Rafter J Bar Ranch Camping Resort Good Sam Verified Campground

12325 Rafter J Rd., Hill City, SD 57745

Good Sam Verified Campground
(25 reviews) 4.8 out of 5 stars from 25 reviews
Good Sam Rating
Good Sam Rating
Facility 10
Restrooms 10
Appeal 10
(25 reviews) 4.8 out of 5 stars from 25 reviews

RAFTER J BAR RANCH CAMPING RESORT

A Black Hills premier camping resort near Mt. Rushmore & other attractions. Enjoy our VERIZON + AT & T 4G coverage across park! 5 Pristine & picturesque camping areas! Only a few minutes to Mount Rushmore & Custer State Park!

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Address

12325 Rafter J Rd.
Hill City, SD, 57745

Coordinates:
43.894610, -103.591040
Elevation:
5,280 ft (1,609 m)

Open May 9 - September 22

Contact

Cards Accepted

Debit accepted at this location Discover accepted at this location Visa accepted at this location Mastercard accepted at this location Amex accepted at this location

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Facility

Type: Campground
Cabin/cottage rentals: 27
Partial Handicap Access
Emergency Phone
Laundry
Eco-friendly park
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Eco-friendly park
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Policies

Pets welcome
Some restrictions
No tents
Road condition: Good
Road type: All Weather
Big rig sites
Onsite RV service
Table at site
Spaces available: 140
Site length: 80
Max length: 80
All-Weather sites: 140
Pull-thru size: 40 x 80
Pull-thrus: 60
Back-in size: 40 x 80
Room for slideouts: Yes
Shaded sites: Some
Park map
View park map
Number of full hookups: 140
Amps: 30 Amp/50 Amp
Max Amps: 50

On-site rentals

All cabins have picnic tables & fire grates. Traditional cabins include heat & outlet. Comfort Camping Cabins provide heat,a/c, outlet, kitchenette, bathroom w/shower, sink & toilet. Ranch Cabins have double rooms & inc. TV, bathroom/shower, microwave, fridge, sink, coffee maker, toaster & gas grill.

Cabin/Cottage Rentals:

$85.00 - $225.00 / Daily Rate
Rentals available: 27
Minimum stay: 3 Days
Sleeps: 8
Bathroom: Full
Kitchen: Partial

Restrooms
Ice
Laundry
LP gas: bottles only
Laundry
LP gas: bottles only
Snack bar
BBQ at site
Table at site
On-site RV service
BBQ at site
Table at site
On-site RV service

Swimming
Body of water: Spring Creek
Hot tub
Nature trails
Outdoor games
Nature trails
Outdoor games
Playground
Pavilion
Planned activities
Heated pool
Pavilion
Planned activities
Heated pool

(within 10 miles)

Archery range
Hiking
Rock/mountain climbing
Fishing
Kayaking / canoeing
Fishing
Kayaking / canoeing
Boating
Marina
ATV riding
Mountain biking
Marina
ATV riding
Mountain biking

(within 20 miles)

Hunting season: Spring, Fall

Adventure seekers
The fun never stops, adventures abound!

Bring the bikes, hiking shoes and climbing gear! Endless opportunities to explore the majestic Black Hills. Get some amazing photos and just breath in the crisp-clean mountain air!

Rentals & Glamping
Pack your bags and stay in a fabulous cabin.

Under the stars in the Black Hills in your own private cabin. Pack your bags, jump in the car & head to Rafter J Bar Ranch for a romantic week away from home. Or bring the kids & put them in the adjoining cabin next to you.

Attractions & Entertainment
Endless things to see and do!

Never a dull moment at Rafter J Bar Ranch. Relax at your campsite, or cabin, or see the amazing attractions just minutes from the resort.

Military Discount

4.7 (25 reviews) 4.76 out of 5 stars from 25 reviews
Facility
4.6
Restroom
4.6
Appeal
4.7
What is being rated?
5 5 out of 5 stars 09/02/2023

This is a great campground. There's lots of open space between the different sections of the park and good spacing between sites. Very scenic with mountains and open meadows. A nice place to spend some time.

5 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/2021

One of the nicest RV parks we have stayed in. Beautiful open spaces, lots of space between sites and very convenient to Custer State park and other attractions

5 5 out of 5 stars 07/16/2019

Great park. We had an RV and used 2 cabins. No WiFi unless you went up to the office. Nice pool. Very convenient to the major parks and shopping.

