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Ski Report

Great Bear Recreation Park Snow Report

Iowa, United States Sioux Falls
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Right now · nearest snotel
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As of 2024-06-22
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0.0in
Air temp
85°F
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Great Bear Recreation Park -- Iowa ski resort
Great Bear Recreation Park Iowa · Sioux Falls
About this resort

Great Bear Recreation Park

Great Bear Recreation Park ski resort in South Dakota offers 14 trails, ranging from beginner to advanced, and is best known for its night skiing. The beginner-friendly Bunny Hill trail is recommended for first-time skiers. The resort also offers snowboarding and tubing. An interesting fact is that the Great Bear Recreation Park was originally a dumpsite, which was transformed into a winter recreation area in the 1960s. The resort's lodge features a full-service bar and restaurant, with the Caribou Lounge being a popular spot for apres ski drinks and entertainment.

Terrain mix: Great Bear Recreation Park in South Dakota is located in the Big Sioux River valley, which is part of the Coteau des Prairies. The area is characterized by rolling hills and valleys, with the park itself situated within the Big Sioux River Recreation Corridor.

The park's ski resort features several ski runs and trails varying in difficulty, with the highest point in the park reaching an elevation of around 1,100 feet. The terrain is relatively gentle compared to other mountain ranges, making it ideal for beginner and intermediate skiers.

While not located in a specific mountain range, Great Bear Recreation Park offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts in South Dakota.

StateIowa
LocationSioux Falls
Detailed forecast

Plan your day down to the hour

Same weather feed Snoflo's iOS app uses -- updated continuously from NOAA / yr.no. Watch the snow column the morning of a storm to know when to call in sick.

Hourly detail

Next 5 days, hour by hour

Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.

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Deep dive

5-day forecast table

Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.

TimeConditionTemp (°F)Snow (in)Rain (in)Humidity (%)Wind (mps)Wind dir
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Long-term outlook

15-day temperature & snow

Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks -- start of next storm cycle, end of last one.

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Forecast discussion

What forecasters are seeing

Plain-English forecast narrative from the local NWS office. Issued by NWS FSD.

244 FXUS63 KFSD 230544 AFDFSD Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 1244 AM CDT Sun Aug 23 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered showers and a few storms are likely early this morning in south-central South Dakota, with some lingering activity possible into the afternoon. Severe weather is not expected, but locally heavy rainfall will be possible during any afternoon storm. - The next better chance for showers and storms across a wider part of the area is tonight (50-70%). Locally heavy rain and isolated severe storms are possible. - Otherwise most days through next week will see highs in the 80s and lows in the upper 50s to lower 60s. && .UPDATE... Issued at 845 PM CDT Sat Aug 22 2026 No major changes to the forecast tonight and tomorrow. Mid to high level clouds are moving into south-central South Dakota associated with our next weak wave moving in. These clouds will continue pushing east-southeastward through the night, and the aforementioned wave will help set off some showers and weak thunderstorms starting in south-central South Dakota early tomorrow morning with this activity gradually spread east- southeastward through the day on Sunday. As it moves eastward, it will outrun any appreciable instability and become just hit or miss light showers/sprinkles as it approaches I-29. Heavy rain looks to be the main threat heading into Sunday night as the low level jet kicks up and sets off more elevated thunderstorms with the aid of an upper wave moving in from the northwest. With the potential of multiple updrafts going up around the same time, there will be plenty of competition for the strongest updraft and this will help limit a severe weather risk. However, if one or two storms can go more isolated and become a more dominant updraft, then perhaps some large hail will be possible given effective shear values around 40-45 kts. Freezing levels will be quite high though, so even if an updraft can sustain itself, hailstones will have a pretty deep warm layer to go through before it were to reach the surface. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 142 PM CDT Sat Aug 22 2026 A quiet night is ahead as high pressure drifts east. Southerly flow will develop in central SD later tonight and become more established across the area through Sunday. The light winds will allow temperatures to fall into the lower 50s, especially east of I- 29. The upper level wave responsible for the low level winds turning southerly will move into central SD tomorrow morning, and eastward and southeast from there through the day. With fairly stout low to mid level dry air, mainly an increase in cloud cover is expected through the morning. The exception will be south central SD where enough moisture may allow for 500-1000 J/kg of elevated CAPE, which will support some spotty showers and thunderstorms. Severe weather is not expected. Lift will gradually increase through the day into Sunday night, when a moderately stronger LLJ focuses on the area. Given fairly weak shear and CAPE values generally under 1000 J/kg, severe weather looks unlikely. However with a freezing level around 13 kft, locally heavy rain will be possible. Not much agreement on the location of the heavier rain with the models pretty inconsistently placing the mid level wave across the area. Some hints that the LLJ will focus somewhere on the SD side, but confidence is low. This wave moves out of the area on Monday but another weaker wave moves by to the north on Monday night and brings a small increase in warm air advection, which could spark a few showers and thunderstorms. Mainly northwest flow aloft continues Tuesday into next weekend. This will bring periodic small chances for showers and thunderstorms throughout the week with little agreement on exactly when. Otherwise lows should mainly be from the mid 50s to mid 60s with highs in the 80s. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1226 AM CDT Sun Aug 23 2026 Patchy fog remains possible mainly in low lying areas and river valleys east of I-29 early this morning, though widespread issues are not expected. Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms look to move into south-central South Dakota towards daybreak, with any activity weakening as it moves east-southeast through the day. A better chance of storms arrive late this evening into the Sunday night hours, mainly near and south of I-90, though this won`t make it near the TAF sites until either the very end or just after this period. With that timing uncertainty, left out mention of -TSRA at KFSD and KSUX. A second area of storms to watch will be anything that could drop southward from northern South Dakota and move towards KHON. Did add a PROB30 group there for this potential since there was higher confidence this would occur more towards the end of the period as opposed to afterwards. Winds will pick up as we head into the daytime hours Sunday, turning more southeasterly and then southerly with time. Strongest winds will be in south-central South Dakota where winds may occasionally gust to 25-30 kts this afternoon. Winds will slacken somewhat this evening outside of any thunderstorms, though it will still remain breezy to close the period in south-central South Dakota where winds could gust up to 20-25 kts to end the period. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...None. MN...None. IA...None. NE...None. && $$ UPDATE...Samet DISCUSSION...08 AVIATION...Samet
Around the area

