Hart Ranch RV Resort

We're RPI members so we get a discount.

First, the bad...

Hmm... can't think of any.

This place is really beautiful. It's well kept, they enforce the very reasonable rules, and will bend over backwards to help you out. When we're in the Rapid City area, we're always going to consider this place before any other.

Nearly every site is concrete pads and quite level. Utilities look new in this loop and almost all of the roads are blacktop and SMOOTH.

Haven't tried it yet, but the WIFI is supposed to be really good and the cable TV line up looks pretty decent. Over the Air TV isn't bad. Since Rapid City isn't that big, it's pretty close to everything even though it's "outside the city".

One last thing... it's quiet (they forgot to build this place next to a railroad).

Cell data rates are really good. We have multiple devices downloading/streaming simultaneously without issue.

We chose Heart Ranch as a central hub to tour this part of South Dakota. Mount Rushmore is about 30 minutes away, the Badlands about an hour, and everywhere else within that as well. This is a great campground. We are in a 35' fifth wheel.

This is a membership campground, but they allow non-members to camp here (we are not members). The off-season rate is about $41/night, and they have 20/30/50 amp full hook-ups, including WiFi. We got strong AT&T and Verizon signal here as well. Off-season is between Labor Day and Memorial Day. On-season is the opposite. The summer rate is about $71/night, with several restrictions for non-members.

There is no hard-sell (or even a soft-sell) of the membership program. The sites are very wide, mostly back-in, with wide paths of grass and trees in-between. They have fuel (gas and diesel) on-site, as well as propane fill. Several laundry rooms are also available throughout the park. It is outside of town, so it is a great setting while still having the conveniences of an RV park.

The staff was great as well. We would definitely stay here again.

NAVIGATING: South of Rapid City, the park is easy to find and has a cool entrance with different state flags flying as you approach the check-in area.

GETTING SITUATED: There are designated lanes for checking in near a market and gas station in the park.

DOCKING STATIONS: The pads are all concrete and fairly level. The road was wide enough that backing in was not terribly difficult. Each spot has a picnic table and all hook ups were in decent working order.

THE SCENE: We stayed in July and the park was very busy with lots of families on vacation and people coming and going.

THE FACILITIES: There are laundry facilities, showers and bathrooms throughout the park. You do need a special card from the office to use the laundry. The pool area is very nice and very busy. They also have a restaurant, snack bar, market and gas station in the park.

STUFF TO DO: Within the vicinity of the park, you can easily get to Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial and Wind Cave National Park.

HIKE FACTOR: The park has a few trails around it and is big enough to get in a decent passeggiata. Obviously there are plenty of hikes in the many nearby parks.

GEEK FACTOR: We got service on Verizon and AT&T only.

Verizon: 15.12 MBPS down/7.89 MBPS up
AT&T: 3.56 MBPS down/5.89 MBPS up
Sprint: 0.00 MBPS down/0.00 MBPS up
T-Mobile: 0.00 MBPS down/0.00 MBPS up

Great location for exploring Rapid City and Custer area. The front desk staff are the friendliest we've met in 5 years of traveling. Definite A+ for them! The sites are fairly level and the spacing is sufficient. Most sites, if not all, have a tree. Some of the trees, including ours, could use a good trimming for larger RVs. Our particular site was a little short for a 45 foot motorhome as they ask you not to extend past the pavement. We had to park the car sideways in the front to fit. We couldn't extend our front awning due to a large tree. I'm sure they would have moved us but we didn't notice until we were set up. Plus we were traveling with friends who were parked right next to us. We couldn't "see" the WII FI without extenders but it worked okay with them. There are lots of amenities but it seems there is an extra cost for non-members. The park is off the main road so it is quiet at night. There are cattle in the area so if you are offended by their smell or sounds - beware. We did not find it to be overly intrusive. Not their fault, but there were sting bugs and flies galore - maybe the time of year. We would stay here again at least in the off season when the price is more reasonable for non-members.

This is the highest-rated private RV park in Rapid City and I can certainly see why. It's a lovely 195-acre resort with large, spacious, flat full hookups sites (50amp/water/sewer + cable TV) surrounded by lots of nice green & space. It's only ~15 mins south of the city, but it's set well back from the main road so it's incredibly quiet and peaceful. As far as the term resort goes it totally lives up to that name and offers amenities out the wazoo....disc golf, pool, courts, hiking trails, on-site gas station, restaurant, lodge you-name-it!! Plus the on-site WiFi is excellent and the green doggie-walking area is HUGE (the size of a football field).

This is targeted as a members-only park,but allows non-members to stay depending on space and time of year. Non-members can call 24-hours (no more) ahead of time to check availability. Stay limit is 2 nights at a time (in high-season, you can keep checking back every 2 days if you want to stay longer) or unlimited (in off-season). Pricing is a pricey $59.95/night in high-season (May 22 through Sep 6), but a very reasonable $31.95/night off-season, and obviously much cheaper for members.

We came in the off-season and totally enjoyed our time here. One of the very few private RV parks I'd personally come back to.