Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch
RV Park
Write a Review 12620 Hwy 244 Hill City, SD 57745 605-574-2525 Reservations: 800-562-8503 Official WebsiteGPS: 43.9014, -103.5359
Overview of Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch
Last Price Paid: $64
Reported by Howdy on 9/30/2021
Longest RV Reported: 40 feet (Class A)
Reported by wander on 8/27/2017
Number of Sites 463
Reservations yes
Elevation 4,986 ft / 1,519 m
Tent Camping Yes




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Reviews of Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch 16 people have reviewed this location.
“Late in the season - campground was largely closed down. Good location for visiting Mount Rushmore. ”
Reviewed 9/30/2021
Nightly rate: | $64 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 186 |
We were there on the last days it was open and so most of the camp amenities were closed. I’m sure it’s a great place when in full swing. Staff we talked with were super friendly. There was quite a bit of dog waist around our site and so we had to watch where we were walking and there were a lot of flies. The laundry was not as clean a... more
We were there on the last days it was open and so most of the camp amenities were closed. I’m sure it’s a great place when in full swing. Staff we talked with were super friendly. There was quite a bit of dog waist around our site and so we had to watch where we were walking and there were a lot of flies. The laundry was not as clean as we are used to and one of the washers stopped mid load. It is really close to Mount Rushmore, our primary reason for being there and that was great.
Howdy would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good campground very busy”
Reviewed 8/8/2021
Nightly rate: | $73 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 190 |
Me and the family stayed here during our time in the black hills I absolutely love this campground however it’s very busy! Tons to do with kids of all ages, they have something going on pretty much every night durning the peak season in the fun zone for the kids, all you can eat pancakes for $3.50. The only down side is the price per n... more
Me and the family stayed here during our time in the black hills I absolutely love this campground however it’s very busy! Tons to do with kids of all ages, they have something going on pretty much every night durning the peak season in the fun zone for the kids, all you can eat pancakes for $3.50. The only down side is the price per night. It’s a bit much but understanding since you are in the heart of the black hills and 8-10 min from Mt Rushmore. 10 min from hill city and 15 min from keystone. Absolutely zero cell service ( kinda nice but frustrating if your trying to look something up) the park has WiFi but it’s public and an open network works best at the entrance.
Just a side note if your tow rig or drivable RV is a diesel fill up before coming down because there is NO diesel in keystone! There is diesel in hill city and outside of hill city to the north, also in Custer.
Austin would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Not what you expect at KOA”
Reviewed 7/26/2021
Nightly rate: | $78 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 64 |
Not your typical KOA. Packed in like sardines. Site was almost too small for our 27 ft Class C. Picnic table had rotted wood. Exhaust fans in bath house not working. No hot water. WiFi system was overloaded therefore no connections were available. Management did not care. On the plus side, the pancake breakfast was good. Would not stay... more
Not your typical KOA. Packed in like sardines. Site was almost too small for our 27 ft Class C. Picnic table had rotted wood. Exhaust fans in bath house not working. No hot water. WiFi system was overloaded therefore no connections were available. Management did not care. On the plus side, the pancake breakfast was good. Would not stay here ever again.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“crowded, loud, trashy”
Reviewed 7/11/2021
Nightly rate: | $85 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 547 |
Never again! it wasn't fun or relaxing, dirty, crowded, although the sites are a good size, the sheer amount of people makes it feel like everyone is on top of each other. Despite of the rules "no crates for the dogs", our neighbors, probably the loudest people ever, had three 3! bloodhounds in the cage who would start barking at 7 am ... more
Never again! it wasn't fun or relaxing, dirty, crowded, although the sites are a good size, the sheer amount of people makes it feel like everyone is on top of each other. Despite of the rules "no crates for the dogs", our neighbors, probably the loudest people ever, had three 3! bloodhounds in the cage who would start barking at 7 am and wouldn't stop until midnight. It was a nightmare. For 85$ a night and with over 500 camping spots they had only one 1! damping station that of course created a long line on the way out. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place!
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Dirty!”
Reviewed 6/19/2021
Nightly rate: | $85 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 56 |
I have never seen a pool that dirty in all my life! The bathrooms were terrible, smelled of dried urine and looked like they were never cleaned. The first shower I tried had dirt or rust or something coming out, the next one was better. Very little shade. The other amenities were nice though, mini golf, movie, wagon rides, etc. The ... more
I have never seen a pool that dirty in all my life! The bathrooms were terrible, smelled of dried urine and looked like they were never cleaned. The first shower I tried had dirt or rust or something coming out, the next one was better. Very little shade. The other amenities were nice though, mini golf, movie, wagon rides, etc. The breakfast was very good. The food was good too. Zero cell reception and poor wifi.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“No kids there are better choices close by”
Reviewed 9/19/2020
Nightly rate: | $57 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 553 |
This is a great place if you have kids and like the RV resort lifestyle if you do not there are so many better choices in the area. The site we reserved after I got the trailer leveled out and set up I went to hook up the grey and black tank hose and the KOA pipe was literary 6 inches higher then the hook up on my trailer and sh*t does... more
This is a great place if you have kids and like the RV resort lifestyle if you do not there are so many better choices in the area. The site we reserved after I got the trailer leveled out and set up I went to hook up the grey and black tank hose and the KOA pipe was literary 6 inches higher then the hook up on my trailer and sh*t does not go up hill. In this camping trip I stayed at 8 campgrounds KOA was the biggest disappointment and the most expensive.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amenities only available Memorial Day thru Labor Day”
Reviewed 9/12/2020
Nightly rate: | $75 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 128 |
We arrived the week following Labor Day eager to experience the many and unique amenities this KOA has to offer. Imagine then our horror to discover that all amenities are only available Memorial Day through Labor Day. The KOA app makes no mention of this, and their website only reveals this information if you manually click on each ... more
We arrived the week following Labor Day eager to experience the many and unique amenities this KOA has to offer. Imagine then our horror to discover that all amenities are only available Memorial Day through Labor Day. The KOA app makes no mention of this, and their website only reveals this information if you manually click on each amenity. Even with that, less than half mention a time restriction; but in the booklet they give you at checkin, it clearly says that all amenities are only available Memorial Day through Labor Day. I'm disappointed that we had to learn this the hard way and surprised that no other reviews mention this. Oh well, I hope we can help someone else avoid disappointment.