5 5 out of 5 stars 10/04/2018

Absolutely one of the BEST campgrounds we used all summer. Stayed four nights and loved every minute. Lots of open space to walk our doberman. She actually got tired of walking so many times a day because we could explore the beautiful scenery on the many trails and made her go with us each time. Great facilities, great staff who helped coordinate a UPS delivery we needed to get from home (replacement eye glasses). Wonderful visit and hated to leave.

5 5 out of 5 stars 10/01/2018

We stayed four nights in a travel trailer in the base camp section. The setting is on a ranch just off the highway, it's quiet and so beautiful. Convenient to town and all the scenic places. We had full hookups with cable tv. Everything worked well. Gravel pull through level site. Wifi was only available at the office. Restrooms and laundry facilities were nice and clean. Check in and staff were great. When the temps get close to freezing they turn the water off. It was at night and wasn't an... Read More

We stayed four nights in a travel trailer in the base camp section. The setting is on a ranch just off the highway, it's quiet and so beautiful. Convenient to town and all the scenic places. We had full hookups with cable tv. Everything worked well. Gravel pull through level site. Wifi was only available at the office. Restrooms and laundry facilities were nice and clean. Check in and staff were great. When the temps get close to freezing they turn the water off. It was at night and wasn't an issue for us. This was our 2nd year here and we will be back.
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5 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/2017

Outstanding RV Park! Staff was very helpful. Park is close to all the Black Hills has to offer.

5 5 out of 5 stars 09/29/2017

Very nice park. Beautiful. Could hear Elk in the Hills . Close to Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore. Weird cable / TV connections set up, but not a stay stopper. Roads need a little gravel / improving.

5 5 out of 5 stars 09/05/2017

Stayed here for 4 nights over Labor Day weekend. Close to all attractions and Hill City was nice town. Beautiful campground with lots of open space and big sites. Heated pool and first campground I've stayed at that has a hot tub! Awesome pancake breakfast served every day we were there. Nice store and very friendly staff. Only drawback was we were on one of the loop areas which was literally about 1/4 mile walk from the bathroom. Great campground for dogs, too, with lots of space to walk.

4 4 out of 5 stars 08/28/2017

Decent place to stay. Plenty of room. Would stay again.

4 4 out of 5 stars 08/18/2017

Large camp sites with plenty of room. We would stay here again next time we are in town. Our wifi did not work well but we have Verizon so we were OK. Plenty of pine tree's everywhere and large spots of open space for our dogs.

5 5 out of 5 stars 08/14/2017

Great place to stay our site was very big, wide and long. The pool seemed nice, it was a walk but was used a lot. The internet due to where we were located was weak but were able to get stronger access the closer to the main building. Very close to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

5 5 out of 5 stars 07/25/2017

When driving through Hill City and Keystone you see a lot of "campgrounds" that just look like trailer parks with rows of trailers lined up maybe 8-10 feet away from each other, practically no trees, and located very close to the main road through town. When we saw Rafter J we knew we really lucked out when making our choices over the internet! There's lots of room between trailers, large trees provide great shade, some spots back up to the Black Hills (gorgeous!), the pool area is brand new and... Read More

When driving through Hill City and Keystone you see a lot of "campgrounds" that just look like trailer parks with rows of trailers lined up maybe 8-10 feet away from each other, practically no trees, and located very close to the main road through town. When we saw Rafter J we knew we really lucked out when making our choices over the internet! There's lots of room between trailers, large trees provide great shade, some spots back up to the Black Hills (gorgeous!), the pool area is brand new and well kept, new park for the kids, clean bathrooms. AND Hill City isn't as "tourist trap-y" as Keystone.
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5 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/2017

Great RV Campground and close to the Rushmore monument. Plenty of room between campsites and a large playground for the kids. We would go back to this location.

4 4 out of 5 stars 11/07/2016

Beautiful park with perfect location to explore the entire area. Very clean, spacious and scenic park. Multiple sections to choose from We were at "Base Camp" sites are closer together here but more conveniently located to the office, pool etc.

5 5 out of 5 stars 07/28/2016

Rafters J Bar Ranch is one of the best RV Parks I have ever stayed in. It is big, spacious, clean and just down right beautiful. The people are very nice and polite. The spaces are very large with lots of room between units. If you have never been to the Black Hills before do stay at this park and you might plane on a week as there is so much to do in the area.

5 5 out of 5 stars 07/21/2016

We stayed 5 nights near the laundry room which was very clean. The park is beautiful and well maintained. Conveniently located near everything in the Black Hills. Very nice people. Excellent store and gift shop. Would definitely stay here again.

5 5 out of 5 stars 06/22/2016

We stayes 2 nights in the Main Loop of the campground. The restrooms are so clean and the showers are really nice. We were close to the laundry room and it was very nice!!! We will definitely like to be back qt this resort. It is very kid friendly and great pancake breakfast. The staff is friendly and there is lots to do. We even founf a small pond across the highway to fish!

