Since we’ve been living full time in our RV, this is our second visit to this area. See the Hill City 9/2021 post for more information about the area from our first visit. The first time we were here for a week at the end of September. This time we stayed two weeks so we had a bit more time to just enjoy this beautiful area. We did a few familiar things along with some new ones. Sylvan Lake remains a favorite outdoor spot to visit and the Rafter J Bar Ranch RV Resort is our new favorite commercial RV park. The picture at the top of this post is of the view from our patio at site 161. We spent a lot of time just sitting and enjoying the view!

Crazy Horse Memorial

When we visited the area in 2021, we didn’t go to the Crazy Horse Memorial. This trip, we decided to have a closer look. While the entire project including the museum seemed to be a work in progress, we were still glad we went there. Unlike many of the museums we have been to before, this one has more of the perspective of the Indians than of the settlers. That helped to explain some of the mistrust of the Indians and our government even today. Since 2021, they have been working on the outreached hand of the memorial. Progress is somewhat slow because all of the work is funded by visitors and private sources. Although government funding has been offered, they will not accept it. The Crazy Horse Memorial is the world’s largest Mountain Carving in progress to date.

Custer State Park

Custer State Park, located in the southern region of the Black Hills, covers an area of over 71,000 acres of varied terrain, including rolling prairie grasslands and rugged mountains. There are historic lodges and cabins with modern conveniences as well as several campgrounds for stays within the park. The park is known for its abundant wildlife, including donkeys, pronghorns, elk, and bison along with some fantastic scenic drives.

Mount Rushmore

Of course, any trip to this area wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Mount Rushmore! We picked a nice morning to visit followed by a trip down Iron Mountain Rd. Iron Mountain includes three tunnels each of which has a view of Mount Rushmore from the tunnel. The tunnels on this road are wide enough to be navigated with a large vehicle like a dually truck but the road itself has length restrictions. I think small RV’s might be OK but do your research before attempting this. Iron Mountain Rd. also includes three unique wooden “pigtail” bridges. This is a fun drive and we were happy to do it for the second time.

Needles Highway

Needles highway is a must see with beautiful needle like granite formations and narrow tunnels. Of the tunnels, the Needles Eye Tunnel is the narrowest of the three at about 8′ 4″ wide although some information says the Needles Eye tunnel is only 8′ wide. We personally saw a single rear wheel Ford F-250 go through the tunnel with the mirrors pulled in. A dually *should* be able to go through with mirrors pulled in as ours is about 8′ 0″ wide that way but I wouldn’t try it myself. I did see a YouTube video of a Dodge dually truck going through the tunnel but I just wouldn’t take the chance. We rented a convertible Mustang at the Mount Rushmore KOA for this day trip. Height is also a concern as the lowest tunnel is only 9’ 8” high.

Sylvan Lake

Summer or fall, Sylvan Lake is another must see while in the area. Not only is the lake gorgeous but there is a fairly short trail around it with great views along the way. Much of the trail except for the back side of the lake is easy. At the back of the lake the trail traverses the rocks in places and can be a bit more moderate. If you want something more challenging, a trail to the top of Black Elk Peak can be accessed from the lake area.

Park Review – Rafter J Bar Ranch RV Resort

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location:  Hill City, SD
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 11:30AM/11:00AM
Site Quality / Amenities: Road and sites are gravel and both are well maintained by the park. Most sites are full hookup except for a few sites in the Main Camp area. The remaining full hookup sites are either 30A or 50/30A depending on the site. Sites have a picnic table and fire ring and the deluxe sites have a concrete patio, picnic table and additional chairs. Most sites are plenty long for a big rig. Quite a few cabins are available for folks that do not have a camper. There is a heated pool/hot tub as well as a playground plus basketball and volleyball courts. There is also access to the 110 mile long George S. Mickelson Burlington Northern Bike / Hike trail adjacent to the park. Laundry facilities, restrooms and showers are also located throughout the park.
Access: The park is just off US 16 / US 385 a few miles south of Hill City, SD. For sites in the Line Camp, The Island, or the Ranch Camp areas it’s probably best to enter the park from the North Entrance so you don’t have to turn around within the park.
Staff:
Cellular/WiFi: There is no WiFi at the campsites but it is available in the office area. We did not use the WiFi. Verizon was 4-6 Mbps download and about 8 Mbps upload using our amplifier. Without amplification, download speeds were about 21 Mbps download but upload speeds were unusable at 0.01 Mbps. AT&T speeds were slower than Verizon.
Restaurants: Alpine Inn, Hill City – The restaurant at the Inn was recommended for steaks by some folks we met in Elephant Butte. For the price the food was good but not outstanding. 1885 Steakhouse and Saloon, Hill City  – This is a new restaurant in Hill City, located in the oldest commercial hand-hewn log building in continuous use in South Dakota. A bit more expensive than the Alpine Inn but with Great steaks.
Nearby parks: We didn’t look closely at any of the other parks. Some of the parks south of Hill City on US-385 might be OK and there are some nearby forest service campgrounds that are probably good but it’s hard to beat J-Bar Ranch except for the price.
What we liked: We stayed in site 161 in the Ranch Camp area which was an extremely long deluxe site with a great view of St. Elmo and Black Elk peaks. Close to all the major nearby attractions including Hill City, Keystone, and Custer as well as Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument, Needles Highway, and Custer State Park to name a few. There are three tunnels on the Needles Highway with the narrowest being 8′ wide. Single rear wheel trucks should be able to do the needles highway with mirrors pulled in for the tunnels but a dually is too wide. Iron Mountain Rd. south of Mount Rushmore has tunnels as well but all are 10′ wide or more and are dually capable. Neither road is suitable for larger vehicles or longer trailers so do your planning if you are camping in or near the Custer State Park.
What we didn’t like: This park is fairly expensive.
Verdict: After five years on the road, this is one of the best places we have camped – it’s certainly the best commercial park we have stayed at. It’s more like a state or federal park than a commercial park with lots of space between sites and great views. We definitely recommend Rafter-J and we will likely return in the future.