Sylvan Lake is a lake located in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States. It was created in 1891 when Theodore Reder built a dam (the Sylvan Lake Water Dam) across Sunday Gulch Creek.^[1] The lake area offers picnic places, rock climbing, small rental boats, swimming, and hiking trails. It is also popular as a starting point for excursions to Black Elk Peak and The Needles. A hotel was operated on the shore of the lake in the early 20th century .^[2]

Quick Facts Location, Coordinates ...

Sylvan Lake
Rock formations near lake
Sylvan Lake Show map of South Dakota Sylvan Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Custer County, South Dakota, United States
Coordinates	43°50′44.52″N 103°33′48.57″W
Primary outflows	Sunday Gulch Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	17.3 acres (7.0 ha)
Average depth	12.8 feet (3.9 m)
Max. depth	30 feet (9.1 m)
Shore length1	1 mile (1.6 km)
Surface elevation	6,145 feet (1,873 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

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The lake was featured in Disney's 2007 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The film made the lake appear to be located directly behind Mount Rushmore when in reality it is actually five miles southwest of Mount Rushmore.

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  Swimming and other activities are popular at Sylvan Lake.
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  Rock wall damming the northwest side of Sylvan Lake
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  Path between rocks and lake
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  Paddleboat on the lake
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  View down from Sylvan Lake Water Dam to the Sunday Gulch Creek
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  A view of Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, South Dakota.

• List of South Dakota lakes