While it may feel like fall has come and gone, it is technically here for a few more weeks, which means there is still time to get outside and enjoy this amazing time of the year! What’s the best way to do this? We recommend treating your five senses to a hike around South Dakota’s awe-inspiring Deerfield Reservoir:

Located just 20 miles west of Hill City, Deerfield Reservoir is a Bureau of Reclamation-managed dam that may sound mundane but is one of the most criminally overlooked nature areas in the Mount Rushmore State. 

Google/Derek Hurford

Opened in 1947, the Deerfield Reservoir (also known as the Deerfield Reservoir Complex or Deerfield Dam) covers 414 acres and boasts a capacity of 15,700 acre-feet, and is also surrounded by a beautiful landscape that you can only find in the Black Hills. 

AllTrails/Eric Nelson

Whether you visit Deerfield Reservoir in the early, mid, or late fall — or really any time of the year — you will have a memorable trip full of incredible sights, sounds, smells, and more! 

AllTrails/Marcelle Wunderlich

Speaking of other times of the year, there is always something exciting to do at Deerfield, including ample fly fishing and ice fishing, boating, snowmobiling, ice skating, and camping. 

AllTrails/Regina Staufer

Do you enjoy hiking? Then you are really going to love the Deerfield Reservoir, which is home to the 11.8-mile Deerfield Lake Loop Trail.

AllTrails/Eric Nelson

Admission to Deerfield Reservoir is $5 per vehicle per day.

AllTrails/Chris Ondrovich

To learn more about Deerfield Reservoir — including information on camping, current conditions, and more — please visit the USDA’s website.

AllTrails/Eric Nelson

Do you have a favorite place that you would like to see featured on Only in South Dakota? Don’t forget to nominate it here. For even more to do around the Hill City area, check out This Old Fashioned Restaurant In The South Dakota Hills Will Take You Back To Simpler Times.

Google/Derek Hurford

AllTrails/Eric Nelson

AllTrails/Marcelle Wunderlich

AllTrails/Regina Staufer

AllTrails/Chris Ondrovich

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Address: Deerfield Dam, Hill City, SD 57745, USA