Black Elk Resort

From the moment we arrived we fell in love with this place! It is so quiet and cozy tucked in between the hills. Dan & Lora were the sweetest and were so incredibly welcoming! They have done such an amazing job with this resort. It isn't just a place to stay, it is a home away from home. We loved the nightly campfires and getting to know other travelers. And the Taproom with local beers and wines was an added bonus. The cabin was so cozy and clean! The beds were very comfortable and it was everything we needed for our week of site-seeing including a great location being conveniently located close to all the sites. From the Cabin to the grounds, everything was very clean and immaculately well-kept.

Super cute, super clean, wifi, coffee maker, microwave, large mini-fridge. Very nice owners, taproom, group campfire. Oh, and AC as cold as you could want (it was 94 in the shade today). Also has RV sites. Convenient to Mt. Rushmore.

This space has so much potential and is nestled in a beautiful spot outside of Mount Rushmore. I wanted so badly to give this place a good review but this is actually the first review (ever) that I've given but I feel like this is an important one given our expectations.

Dan and Lora were very pleasant when we arrived and very nice but got defensive when it comes to their strict rules that made us feel uncomfortable as guests. While dogs are allowed at this campground, they cannot be in any common spaces, including the check-in center, the camp fire pit, and the common space picnic tables, including if you are the only ones around. Dogs have to be on a maximum 6 ft leash at all times and you can't tie them up to any picnic tables even at your site. TBH I don't even mind campground having a no-dog policy at all but what it boiled down to for us is that we specifically booked this place because it was dog friendly, only to find out that our dog had to stay in our van the entire time.

This place has a lot of rules, including a list of ~30 rules given on a sheet of paper right when you check in, it just doesn't feel as welcoming as Dan and Lora have clearly tried to make it. As far as the amenities go, one of the showers was lovely, the other only dripped and smelled strongly of sulfur but it looked like they were fixing it quickly which was great. The wifi is does not reach to the RV spots, and dogs aren't allowed at the common spaces where it can be accessed, so if you are working remotely & are traveling with a dog I would skip this place and book closer to Hill City or Custer as there is no cell service at this particular part of the valley. 

To be fair to the owners, the campground is advertised as such: ie having so many rules & that dogs aren't allowed in the common space, but this review stems more from the condescending nature which made us feel on edge otherwise it would have been a lovely stay.

Absolutely beautiful, quiet, and cozy. The owners are so personable and sweet. The RV park and cottages are perfectly located between Keystone and Hill City. Close to anything you’d want to do in SD !

We spent five days here in June to explore Mount Rushmore and the surrounding areas. Eight full hookup camper sites and several small cabins. Community fire pit was a plus that I originally wasn’t sure about. We had several great nights by the fire that we didn’t have to take care of making s’mores and new friends for the whole family. Instead of a normal office, they have a great little taproom which we also enjoyed. Open windows allow you to see the community playset while inside. You can connect to their WiFi there. There is no cell service in campsite which I honestly loved. Coin laundry on site and two nice bathroom/shower rooms if you are a big fan of longer than five minute showers. Great owners live on site. With so much to do in South Dakota, we may be making this an annual stop on the way to other destinations.