We were within 5 spots of one of the bath houses so we had great WiFi, which was a surprise. This was the first KOA, no strike that, first RV park we've been to anywhere that the WiFi worked flawlessly at all times of day. This is important here because there is no cell service, so with WiFi calling enabled we were able to place and receive calls etc.
Other than that it's a typical KOA. Clean, sites close together, friendly staff. Oh yeah the gravel needs a refresh since most sites were just dirt aka mud puddles within 36 hours of rain falling.
Whiskey Sierra would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Family oriented ”
Reviewed 8/21/2020
Nightly rate: | $75 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 328 |
If you want a ton of activities for kids and family this is the place. Water park. Trail riding. Car and ATV rentals. Restaurants. Tap room and much more. Be advised if you want peace and quiet though, this is not the place.
Glampers_Paradise would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Huge, busy, nice, full of amenities and expensive all in one”
Reviewed 8/17/2020
Nightly rate: | $92 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 556 |
Just look at the map and you can see what you're getting into. Unless you get a spot off in the back, this place is busy all day, every day, in the summer. Why? Because the weather is beautiful, it's proximity to Mt Rushmore is unmatched, and it's full of amenities. We've stayed here twice now and luckily both times were in the high 50... more
Just look at the map and you can see what you're getting into. Unless you get a spot off in the back, this place is busy all day, every day, in the summer. Why? Because the weather is beautiful, it's proximity to Mt Rushmore is unmatched, and it's full of amenities. We've stayed here twice now and luckily both times were in the high 500's area, which is quiet-er than a lot of the spots. If you plan on staying a while and have kids, it's great. If you don't have kids, then this place will be way too busy and loud to relax. All you can eat pancakes? I'd like to see anyone stuff down a 2nd stack. lol. Mini golf could stand an upgrade. Shop is well stocked, on-site restaurants are good, if a little expensive. Do yourself a favor if you're towing a large rig like I was, enter from the west. DO NOT take your camper down that HUGE grade that ends at a stoplight in the town of Keystone. 55mph, then warnings about the grade, more warnings about the grade, and it keeps going and going, then the warning of 25mph ahead near the bottom that's actually a stoplight with 4 pedestrian crossings in the first block, all at the bottom of the hill. After all that, the descent from Mt Rushmore down to the KOA ends with a hard right(like 120 degree) turn back into the park at the bottom of a hill. Cell service is crap because you're in a valley, WiFi didn't seem to work for us either.
FatDad would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Family friendly for sure, not a good value”
Reviewed 6/5/2019
Nightly rate: | $130 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 260 |
We spent $130 for a premium site with patio on a Wednesday night the second week of June. After taking us past ample empty, quiet locations, our premium patio site (nicest the park has) was directly across from the “fun zone”. A massive area for kids to enjoy their adventure. We checked in as a couple with no kids. I would have tho... more
We spent $130 for a premium site with patio on a Wednesday night the second week of June. After taking us past ample empty, quiet locations, our premium patio site (nicest the park has) was directly across from the “fun zone”. A massive area for kids to enjoy their adventure.
We checked in as a couple with no kids. I would have thought some attention to this gap in placement would have been recognized. Additionally, the most expensive sites in a park should be directly across from the loudest spot in the entire park.
WiFi in the park is lousy at best.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Review of Mt. Rushmore Resort and Lodge, at Palmer Gulch
If you are taking a trip to Mount Rushmore, may I suggest you stay at least one night at the Palmer Gulch Resort? I’ve now stayed there on two occasions and found it to be an exceptional spot with...
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Amenities
Hookups
- 50 Amp
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- sewer
- Full Hookups
Connectivity
- wifi: yes
Recreation
- basketball court
- Game room
- bike rental
- fishing
- horseshoes
- hot tub
- mini golf
- OHV
- picnic area
- playground
- swimming pool: onsite
- volleyball
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- cabins
- dump station
- firewood
- general store
- hot tub
- laundry
- propane
- restaurant
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- swimming pool: onsite
- trash
Discount Clubs
- KOA
Pets
- pets
Nearby
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