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Bear Butte State Park, Sturgis, SD

Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureHistory Buff

Bear Butte State Park

Hike a 1.85-mile summit trail up a sacred butte that rises over 1,200 feet above the plains, with bison grazing near its base.

6 miles northeast of Sturgis on SD-79 · Sturgis, SD

About Bear Butte State Park

Bear Butte, called Mato Paha by the Lakota, is a lone mountain rising about 1,250 feet above the plain northeast of Sturgis. A summit trail of 1.85 miles climbs to the top, which is also the northern end of the Centennial Trail. The butte is a sacred site for many tribes, and you will see prayer cloths and bundles tied to trees, which visitors are asked to leave undisturbed. A bison herd lives near the base.

  • #state park
  • #hiking
  • #sacred site
  • #bison
  • #black hills

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Bear Butte State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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    Fort Meade

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    Spearfish Canyon

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