Beyond the slopes

Other ski areas, basecamp options, alpine fishing, and scenic stops near Great Bear Recreation Park -- worth knowing whether you're in for a day, a long weekend, or a season pass.

Mountain & avalanche safety

Know before you go
Check today's avalanche bulletin from the regional avalanche center before any off-piste / side-country / backcountry travel. Conditions can shift dramatically between morning and afternoon on storm days.
Carry the gear, know how to use it
Beacon, shovel, probe. Practice companion rescue on a calm day, not during a real burial.
Mind the weather window
Heavy snow + wind builds wind slabs at ridgelines. The day after a storm is often the riskiest in the backcountry, even if the resort itself is open.
Respect closed terrain
Ropes are there for a reason. Even in-bounds, ducking a closure can trigger a slide that catches you and others below.

Track Great Bear Recreation Park in the Snoflo app

Save this resort as a favorite, set push alerts when snowfall crosses a threshold (e.g. "alert me when Great Bear Recreation Park reports 6″ new"), and Snoflo's iOS app will push the moment the SNOTEL station crosses.

FAQ

About Great Bear Recreation Park

Where does the snow data for Great Bear Recreation Park come from?

Snowpack, SWE, 24-hour snowfall, and air temperature come from the nearest USDA NRCS SNOTEL station. Forecast comes from the National Weather Service / yr.no feed that Snoflo's iOS app uses.

How often is the snow report updated?

Snowpack and SNOTEL data are updated continuously by NRCS (typically hourly). The 15-day weather forecast is refreshed throughout the day. Snoflo caches and renders the most recent observation -- look for the "as of" timestamp on the snowpack hero.

What's the elevation at Great Bear Recreation Park?

See the Resort Metrics panel above for base / summit / vertical drop. The summit elevation drives snowpack accumulation -- higher summits hold snow longer through spring.

How is "% of normal" calculated?

Today's snowpack is compared to the average snowpack on this calendar day across every recorded year at the nearest SNOTEL. 100% means right on average; 130% is a big year; 60% is thin.

What ski resorts are near Great Bear Recreation Park?

See the Other Ski Areas pill grid at the bottom of the page for resorts within driving distance. The sister Other Ski Areas card in the Plan-a-longer-trip grid above shows the closest few.

Can I get alerts when fresh snow hits?

Yes -- snow alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this resort, set a snowfall threshold (e.g. "alert me when 6+ inches"), and you'll get a push the moment the SNOTEL crosses.

More ski areas

Other resorts near here

Snoflo-tracked ski areas within driving distance of Great Bear Recreation Park.