Rafter J Bar Ranch
RV Park
Write a Review 12325 Rafter J Rd. Hill City, SD 57745 605-574-2527 Reservations: 888-723-8375 Official WebsiteGPS: 43.8916, -103.5925
Overview of Rafter J Bar Ranch
Last Price Paid: $80
Reported by Jamie on 9/27/2022
Longest RV Reported: 45 feet (Class A)
Reported by ImagineWhere on 10/18/2018
Number of Sites 190
Reservations yes
Open Seasonally Yes
Elevation 5,216 ft / 1,589 m
Tent Camping Yes







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Reviews of Rafter J Bar Ranch 26 people have reviewed this location.
“Very Well Managed Facility. Lots Of Site Options. Easy Access To Black Hills Activities”
Reviewed 9/27/2022
Nightly rate: | $80 |
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Site Number: | 10 |
We stayed three nights to do the Mickelson Trail and meet up with friends in Custer. Facilities were nice and clean. Only downside was noise from main Highway—trucks downshifting to go up or down the grade. Would choose site other than the section close to the road. Interesting old buildings—former stage coach stop.
Jamie would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful, Spacious & Great Location”
Reviewed 9/27/2022
Nightly rate: | $76 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 5 |
Large private gravel lots, Laundry facilities and bathrooms were cleaned and excellent. We very much enjoyed our stay here. My only negative is the customer service was lacking. The men working were not very friendly and it was off season so not like they were too busy. A lot is said for a friendly smile after a long day on the roa... more
Large private gravel lots, Laundry facilities and bathrooms were cleaned and excellent. We very much enjoyed our stay here. My only negative is the customer service was lacking. The men working were not very friendly and it was off season so not like they were too busy. A lot is said for a friendly smile after a long day on the road. But with that said we loved this campground and would for sure stay here again.
KChomp would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Couldn’t Have Asked For Better”
Reviewed 7/30/2022
Nightly rate: | $95 |
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Days stayed: | 6 |
Site Number: | 152 |
Check in was smooth and effortless! Views were wonderful. Campground was very well maintained and manicured. Pad was a pull through in Ranch Camp Loop and decently level. Camp grounds are well situated for Custer, Hill City, Rushmore, Needles Hwy and Iron Mountain Road. Lots to do and see! Would return back here for sure!
camper-725919 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Highly Recommended ”
Reviewed 5/30/2022
Nightly rate: | $70 |
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Days stayed: | 8 |
Site Number: | 242 |
Excellent location. Easy drive from Rapid City and I-90. Short drives to major attractions like Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State Park. The staff was extremely helpful and accommodating. Very pleased with the customer service. They will receive FedEx and UPS packages and helped us change sites when we asked to. Everything w... more
Excellent location. Easy drive from Rapid City and I-90. Short drives to major attractions like Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State Park.
The staff was extremely helpful and accommodating. Very pleased with the customer service. They will receive FedEx and UPS packages and helped us change sites when we asked to.
Everything was well maintained. It’s a beautiful park. Sites are a pretty good size overall. Normally, we don’t stay at parks this expensive, but we felt our money was well spent.
Several places to do laundry on site. But the laundry room in the Main camp area was the largest. You can change dollars for quarters at the office.
Hill City is a short drive (less than 10 minutes) if you need gas or food. But we would recommend Custer (15 minutes away) - more options, larger grocery store, things stay open later.
Cell service varies throughout the park. We would recommend the Island (50 mbps down) or the Ranch (30 mbps down). However, we noticed some issues / slow downs as we got into the holiday weekend and the area became more crowded - the staff warned us that there just aren’t enough towers in the area during the busy season. We had similar experiences with both Verizon and AT&T.
There is just a tiny bit of highway noise. Not enough to bother us, but you don’t feel like you are in the middle of no where. If you are trying to get away from that, The Ranch is a bit further from the road.
Katie would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“One Of The Best”
Reviewed 10/18/2021
Nightly rate: | $71 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 168 |
This is truly one of the best campgrounds, period. There are a number of areas within the campground, all with their own feel. We stayed in Ranch Camp which we liked as it felt a bit remote but it was a quick bike ride to the playground, pool and camp store. The pool is nice and big with views of the mountains. The sites are clean,... more
This is truly one of the best campgrounds, period. There are a number of areas within the campground, all with their own feel. We stayed in Ranch Camp which we liked as it felt a bit remote but it was a quick bike ride to the playground, pool and camp store. The pool is nice and big with views of the mountains. The sites are clean, well laid out and there is some privacy (although not much). The location cannot be beat as you are about 15-30 minutes from basically everything within the Black Hills. We would absolutely stay here again if we can find a site.
Travels With Luna would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nicest place we've ever been to.”
