Dammen en stuwmeren in South Dakota

Scenic Dams and Reservoirs

South Dakota's water landscape is defined by massive Missouri River projects and serene Black Hills reservoirs. The Oahe Dam near Pierre creates one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the United States, providing hydroelectric power and flood control. In Custer State Park, smaller historic impoundments like Sylvan Lake and Legion Lake showcase early 20th-century masonry and the region's unique granite rock formations. These sites offer a mix of major engineering feats and recreational waters stretching from the Minnesota border to the western highlands.

Scenic Dams and Reservoirs — Kaart

Epsota24 / CC BY-SA 3.0

A

Sylvan Lake

Sylvan Lake is a lake located in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States.

Service Air Force Operation / CRISIS… / Public domain

B

Oahe Dam

The Oahe Dam is a large earthen dam on the Missouri River, just north of Pierre, South Dakota, United States.

C

Center Lake

Located in Custer State Park, this reservoir was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935. It features a swimming beach and serves as a central hub for the park's eastern trail system.

D

Legion Lake

A reservoir in Custer State Park formed by a dam on Galena Creek. Named after the American Legion, which once operated a summer camp here, the lake is surrounded by ponderosa pines and granite outcrops.

E

Big Stone Lake

Big Stone Lake is a long, narrow freshwater lake and reservoir on the border between western Minnesota and northeastern South Dakota in the…

F

Lake Oahe

Lake Oahe () is a large reservoir behind Oahe Dam on the Missouri River; it begins in central South Dakota and continues north into North…

G

Lake Francis Case

Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir impounded by Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, United States.