and hiding, you’ll appreciate places like this. The first part is a drive through where you’ll see lots of animals roaming freely. Then you walk through a section with smaller animals and the best part, the baby bear cubs and wolf pups. They are so fun to watch.

This was so fun! We didn’t have the kids with us but us adults had a blast! We spent two hours here. We definitely could have taken more or less time. If you have kids the gift shop is HUGE! Toys range from $12-$60 and t-shirts/clothes $14.99-$60. ( just what I noticed.I stopped in to get a sticker 2.99. We saw bears 🐻, deer, birds, pronghorn, wolfs, red fox, otters, skunks , reindeer, Arctic 🐻‍❄️ wolfs , big horn sheep, Lynx and mountain lions. Oh additionally it was $36 to get in! Please remember these fees also help keep Bear country going! I know the pricing is better for children & military. I would recommend going in the morning these are cold natured animals, once it gets hot they will move to the shade..

A fun visit to watch the bears, mountain lions, attic wolves, bison, timber wolves, elk, reindeer, bighorn sheep. Good timeWould be to go before dusk and not when it’s too sunny since you’ll find all animals just sleeping. Fee was $15 per person. Worth the visit.

The animals were all out and visible to see this time. Got some great pictures. Fun to see the baby bears being so playful. The price to get in is quite high for what you get though.

My first visit to Bear Country was very nice! Lots of animals, though quite a few were sheltering or sleeping. Wow! The amount of adult bears was surprising, though they appeared to not be enjoying the heat so much. Luckily it clouded up and cooled down when we were walking the small animal area. The baby skunks and bear cubs were definitely my favorite!! Sooo cute and playful!

This was a cool experience. Its a drive through park where you can observe the wildlife and bears 🐻! We saw bears, deer, goats, wolves, etc. At the end of the drive through, you can get out of your car and walk around to see baby bears 🐻, baby wolves, prairie dogs, foxes, and so much more. My favorite was watching the bear cubs play with each other. There were signs around Bear Country with info about the wildlife. It reminded me of a mini outdoor zoo. This would a great place to stop especially if you have kids. They also have clean restrooms and a gift shop.

Took the kids here for something fun to do before continuing our road trip. They said this was "the best ever!" We enjoyed driving through and seeing the animals wandering around - much better than other zoos where they are in a cage. There is a short walking part for smaller animals. They have a great gift shop too - lots of neat gifts.

Absolutely an amazing sanctuary/drive thru reserve. Bears bears and bears! My kids adored every second of the drive from the first exhibition to the babies at the end. Well kept, and safe! Fun from 100 years old to newborn and all in between. Will come again and again.

The animals were great! Just about everyone except the arctic wolves made an appearance! Some great views of bison, bears, grey wolves, elk and horned rams! The baby animals in the exhibits were fun to watch as well! Only reason for the 4 stars is cost, it was over $70 to drive through and view the animals. For a large group it should cap a little lower.

We have done so many of these drive through safaris and this one is just average for the drive through portion but amazing when you park and get to see the baby animals. You dont get to feed any animals and must keep your windows closed the whole time. This is because it is mostly animals that could eat you. I think if they added a section with animals you could interact with while driving would make it better. Once you get through the driving section you get out and get to see a bunch of different animals up close. The baby bears make the whole visit worth it!!

#1 place to see in the area... 3 of us went and it cost $60. Worth every penny. We went to see Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse after and we all agreed Bear Country USA was our favorite.You will see lots of animals close up so have you cameras ready. After the drive there is lots of parking to get out and walk to see other animals. The bears are just amazing. We highly recommend.

We absolutely loved Bear Country, USA! The exhibits were amazing and the animals were well taken care of. It was so nice to see animals “free roaming”! The other exhibits outside the car were super kid friendly. The kids were able to see easily and were excited to see the animals. The gift shop had a great selection!

This was so much fun! I did not expect to see so many bears! They were everywhere, and the wolves were very active. Definitely worth your time. And you HAVE to stop and see the bear cubs; delightful. We drove through in our truck while pulling a camper, so any vehicle will fit!

This place was neat because you could drive through up close and see the animals. I think the experience would be awesome for kids for sure! They also had another section where you could walk through and see smaller animals including baby bear cubs. There were all kinds of neat items in the gift shop!

Ok, when I do a review, I like to start with the positives before the negatives:first of all the drive through the park to see all of the different animal enclosures is really neat. They are beautiful and you get to see the animals up close and in person. They have Elk, Reindeer, Bear, Cougar, Wolves, and Mountain Goats. Then after the drive you get to walk outside around the inner park to see the smaller animals like Lynx, Beaver, Fox, Coyote, Bear Cubs, Bobcat and such. This was a nice place to go see this summer! Ok, the not bad, but the only few negatives to this place are in the hot days 90 degrees and above the animals are not doing a whole lot but laying around. Not their fault but not as exciting than in the cooler temps. Also, the price to come into the place and the cost of souvenirs are a bit steep. $80 for 4 adults, but I get it since it is not cheap to take care of all the animals!! Only minor gripes:Good place to see at least once in your lifetime!

Bear Country USA was awesome! They have a wide variety of animals who are relaxed and well cared for. We really enjoyed seeing them just roaming around and doing their thing!

This was exactly what we wanted as weve been wanting to see a bear in the wilderness, yet have yet to. So we figured, well pay for it!! Definitely worth the funds.You are guaranteed to see basically all the animals they have. At least we did. The way the area is set up in each spot for the designated animal, its hard for them to hide lolAnd then....the bear area!!! Bears everywhere!!! So so worth it.The first half is a drive through. Keep your windows up and dont get out. But you will be able to stretch your legs at the walk through section in the end. There you will be able to enjoy the smaller animals and the best part: the bear cubs!!!! There were like 10 of them just playing with one another and on their like make shift playground. It was so cool.There is also a beautiful gift shop at the end too. So worth the adventure!

We had such an amazing time. Theres nothing quite like having bears walk right next to your car. All the animals are so well taking care of and so are their amazing habitats! The porcupines captured my heart.

This place is so nice. Our children loved it.. especially the bears an the cubs that they could get close to. We went right away in the morning an they had just fed the animals. It was neat to watch the wolves argue over their" steaks".

I love this place! Made the visit while going to Mount Rushmore & this turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Drive thru portion was great but the walk thru part was amazing! The baby bears are adorable! A definite must see!

I was pleasantly surprised by the tour. This is a sealf guided driving tour. We saw a lot of animals Dear, Bears both brown and black bears, Elk, Rain dear, artic wolfs. All the animals we visable and easy to see. At the end of the driving tour there is a very nice visitor center and gift shop and a small zoo type exhibits. Really enjoyed the visit.

I have to admit, I thought this place would be the typical tourist trap. I was so wrong.This place was amazing and worth every penny. It’s awesome for kids and adults. We saw at least 20 different bears. They were just walking around. We saw 3 types of wolves, various elk/reindeer, coyotes, foxes, horned sheep, and so much more. You drive through and it takes about 45 minutes depending on how slow or fast you drive.There is a separate part you get out and walk around to see the animals such as bear cubs. I wasn’t expecting to see many animals or animals this close! It was a great experience for all ages.