Blackhills Vac. Info.

**kengiesige** · 08-01-2017, 10:28 AM

We just got back yesterday from SD. we were there for 7 days our 1st out of state trip with our TM.we stayed at Palmer Gulch koa they have 700 sites its there best koa there is a lot to do there for kids & they have a great Chuckwagon dinner too it's about 4 miles from MountRush More & in Rapid City they have life size bronzes statues
of all the Presidents on all the street corners down town------We were at the Mountrush more
koa in 2009 & it has changed a lot for the better. There is a lot to do & see in the Blackhills area-----Ken

Gwenne & Len · 02-28-2018, 09:14 PM

We stayed at a KOA on the edge of Deadwood - really liked it. It was small, on a hillside.....sites were not too crowded, and it felt private. We would stay there again. We visited Tatonka.....Kevin Costner's museum outside Deadwood. It was wonderful. Mt Rushmore was maybe a 45 minute drive away......The Black Hills are beautiful!

Casey Freswick · 03-01-2018, 10:52 AM

There is a national Parks Grasslands visitor center in Wal of Wal Drug store. They have maps and info for best places to boondock for free. We hope to do this some day.

**kengiesige** · 03-01-2018, 12:22 PM

The Koa Palmer Gulch that we went to last year we were there before about 9 years ago
its like a resort it would be great for kids our 3 boys are out of the house it's only 4 mile from Mount Rushmore & theirs a lot just at the Koa to do they have a great chuck wagon dinner that they take you in with horses in a covered wagon we had a great time there for about 8 days & everything we wanted to see was close to it it's in Hill SD.------Ken

blue_vett · 10-20-2018, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casey Freswick

There is a national Parks Grasslands visitor center in Wal of Wal Drug store. They have maps and info for best places to boondock for free. We hope to do this some day.

We stayed at the free grasslands camping by the entrance to the badlands, it was amazing, and quiet. it was very windy at night, I kept having dreams of the tm rolling off the ledge, but in the morning, it was an amazing sight to see. I would recommend!

**Bill** · 03-01-2018, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwenne & Len

We stayed at a KOA on the edge of Deadwood - really liked it. It was small, on a hillside.....

Oh, my! Every newbie makes mistakes, and this campground is where I made my biggest. As noted, the campground is on the side of a hill - a rather steep hill - and to fit it into the hillside, it is terraced. Each level of the terrace held one long row of campsites, all back-in, toward the edge of the terrace. I backed in OK, and then we proceeded to unhitch without chocking the wheels. Each site is near level, but slightly sloped toward the edge, for drainage, I assume. As soon as we lifted the hitch off the hitch ball, the TM started to roll slowly toward the edge of the site - and of course there was another row of occupied sites on the next level below us. Now, when a 3500 pound TM wants to roll, grabbing the jack and yelling doesn't get you anywhere. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to jump onto the trailer's A-frame, driving the jackpost into the dirt. That stopped it long enough for my wife to jam some chocks under the wheels.

As you can imagine, I changed my pants right away - and I've never again forgotten to chock the wheels.

Bill

Gwenne & Len · 03-02-2018, 09:09 PM

OMG, Bill....!! Yes, it IS a very steep hill! Very memorable experience, and one sure would do the chocks after that! lol....but it could have been a very sad story if you hadn't thought so quickly. We really liked that park.....there were only 4 or 5 trailers there when we went, very quiet and private.....

Gwenne & Len · 03-06-2018, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwenne & Len

We stayed at a KOA on the edge of Deadwood - really liked it. It was small, on a hillside.....sites were not too crowded, and it felt private. We would stay there again. We visited Tatonka.....Kevin Costner's museum outside Deadwood. It was wonderful. Mt Rushmore was maybe a 45 minute drive away......The Black Hills are beautiful!

I want to add that Spearfish Canyon is a beautiful drive.....it's near Deadwood. Great places to stop and picnic along the way......we went to the cemetery in Deadwood where Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried.....easy to visit, and fairly interesting.....Deadwood itself seemed to be mostly restaurants and casino's.....we just drove through.

LoveToCamp · 03-09-2018, 03:33 PM

".....we just drove through."

Oh, Gwenne, you missed a very good dinner, then. We went to the Deadwood Social Club for dinner when we were there for work. Great food, so we had to do the whole appetizers-to-dessert dinner. Stuffed when we were done, but it was excellent, and a reasonable price.

The Saloon No. 10 was interesting, also. We skipped the casinos, but there was more to see and do (okay, eat and drink) than just the casino scene.

We will go back to Deadwood when we are in the area, that's for sure!

Don't miss Lead, if you are in the area. A huge hole in the ground from a gold mine. When you look at the info in the visitor's center, the big hole is a very small part of the mining operation. Their map of the underground portion is mind-blowing, when comparing to the visible hole.

Interesting area, if you take some time.

Gwenne & Len · 03-09-2018, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoveToCamp

".....we just drove through."

Oh, Gwenne, you missed a very good dinner, then. We went to the Deadwood Social Club for dinner when we were there for work. Great food, so we had to do the whole appetizers-to-dessert dinner. Stuffed when we were done, but it was excellent, and a reasonable price.

The Saloon No. 10 was interesting, also. We skipped the casinos, but there was more to see and do (okay, eat and drink) than just the casino scene.

We will go back to Deadwood when we are in the area, that's for sure!

Don't miss Lead, if you are in the area. A huge hole in the ground from a gold mine. When you look at the info in the visitor's center, the big hole is a very small part of the mining operation. Their map of the underground portion is mind-blowing, when comparing to the visible hole.

Interesting area, if you take some time.

Guess we did - we were kind of put off by the casino's.....last thing we want to do on vacation! We'll most likely go there again, or at least go through.....and we'll spend a little time in the town too.....thx!