5 5 out of 5 stars 06/18/2016

Amazing place! Grounds were beautiful with tons of well maintained grass areas. We camped with 3 other rigs and stayed for 4 nights. Close to Crazy Horse, Mt Rushmore, and Deadwood. Loved it!

4 4 out of 5 stars 10/23/2015

We stayed 5 nights in the treey area of line camp area. Shaded spot, too far to carry laundry tho. Very nice campground, friendly workers (although didn't really have contact other than check in). Also didn't use pool or hot tub. Bathroom were clean and bright. GREAT location to all Black Hills area attractions.

5 5 out of 5 stars 10/03/2015

Most beautiful scenic views from any campground we have stayed at anywhere. Its a rustic and modern ranch at the same time. Centrally located to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Mammoth dig site. Also close to Rapid City if you crave traffic and city amenities. We were at the ranch the last 3 days of the season. Just wish we could have gotten there a week or 2 earlier. Businesses were closing for the season still Rafter J provided everything we needed for a great Black Hills camping experience.... Read More

Most beautiful scenic views from any campground we have stayed at anywhere. Its a rustic and modern ranch at the same time. Centrally located to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Mammoth dig site. Also close to Rapid City if you crave traffic and city amenities. We were at the ranch the last 3 days of the season. Just wish we could have gotten there a week or 2 earlier. Businesses were closing for the season still Rafter J provided everything we needed for a great Black Hills camping experience. Missed going horse back riding there since it was already closed. Would definitely recommend.
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3 3 out of 5 stars 10/02/2015

This campground is located perfect. It is central and scenic. The help this year were all foreign workers, which was a decrease in service from our previous visits. I love the place, except for the campfire enforcement team that is ordered to extinguish all fires at 11pm. This is camping. Since one or two complaints came through from people who need to be in bed by 10pm, the policy was changed years ago. The breakfast made up for this inconvenience in the past, but was removed this year as well.... Read More

This campground is located perfect. It is central and scenic. The help this year were all foreign workers, which was a decrease in service from our previous visits. I love the place, except for the campfire enforcement team that is ordered to extinguish all fires at 11pm. This is camping. Since one or two complaints came through from people who need to be in bed by 10pm, the policy was changed years ago. The breakfast made up for this inconvenience in the past, but was removed this year as well. The owner stated that his senior crowd was his bread and butter and that we should stay elsewhere next time. I will be taking his advice and NOT be back. It is too bad because this place COULD be great.
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5 5 out of 5 stars 10/02/2015

beautiful place to stay----nicest campground i have been in

5 5 out of 5 stars 09/16/2015

Large spacious campground with beautiful views. Staff were very helpful as the cable TV was not working on our site. They quickly moved us to another site. Location is great. Close to Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park and Hill City. Wifi signal was not good and cable was limited. Would have been nice to have an enclosed dog park. Would definitely recommend.

5 5 out of 5 stars 09/16/2015

What a great place! Several different lot loops, spread out over a wide area. Make sure you get the loop that fits your style. Some are close to the pool/hot tub, others are more remote. Some are wide open (great for satellite TV) others are very wooded, with full overhead canopy (great if you like being in the shade)

5 5 out of 5 stars 09/15/2015

Great place to stay lots of room, well taken care of, Pet friendly, large meadow in the middle of the camp ground

5 5 out of 5 stars 09/02/2023

This is a great campground. There's lots of open space between the different sections of the park and good spacing between sites. Very scenic with mountains and open meadows. A nice place to spend some time.

5 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/2021

One of the nicest RV parks we have stayed in. Beautiful open spaces, lots of space between sites and very convenient to Custer State park and other attractions

5 5 out of 5 stars 07/16/2019

Great park. We had an RV and used 2 cabins. No WiFi unless you went up to the office. Nice pool. Very convenient to the major parks and shopping.

5 5 out of 5 stars 10/04/2018

Absolutely one of the BEST campgrounds we used all summer. Stayed four nights and loved every minute. Lots of open space to walk our doberman. She actually got tired of walking so many times a day because we could explore the beautiful scenery on the many trails and made her go with us each time. Great facilities, great staff who helped coordinate a UPS delivery we needed to get from home (replacement eye glasses). Wonderful visit and hated to leave.

12325 Rafter J Rd., Hill City, SD 57745
Coordinates: 43.894610, -103.591040
Elevation: 5280

Directions
From south city limits of Hill City: Go 3.0 mi S on US-16/385 (R)

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