Mt Rushmore CG's

[WV_Wanderer]

Can anyone advise me of some nice campgrounds close to Mt Rushmore and best time of year for visit. Not looking for a resort just peace and comfort.

[leesan]

Another plus for Rafter J Bar Ranch. I don't see any negatives about this campground.We stayed there last year and loved the ample space between sites.and so many areas to choose from. Also you have plenty of trees not just grassy fields. We didn't care if we weren't sourrounded by hills. It will take you just s few minutes to go in search of them hills.Even if we had them at the campground we wouldn't be stuck all day looking at them instead we would be out site seeing .I give this campground a very good review

[Martyn]

Itching2go wrote:

B.Sjulestad wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
The only negative for me on Rafter J is that i can camp in a field here in IL. If I'm going to the BH's i want to be surrounded by hills and trees! Not a grassy field! And no one i know of goes to the Hills to stay at the campground all day.

They have different camps. some are in thick tree cover some are in grassy areas. big rigs will not work in the thick tree cover but there are several areas that have lots of tree cover that you can fit a big rig in.

X2. We also prefer shade. While there are some areas in Rafter J that are out in the open, the Ranch area is nicely wooded with sites that will fit the largest MH's. Our 38 ft fiver fit easily with lots of room to spare, and there were a lot of rigs there that were bigger than ours.

X3 - we camped in 'The Island' Lovely spot with plenty of trees.

[Itching2go]

B.Sjulestad wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
The only negative for me on Rafter J is that i can camp in a field here in IL. If I'm going to the BH's i want to be surrounded by hills and trees! Not a grassy field! And no one i know of goes to the Hills to stay at the campground all day.

They have different camps. some are in thick tree cover some are in grassy areas. big rigs will not work in the thick tree cover but there are several areas that have lots of tree cover that you can fit a big rig in.

X2. We also prefer shade. While there are some areas in Rafter J that are out in the open, the Ranch area is nicely wooded with sites that will fit the largest MH's. Our 38 ft fiver fit easily with lots of room to spare, and there were a lot of rigs there that were bigger than ours.

[tsetsaf]

You know what you like so just go Here and see them all

[B_Sjulestad]

dodge guy wrote:
The only negative for me on Rafter J is that i can camp in a field here in IL. If I'm going to the BH's i want to be surrounded by hills and trees! Not a grassy field! And no one i know of goes to the Hills to stay at the campground all day.

They have different camps. some are in thick tree cover some are in grassy areas. big rigs will not work in the thick tree cover but there are several areas that have lots of tree cover that you can fit a big rig in.

[dodge_guy]

The only negative for me on Rafter J is that i can camp in a field here in IL. If I'm going to the BH's i want to be surrounded by hills and trees! Not a grassy field! And no one i know of goes to the Hills to stay at the campground all day.

[Martyn]

Road Dog wrote:
Rafter J-Bar in Hill City, the best!

Absolutely - by far the best in the area, and we looked at them all when we were there. 🙂

[katleman]

TOMMY47 wrote:
Horse Thief for sure. About 2 miles away. Government run. Seniors $11. No hookups or dump station but free dump station in Keystone.

Earlier post refered to the private Horse Thief Campground.

The one run by the government is Horsethief Lake Campground. No hookups but extremely scenic, closest to Rushmore (even hikeable). Would highly recommend if you can dry camp for a couple days, and you can get in.


Horsethief Lake

[Jim_Shoe]

jrw1550 wrote:
When we went we stayed at the KOA in Rapid City. I know some people do not like KOAs but this one was real nice with a wonderful shower house and laundry room and the price was not too bad either. I want to say we went in June. It is also close to grocery stores, Wal-Mart, and other place we always seem to need to visit. Just my 2 cents.

There are two KOAs near Mt. Rushmore. I've stayed in both. The Rushmore KOA is on the same road as Mt. Rushmore, has all kinds of things for kids to do, including guided horseback trips, an ice cream parlor, pizza place and a sit down restaurant. Its also 33 miles closer to Mt. Rushmore. The Rapid City KOA is closer to the Badlands and Wall Drug store, a must see. If you're headed west on I-90, you'll start seeing "Wall Drug Store - Free Ice Water" billboards about the time you leave Sioux Falls SD, 300 miles to the east. It takes up an entire city block. Where else can you have your picture taken on the back of a Jackalope? Wall Drug.

[newk]

Best time is early to mid June, as many of the attractions don't open until Memorial Day, and tourist traffic starts getting heavy towards the end of June and keeps building until the Sturgis Rally (Aug 4-10). It's also nice after mid-August, however it can start getting a bit cool after mid-September, and any time after July 1 you may run into high fire danger (campfire bans and smoke in the air).

I'd recommend Custer State Park for a nice variety of campgrounds and good access to Black Hills attractions. There are many other great places, however.

[Norskeman]

We stayed at Rapid City KOA - worked great for us - we were during Stugis week and had no problems getting around.
Rapid City KOA
3010 East Highway 44
Rapid City, SD 57703

[keepingthelight]

C Schomer wrote:
We stayed at Rafter J Bar Ranch 20 yrs ago and it was terrific. Not crowded together like most CGs. Craig

X2 :B

[Itching2go]

dmcgiffin wrote:
Rafter J - large campground with lots of room between spaces.

x3, 4, or 5 (lost count) on Rafter J. We were there for a week last summer. Best full hook-up park we'd ever stayed at. Lots of shade and room between the sites if staying in the Ranch or Island areas. Centrally located outside of Hill City, so can go south to Mt.Rushmore, and Custer State Park via the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road, or north to Deadwood, Rapid City, etc.

Also x2 on the steam train ride out of Hill City. Really interesting and relaxed way to see a different side of the Black Hills area.

[Thom02099]

Been to Rafter J, it's a wonderful campground, with a variety of settings to camp. Planning to go back there this year for a family reunion if we can get everyone out there at the same time.

Best times, like others have said, would be in spring before school lets out, or fall when school is back in session! I've been there in the spring and it was very comfortable weatherwise, and I have no doubt that fall would be equally comfortable. Since it's in the Hill City area, the climate will be a bit more comfortable than some other locations further east or south. The Black Hills area is usually 5-10 degrees cooler than in Rapid City, But it can still get warm there. We hiked/climbed Harney Peak when the temps were in the upper 80s in Hill City, and it was still a bit warm at ~7200 ft.