Reviewed 7/22/2021
Nightly rate: | $75 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 175 |
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 ni... more
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.
Jeff Wigal would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Most amazing park, one of the best I've stayed....”
Reviewed 7/22/2021
Nightly rate: | $87 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 208 |
Gorgeous place up in the Black Hills. Spacious and expansive with great views. I can't say enough about it. Close to both Mr. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument, and restaurants in Hill City. Will absolutely be back!
Dave would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Huge Campground Well Spaced with Large Sites, Quiet and Well Maintained”
Reviewed 6/23/2021
Nightly rate: | $69 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 50 |
This campground is very large but well spaced out into several 'camps'. Our site in Main Camp was very nice with RV and Tenting sites plus several full service cabins. It was well looked after daily by campground staff. The welcome desk was efficient, friendly and accommodating to our special requests. We did not use the amenities ... more
This campground is very large but well spaced out into several 'camps'. Our site in Main Camp was very nice with RV and Tenting sites plus several full service cabins. It was well looked after daily by campground staff. The welcome desk was efficient, friendly and accommodating to our special requests. We did not use the amenities like the pool etc. but many of the campers did. It is well located to all the Black Hills recreation and tourist stuff. Our site had water and electric and we were able to 'borrow' a sewer hookup from a nearby site upon departure. It is a far more attractive campground than many others in the areas as it was roomy, quiet, shady and convenient. We had cell service but no internet. Internet was available at the office. The 'camp' restrooms / showers / laundry was clean, well kept and looked after daily by staff. We would stay here again but the price was higher than we normally like to pay. It was not a bargain but worth the price.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Sanctuary in the Black Hills ”
Reviewed 9/17/2020
Nightly rate: | $69 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 212 |
We couldn’t have been happier! Large sites, no neighbors on either side added to the spacious feel. The ranch is immaculately kept and a great place to walk around with the dogs. Seeing the sunrise (despite the smoke haze from the west coast) in the large open field In the middle with the beautiful mountain backdrop is a must! Another ... more
We couldn’t have been happier! Large sites, no neighbors on either side added to the spacious feel. The ranch is immaculately kept and a great place to walk around with the dogs. Seeing the sunrise (despite the smoke haze from the west coast) in the large open field In the middle with the beautiful mountain backdrop is a must! Another small but important detail: their fire wood is dry and aged - too many times we buy wood from the camp store only to realize it’s too wet to burn. Happy to pay $6/bundle for it. May want to have an extension sewage hose with you as the drain was toward the entry of our site and would limit your trailer positioning flexibility without hose extension (depending on where ones sewage tank drains). Sad to leave... internet was spotty. Both ATT and Verizon Mifi hotspots struggled to get beyond 2 bars...
Marco B would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“One of my favorite campgrounds”
Reviewed 8/30/2020
Days stayed: | 2 |
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We had stayed here a couple of times, maybe 10-15 years ago in a tent but recently stayed in our RV. We had reserved a spot in The Island sites. We had a large back-in spot with more than enough room to accommodate our 30ft trailer plus truck. These spots in The Island would comfortably accommodate a 35ft+ trailer with plenty space ... more
We had stayed here a couple of times, maybe 10-15 years ago in a tent but recently stayed in our RV. We had reserved a spot in The Island sites. We had a large back-in spot with more than enough room to accommodate our 30ft trailer plus truck. These spots in The Island would comfortably accommodate a 35ft+ trailer with plenty space for your tow vehicle.
One of the things that always stood out to me about this campground from our tent visits was how spacious the sites were and how much privacy that gave you. Same comment for this visit after all these years. Lots of space, lots or privacy and very quiet sites even when busy.
The campground has great facilities for children, a well stocked camping store with necessities and a big outdoor pool.
One downside, at least for our site was how un-level it was. It took several attempts to get level and even when we did our Anderson Levellers were as far back as they could go. Other sites looked a lot more level though. A minor gripe; if you like WIFI at your campsite, you wouldn't be happy here. The WIFI is only available in the Office and at the Base Camp sites. Verizon signal was good enough though. Will definitely stop here when in the Black Hills again.
ascotinpdx would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Campground Review: Rafter J Bar Ranch in South Dakota | Travels with Birdy
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Amenities
Hookups
- 50 Amp
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- sewer
- Full Hookups
Connectivity
- wifi: yes
Recreation
- hot tub
- playground
- recreation trail
- swimming pool: heated
Site Amenities
- big rig
- fire ring
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- cabins
- dump station
- general store
- hot tub
- laundry
- propane
- restrooms: flush
- security
- showers
- swimming pool: heated
- trash
- water available
Discount Clubs
- Good Sam
Pets
- pets
Nearby
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