HTR Black Hills

Great facility with sites tucked into the pine forest along the highway above Rapid City. Nearby campgrounds were all parking lots with little to no shade. Sites had water, electric, and sewer hookups. Elevation changes made for good secluded sites despite the close spacing. Cell and WiFi service were both very good.

Hillside location made it slightly more challenging to back into spots.

Full hookups for $57 per night. 50amp, water (a little weak at 45psi), and good sewer connection. Flat gravel site. Looks like they are adding and improving more sites in the back of the campground.

Mixed feelings about this stay. It was beautiful and quiet, but pretty pricey. We boondocked in the forest a few miles away for a couple nights but we wanted somewhere a little nicer when our family came to visit. We planned on having a campfire and spending time outside, but the campground had a burn ban in effect the 4 days we stayed. (although we saw at least 8 different campsites with blazing fires the first night. So they didn't really enforce the rule).

We arrived Saturday night and the campground was maybe half full. But the next morning nearly everybody left. By the time we left Monday afternoon there were maybe 3 other rigs in the entire campground.

On our last day, we took our time running laundry, playing mini golf, and saying goodbye to our visitors. We assumed it would be ok to stay an extra hour past checkout time since the campground was literally empty. But we got a phone call and a worker came by 30 minutes past checkout and asked when we were leaving as he looked at his wrist (with no watch) and said we were past checkout time. He said we could have another 10 minutes before we needed to leave. And that's after we spent $172 staying at an empty campground!

The service might have been a little rough, but the campground was nice enough. The trees are beautiful. The roads are all dirt and wind through the trees. It's a little tight navigating but doable.

The mini golf course has seen better days, but it was still playable. And the kids enjoyed the slides and basketball court.

Bear Country USA is right next door. We've visited nearly 20 drive-through zoos throughout the country. This ranked in the lower half. There were plenty of bears and the walking portion was really nice. But there weren't a lot of animals and most were hidden. A little on the pricey side but still a fun activity for kids closeby.

Of the campgrounds we researched in the area, this one looked to be the best. Loved that there were tall pine trees throughout the campground offering plenty of shade. Staff was friendly and helpful guiding us into our RV spot. Campground was clean, relatively quite (even though it was near the highway) and conveniently located to all the sightseeing attractions we wanted to visit. The “heated pool” felt more like ambient temperature, but the kids loved it as well as the putt putt golf. The RV site was a little closer to our neighbor than we would have liked, but there was still plenty of room and privacy. We are happy with our choice of American Buffalo Resort!

While the site was ok, we drug getting out up a hill with a sharp turn. On a hillside in the trees, so beautiful-just not easy to park. Also, not too close to anything. Wish we had been closer to Mt Rushmore and area. Wi-Fi wasn’t great. No place for dogs other than the dirt roads between RVs or the front grass. Need a dog park for larger dogs. On the main highway, so loud.

This was a lay over stop so it served that purpose.
The Pros:
* This campground had lots to offer in the way of campsites, cabins, tenting options. So much to do for the kiddos if you have any!
* A large staff and they were all super helpful and friendly;
* It was close to major attractions (Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, etc.);
* They offer a morning breakfast (for a fee) that was tasty!

The Cons:
* Right next to Hwy 16 so the road noise was noticeable;
* the campground is built on a hill so while the sites are mostly level, getting into the sites can be a challenge;
* The sites are extremely close to each other;
* very expensive but it is the peak tourist season.

The drawing factor to this campground is its proximity to Mt Rushmore, about a 20 minute drive. Also about 30 minutes from Custer State Park and amazing scenic drives through Black Hills National Forrest. Mystery Mountain Resort is a mix of cabins, RV sites, and tent camping. They have a small pool, playground, putt putt golf, horseshoes, and basketball court. The RV sites range from concrete pad, to gravel, and dirt. Ours was mostly dirt. The campground is immediately off Hwy 16, but the road noise did not bother us. The bathhouse was clean, and they had a nice laundry facility. All you can eat pancake breakfast (nothing to write home about) and a small camp shop. It was a decent place to stay, but there are many choices in this area.