Hot Springs, South Dakota, has a rich history dating back to the Native American tribes who considered the area sacred for its thermal springs. The Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes believed in the healing properties of the warm waters. In the late 19th century, the town developed as a resort destination, attracting visitors seeking the therapeutic benefits of the natural hot springs. The establishment of the Evans Plunge, one of the oldest indoor swimming facilities in the U.S., in 1890 further boosted Hot Springs’ popularity. During World War II, the town served as a training center for the military. Today, Hot Springs remains a charming small town known for its historic architecture, natural beauty, and the Mammoth Site, a renowned paleontological site showcasing the remains of prehistoric mammoths.

Established in 1890 over a natural hot spring, Evans Plunge is the oldest tourist attraction in the Black Hills. The natural spring-fed waters maintain an average of 87 degrees throughout the year with 5000 gallons of water per minute flowing into the pool.

Mammoth Site

The Mammoth Site is a fascinating archaeological and paleontological site in Hot Springs. It is essentially a sinkhole that trapped then preserved the remains of numerous mammoths from the Ice Age, making it one of the world’s most significant mammoth fossil sites.

In 1974 when a local landowner named George Hanson was in the process of preparing the land for a new housing development. While digging, he stumbled upon some large bones. The son of the worker who unearthed the bones wisely realized they might be something special. So, he contacted experts, and that’s when the real excitement began! Scientists have been digging up the site ever since , and it’s become a hot spot for researchers and visitors alike. It’s a real gem for anyone interested in paleontology and the prehistoric world.

Fall River Hot Air Balloon Festival

The Fall River Hot Air Balloon Festival has been held yearly since 2016. This relatively small but fun festival occurs in late August at the Hot Springs Municipal Airport and is currently run by the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. We got up before dawn on the first day and arrived to a spectacular morning for a balloon launch.

Wind Cave

Wind Cave National Park is about 10 miles north of Hot Springs. Discovered in 1881, Wind Cave is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world, known for its unique boxwork formations, a rare type of cave mineral formation. The cave’s name comes from the strong, constant wind that flows in and out of its entrance due to atmospheric pressure changes.

The cave is rich in geological and cultural significance, and it became a national park in 1903, making it the seventh national park in the United States. The cave system extends for miles beneath the surface, with intricate passageways and chambers. Visitors can explore the cave on guided tours, witnessing stunning formations and learning about its geological history.

Apart from the cave itself, Wind Cave National Park also features diverse landscapes, including prairies and forests, providing opportunities for hiking and wildlife viewing. Bison, elk, prairie dogs, and various bird species inhabit the park, creating a unique blend of underground wonders and above-ground natural beauty.

Park Review – Hidden Lake Campground and Resort

Rating: 1/2
Location:  Hot Springs, SD
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 12:00/11:00
Site Quality / Amenities: Gravel roads and pads. Each site have a fire ring and picnic table. Sites are very close together with just barely enough room to open the awning, only site 7 has extra space on the door side. Most sites share water with the site next to it. There are showers, a laundry, and a small store on site. Canoes and Kayaks can be rented from the office and fishing licenses are also available for catch and release fishing on the private lake.
Access: From US-385 take Badger Clark Rd. west to Evans St. then go north to the turnoff into the park. In 2023, US-385 through Hot Springs was under major reconstruction and there was a 10′ width imitation and a 40′ length limitation. It was uncomfortable to just drive a dually truck through time and I think the lanes were actually narrower than 10′ in places. The park provided an alternative route that went around the construction.
Staff: Very friendly and helpful.
Cellular/WiFi: The park is advertised as a place to disconnect and they do not provide WiFi or cable TV. Both Verizon and AT&T were fairly fast at about 30 Mbps download speeds.
Restaurants: Two Cows Creamery and Bistro – Great ice cream. They also serve food items like burgers but we did not try them. 1891 Steak House and Bistro – I had my 65’th birthday dinner here and had an excellent fillet steak. Anna had a bison steak. Both were very good!
Nearby parks: We didn’t look at any other parks while we were here.
What we liked: The Hot Springs Theater is available in town for an old time movie theater experience. There were Friday afternoon Farmer’s Markets in Centennial Park, although small we got some good produce at great prices. The park includes a nice walking trail around Hidden Lake. Nearby to Wind Cave National Park, Cold Brook Lake, Hot Brook Canyon for nice scenery and places to hike. Evans plunge, a nice spring fed mineral bath just down the road from the park was a good place to cool off on a hot day.
What we didn’t like: The elevator at Wind Cave was being repaired and we couldn’t go into the cave. We had a neighbor at one point who liked his music loud who also had a Harley Motorcycle he liked to let warm up for 20-30 minutes every morning. At one point I asked if he was going to ride it or just make noise and that didn’t go well. His response was that he figured everyone in the park liked listening to it!
Verdict: The town of Hot Springs is a unique old town to visit with plenty of things to do. We’d stay here again for a week or so.

The Bathhouse Row you see today consists of eight bathhouse buildings that were constructed between 1892 and 1923. This area along with the Grand Promenade was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1987. Of the original eight only three are open today for spa treatments – Quapaw, Buckstaff and Arlington. Fordyce is now the visitor center and another is the gift shop. The others are used as other commercial ventures with one being a brewery.

Park Review – Catherine’s Landing

Catherine’s landing is a well-known and popular RV park located five minutes south east of historic Hot Springs. This is a large park on 400 acres surrounded by one mile of water frontage on beautiful Lake Catherine. In addition to the lake, the park is built for family fun including a zip-line, pool with splash pad, playground, disc golf, and hiking trails. It’s also pet friendly.

Rating: 
Location:  Hot Springs, AR
Site Quality / Amenities: Concrete pads and asphalt roads. Fire pits and picnic tables at each site. Hiking trails, Swimming pool and Zip Line in the park. Pontoon Boat, Kayak, Canoe, Bike, and Golf Cart rentals are available in season.
Type: Commercial Park
Access: Don’t take the direct route!
Staff: The park had a self-service setup for check in and we really didn’t have any interaction with staff. It’s efficient and COVID friendly but not necessarily the best customer service.
Cellular/WiFi: WiFi was available but we did not use it.
Restaurants: Mr. Whiskers – Made-to-order catfish, shrimp & chicken with fries in a Southern eatery with a lake-fishing theme had pretty good catfish. Bubbalu’s – Serves good burgers, hot dogs, fries and malts across the street from Bath House Row.
Nearby parks: We didn’t look at any other parks in the area.
What we liked: Clean, well run park. The eastern sites backing up to the lake (101 through 124) have a better view of the water but the western sites (276 to 294) had more room. Their wooded sites (270-275) had a lot of privacy.
What we didn’t like: Little to no interaction with staff.
Verdict: This is a nice park for a week or a month. In the summer it is likely very crowded with families but the off season can be much less so.