Editing Pennington County, South Dakota (section)

==Geography==
[[File:WLA hmns Mesohippus baidi 2.jpg|thumb|Extinct ''[[Mesohippus]]'' horse, found in Pennington County, on display at the [[Houston Museum of Natural Science]]]]
Pennington County is located on the west line of South Dakota. Its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of [[Wyoming]]. Its west end contains the nation's highest peak east of the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|continental divide]], [[Black Elk Peak]]. The rugged arid western end contains forest and gullies, descendending to rough rolling hill country in the east. The [[Cheyenne River]] flows north-northeastward through the center of the county and then along its northeastern border on its way to discharge in the Missouri River, while Rapid Creek flows east-southeastward through the western part, to discharge into the Cheyenne at the county's midpoint.<ref name="PCSD">{{Cite web|title=Pennington County · South Dakota |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pennington+County,+SD/@44.0976392,-103.5885471,196738m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x877d6b18a0b71ea9:0x1f7c027658fe1e2b!8m2!3d43.8901111!4d-102.2547919 |access-date=April 27, 2024 |website=Google Maps |language=en}}</ref> The county terrain varies in elevation from Black Elk Peak at {{convert|7,242|ft|m|abbr=on}} to its NE corner, at {{convert|1,896|ft|m|abbr=on}} ASL.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm |title="Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed 8 February 2019) |access-date=February 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521043409/https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm |archive-date=May 21, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|2784.459|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|2776.765|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|7.694|sqmi}} (0.28%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2024 County Gazetteer Files – South Dakota|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_counties_46.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 26, 2025}}</ref> It is the third-largest county in South Dakota by total area, and is larger than the state of [[Delaware]].

===Major highways===
* [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 90 in South Dakota|Interstate 90]]
* [[Image:US 14.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 14 in South Dakota|U.S. Highway 14]]
* [[Image:US 16.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 16 in South Dakota|U.S. Highway 16]]
* [[Image:US 16A.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Route 16A (South Dakota)|U.S. Highway 16A]]
* [[Image:US 385.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Route 385|U.S. Highway 385]]
* [[Image:SD 40.svg|20px]] [[South Dakota Highway 40]]
* [[Image:SD 44.svg|20px]] [[South Dakota Highway 44]]
* [[Image:SD 240.svg|25px]] [[South Dakota Highway 240]]
* [[Image:SD 244.svg|25px]] [[South Dakota Highway 244]]

===Transit===
* [[Jefferson Lines]]
* [[Rapid City Rapid Ride]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Meade County, South Dakota|Meade County]] – north
* [[Ziebach County, South Dakota|Ziebach County]] - northeast
* [[Haakon County, South Dakota|Haakon County]] – northeast
* [[Jackson County, South Dakota|Jackson County]] – southeast
* [[Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota|Oglala Lakota County]] – south
* [[Custer County, South Dakota|Custer County]] – southwest
* [[Weston County, Wyoming]] – west
* [[Lawrence County, South Dakota|Lawrence County]] – northwest

===National protected areas===
* [[Badlands National Park]] (part)
** [[Badlands Wilderness]]
* [[Black Hills National Forest]] (part)
** [[Black Elk Wilderness]] (part)
* [[Buffalo Gap National Grassland]] (part)
* [[Minuteman Missile National Historic Site]] (part)
* [[Mount Rushmore National Memorial]]

===Lakes and reservoirs===
Source:<ref name=PCSD/>
* Deerfield Lake
* Pactola Reservoir
* Shearer Lake
* Sheridan Lake