KOA capgrounds in SD

There are so many mixed reviews from the campgrounds near Mt. Rushmore. We are going to have 4 kids and 4 adults in June or July. I would like to hear what people think.

Thanks for your time

KOA capgrounds in SD

Unfortunately, I am not a camper, so I have no first hand knowledge. You might find limited campgrounds on this site. As you may or may not have seen, they are listed under ';specialty lodging.'; Each main town in the Black Hills has a specialty lodging tab. Some of the main towns in the area are Keystone, Hill City, Custer, Rapid City, Deadwood, Spearfish, Lead, Sturgis, %26amp; Hot Springs. Maybe you could compare several campgrounds until you find one you are comfortable with.

Are you looking to camp or stay in a cabin? Custer State Park has cabins that some posters on here have liked. Custer SP has wonderful wildlife and good hiking, and kids and adults alike enjoy it.

You will also find a more complete listing of campgrounds on the website, travelsd.com. Camping is listed under ';things to do.'; This might give you more names and towns to check on this site.

You may find someone on here who is a camper who has personal experience. Be sure to stop back with any additional questions, especially regarding area attractions. We%26#39;d be happy to help in any way we can.

KOA capgrounds in SD

When we were in Custer State Park last June I believe we saw people camping there near the Lodge where we ate lunch. Hope this helps.

Once, many years ago, we camped with our tent trailer at American Presidents Campground %26amp; Motels just east of Custer. We thought it was pretty nice. The kids really enjoyed the fairly large pool. They have cabins as well as motel units and either tent sites or RV hookup sites. Another thing I vaguely recall (if this is the place I%26#39;m thinking of) was a different sort of campground bathhouse where rather than showers in each of the Men%26#39;s and Women%26#39;s side there was a central corridor of individual shower rooms with locking doors. Because my wife has severe balance issues it allowed me to assist her to keep her from slipping which is a huge worry at most places. Handy too for showering kids too small to do it themselves.

The whole facilit is fairly large so it means lots of people around but the outlaying tent (or ten trailer) sites were along the edge (we had #49 or 50) with not as much traffic. See map on web site.

http://www.presidentsresort.com/index.html

The most popular KOA is the Palmer Gulch Resort. The location really makes this campground. Next Mt. Rushmore, it%26#39;s minutes to Hill City or Keystone, close to Custer State Park and not far to the town of Custer. It%26#39;s been a while since I%26#39;ve really driven around in the campground, but I think some of the spots are pretty bare--not a lot of tree cover. You%26#39;ll probably want to call ahead to get an idea what your spot would be like. There are many other campgrounds that offer similar amenities--like the suggestions in the posts above.

If you prefer more ambiance and less amenities, most of the Custer State Park campgrounds offer more of a nature-type setting yet have showers and flush toilets.

we are looking at staying in one of the cabins since our kids are still a little young for camping in a tent. I would like to find a KOA with some fun things nearby or onsite. However I dont want one that we will not get any sleep at because it is so loud. We stayed at one a few years ago that was next to a small airport. WOW did that wake you up at night!! We also stayed at a campground that was really dirty (not koa) so I am hoping to avoid that this time around since this is such a long vacation.

Thanks for everything so far =)

Mom of 4,

Check out these sites just in case you haven%26#39;t seen them yet:

http://custerresorts.rtrk.com/?scid=634949

http://www.palmergulch.com/

The one for Custer SP gives you an idea what the cabins look like. I think Palmer Gulch would give you more amenities. According to the website, there are quite a few activities that would keep the kids busy. I noticed a 15% discount at Palmer Gulch if you book early for the summer.

Good luck!

I forgot about Palmer Gulch KOA. We went by the campground many times this summer. It looked really nice. I would give them a call.