Reviews

Kristy Aldren

We are local the Black Hills. Rafter J is our favorite place to the camp. The sites in ranch camp are spacious, level, and scenic. We have plenty of room to explore, play, and set up our hammocks. Our kids can ride bikes around the loop without fear of heavy traffic. The pool is clean and warm. The playground is fun for all. The shower house is clean and plenty of hot water. We especially like getting ice cream from the camp store. Generous portions of high quality ice cream. The lack of road noise is a main reason we continue to come back.

Matt Howard

We were there the last week of July. First time staying. The place is awesome. Very clean and well kept. Staff was extremely friendly. The store is great. They have pizza and ice-cream for the nights you may not feel like cooking. We had one of those nights. Our site in Line Camp was nice and roomy. Plenty of space between units. Will definitely be staying there again.

Shara Schmidt

We are avid campers and this was our first time to the Black Hills. This campground was wonderful. Very well kept! Our site was large, had a great fire pit and was very quiet. The pool and hot to were great with zero complaints. Even the laundry facilities were very clean! Would love to come back.

Lorrie Kalmbach-Ehlers

Lovely large park on 150 acres with lots of wide open spaces. It’s centrally located to pretty much all of the things to see in western South Dakota. Everything is clean and super well maintained. They have someone patrolling for security as well. The laundry facilities were affordable, pool was refreshing, and it was a great place to stay with dogs. The only two downsides were the price and the unfriendly staff in the office. It’s expensive to stay there but at least you see the money at work in the maintenance and cleanliness. I went into the office several times and the staff were both times apathetic. Friendliness would go a long way to making your guests feel welcome.

D Gredlein

Definitely one of the top campgrounds I have ever been to. The location is ideal for Rushmore visits. It's only 40 minutes to Rapid City and just shy of 2 hours for the Badlands. The campground is well maintained with beautiful scenery throughout. The showers and toilets are clean. The pool / hot tub are a recent addition. The playground is large with modern equipment and the general store has most everything you could desire. Camp sites are spacious, clean and aesthetically pleasing. There are camp cabins available but we stayed in our RV. I would recommend it to anyone who is visiting Hill City.

Brad Mower

Rafter J Bar Ranch has the nicest campground I've ever stayed at in my whole life. I love the open space, the beautiful surroundings, the proximity to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and many other attractions. At Rafter J, your RV spot doesn't have you crammed in with everyone else...you get lots of personal space. Give them a whirl if you have a chance, but reserve early as they are super popular as more people have found out about how great this place is. Happy Camping!! -Brad M

sailorsenmurv

What an amazing campsite! Located near everything worth seeing yet far enough off the roadway to feel private. Fantastic pool and hot tub, too! We rented a comfort cabin, which was even nicer than the website made it look. It was roomy and airy, with a bathroom and shower, small fridge, sink, and breakfast nook. The porch outside had a lovely view and cooking grill, but we brought our own and there was plenty of room for setup. I cannot recommend this place enough!

Jeff Wigal

I've read multiple reviews of this place being one of the top ten campgrounds in the country, and this place absolutely deserves it's reputation. You'll need to reserve early, their reservations open in November, and from what I hear they mostly fill up for the season within a couple of days. Check-in was easy, facilities were very nice. Pool is awesome. Sites are very spacious, you have plenty of room between you and your neighbors. I was struck by the amount of green space here... they could easily triple or quadruple the number of campsites. Our view from the front of our campsite was acres of green grass and the mountains. We loved staying in the Lower Ranch Camp area, although really any of their areas are super nice. It's about a ten minute drive to Crazy Horse and about 20 minute windy road to Mt. Rushmore. Custer State Park is equally close and is amazing. We'll be back and will plan to stay longer next time. RV Atlas podcast has a great description of this place that fits it to a T, it is well worth a listen.

Edward Hamkens

Went off season. Quiet, lots of room. Very well kept.

Brian Johnson

Great place to camp