Fort Meade

Walk the parade grounds of an 1878 cavalry post near Sturgis, visit its museum and post cemetery, then hike or camp on the Centennial Trail in the hills beyond.

Fort Meade, just east of Sturgis, SD · Sturgis, SD

About Fort Meade

Fort Meade was an Army post from 1878 to 1944, built to guard the Black Hills gold fields; the 7th Cavalry served here after the Little Bighorn, as did Buffalo Soldiers of the 25th Infantry. The old post is a National Historic District with the Old Fort Meade Museum and the post cemetery, and a VA hospital still uses many buildings. Around it, the BLM's 6,700-acre Fort Meade Recreation Area has an 11-mile stretch of the Centennial Trail, a 50-acre reservoir stocked with rainbow trout, a 4.5-mile gravel back country byway and two fee campgrounds at Alkali Creek. Bear Butte State Park is next door.

#historic fort
#cavalry history
#museum
#hiking
#centennial trail

Printable maps

What's around here?

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

Museums
History Buff
Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame
Under $25
Main Street museum tracing motorcycle history with nearly 100 bikes dating back to 1907.
1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
Local Gem
Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
No admission fee
Sturgis, South Dakota's visitor bureau for trip planning around the Black Hills and the annual motorcycle rally.
1.9 mi awayMore like this
Museums
Local Gem
Sturgis Car Museum
Under $25
A Sturgis museum of rare Saab automobiles and General Motors heritage cars spanning 1950 to 2011.
2.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Tours
Outdoor Adventure
Black Hills Above & Beyond Tours
$50+
Full-day narrated van tours through the Black Hills hitting Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial and Needles Highway.
2.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours
Sightseeing
History Buff
Deadwood
No admission fee
Historic Black Hills gold-rush town with gaming halls, museums and Wild West heritage sites.
13 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
History Buff
Mount Moriah Cemetery
Under $25
Walk the hillside cemetery above Deadwood to the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.
13 mi awayMore like this