Where is Canyon Lake?

Canyon Lake is a lake in Pennington County, South Dakota. Its water-quality measurements are published by SD DANR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water temperature of Canyon Lake?

Canyon Lake typically sits around 45°F at the surface in October, from 47 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Canyon Lake

Pennington County, South Dakota29 acresView map Directions

SD DANR publishes the water-quality measurements for Canyon Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Phosphorus

19 µg/L

Less phosphorus than most

Measured by SD DANR

Chlorophyll-a

1.7 µg/L

Less algae than most

Measured by SD DANR

Water temp

~45°F

Typical for Oct · EPA WQP

Area

29 acres

Surface area

Type

Oligotrophic

Trophic class

Oligotrophic
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Canyon Lake in Pennington County, South Dakota has water-quality measurements published by SD DANR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Surface area: 29 acres.

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Canyon Lake is a 29-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Pennington County, South Dakota.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, SD DANR, last sampled 2021-08-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Canyon Lake covers about 29 acres in Pennington County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Canyon Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Canyon Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

Get alerts for Canyon Lake →

Water quality measurements for Canyon Lake

These are the measurements SD DANR publishes for Canyon Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.7 µg/L. TSI 40.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)		No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	19µg/L	Good GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)	1.7µg/L	Good GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.	40	Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Canyon Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Canyon Lake typically sits around 45°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 61°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 62°F) and coldest in Mar (about 42°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan

Feb

42°

Mar

Apr

51°

May

59°

Jun

61°

Jul

62°

Aug

Sep

45°

Oct

Nov

Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (42°F) to its warmest (62°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 47 field readings (2018–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Canyon Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Surface area

29 acres

No bathymetric survey has been published for Canyon Lake, so its depth is not documented here.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Canyon Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Canyon Lake in Pennington County, South Dakota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Canyon Lake

Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at South Dakota’s top lakes →

Follow Canyon Lake’s readings

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Fishing Canyon Lake

→ Canyon Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Canyon Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Canyon Lake Dam (completed 1976), built primarily for irrigation on the RAPID CREEK; earth-type dam, 31 ft tall and 1,325 ft long.

Surface area: 29 ac
Normal storage: 140 ac-ft
Max storage: 610 ac-ft
Drainage area: 66 sq mi
Hazard class: High
Owner: CITY OF RAPID CITY

All listed purposes: Irrigation;Recreation;Water Supply.

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID SD02137 · Operator website

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

7 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Canyon Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 4 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

Sd Gfp - Cleghorn Fish Hatchery
Rapid City · 0.5 mi away · NPDES SD0000060
Recent violation
Gcc Dacotah
Rapid City · 2.3 mi away · NPDES SD0000027
Recent violation
Pete Lien & Sons, Inc
Rapid City · 4.1 mi away · NPDES SD0000094
Recent violation
Black Hills Corp Lctf
Rapid City · 4.5 mi away · NPDES SD0027871
Recent violation
Sd Army National Guard
Rapid City · 1.9 mi away · NPDES SD0027332
Black Hills Power, Inc
Rapid City · 2.4 mi away · NPDES SD0000141

Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.

Nearby Lakes in Pennington County

Shearer Lake—View →Bear Butte Lake—View →Tisdale Lake—View →Newell Lake—View →Limestone Butte Reservoir—View →Guidinger Reservoir—View →

Frequently asked questions about Canyon Lake

Where is Canyon Lake?: Canyon Lake is a lake in Pennington County, South Dakota. Its water-quality measurements are published by SD DANR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Canyon Lake?: Canyon Lake in Pennington County, South Dakota has water-quality measurements published by SD DANR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Surface area: 29 acres.
Is Canyon Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Canyon Lake?: Canyon Lake typically sits around 45°F at the surface in October, from 47 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Explore Canyon Lake across LakeQuality

Thunderhead Underground Falls

6.3 mi away · 30 ft

Lake Fishing Forecast

Species activity outlook by water temperature and season

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Where to stay at South Dakota's top lakes, each with its readings

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South Dakota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements

Planning a trip around Wind Cave?

Canyon Lake is about 34 miles from Wind Cave National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.

Best time to visit Wind Cave →

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Where this data comes from

11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

USGS South Dakota Water Science CenterUSGS-SD11 samples · 2021

Analytical methods

Phosphorus, wu, microKJ ASF, H+
Plant pigments, sonication & 445
YSI EXO turbidity sensor, FNU

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.