Black Hills Road Trip - Bear Country U.S.A.

Bear Country U.S.A. is a tourist trap.  I doubt that's a surprise to anyone reading this. That said, I think that corny, kitschy or contrived attractions - this one falls into the contrived category - can add fun and color to a family vacation. The Black Hills is full of tourist traps and as we researched our vacation we chose this one because while we had plans to visit several scenic spots with good chances of seeing wildlife, we wanted a guaranteed slam dunk.  For that, Bear Country U.S.A. delivered.

We made sure to get out of the hotel early and drive to Bear Country U.S.A. as close to its opening time as we could. We were there during peak season and we wanted to enjoy driving the wildlife loop at our own pace, without being crowded and pushed along by other cars. It was a successful strategy and we didn't come close to any cars, in front or behind us, until we came to the bear area at the end.

Bear Country U.S.A. offers much more than bears.  It is "home to 20 species of North American mammals which live in large natural exhibits."  These animals include black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, reindeer, bison, mountain lions, and a number of smaller animals and we were able to see nearly all of them either from our car or in Babyland without much difficulty.  It took perhaps 20-30 minutes to drive slowly through the wildlife loop.  The last and longest part of it was the black bear area, and they were everywhere. They weren't doing much - though one bear couple was trying to teach our children about the birds and bees - but it was fun to watch the rest of them walking around so close to our van.  There are many signs warning you to keep your windows up and we happily complied.

Grizzlies in Babyland

After we completed the drive, we found ourselves in a parking lot. We parked and got out to walk through Babyland.  Babyland is where they keep the baby bear cubs. It's also where they keep the mature grizzly bears and all of the smaller animals, but the baby bears are by far the best thing about it.  The yard is full of scampering, rolling, wrestling, climbing and just adorable baby bear cubs.  I had never seen anything like it and this part was what made this attraction truly worthwhile to me.

Cubs in Babyland

In the Gift Shop, At Last!

Near Babyland, there is a snack bar, patio with tables and seating, and a large gift shop.  It was all attractive, updated, and clean.  Bear Country U.S.A is located about 10-15 minutes outside of Rapid City, on the road to Mount Rushmore. It is open every day from May to November. There is a per person admission fee of $10-16, depending on age, with a $60 maximum per car. Children aged 4 and under are free. For that price, you can drive through the wildlife loop one time and spend as much time as you would like in Babyland. It was a 2-3 hour visit for us, and I think you'd have a hard time spending more than half a day here.  It isn't a bargain, but we felt like we got exactly what we expected from Bear Country U.S.A and it was a fun start to our vacation.


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