Staying in Keystone vs Hill City vs Custer State Park

Okay, planning on traveling up to see Mount Rushmore and the other local sights with a teenager and an 8 year old this coming summer. After a little research it seems that the Keystone/Hill City areas are the most central to all the attractions. I had liked the President%26#39;s View Resort, and liked what I have seen about Palmer Gulch Resort. The lodges in Custer State Park seem awfully appealing too. Any opinions on the best location? Keystone seems to have a lot of activities but sounds a little too touristy. Palmer Gulch Resort seems a little more peaceful and has a lot of activities and family friendly feeding options. The Custer State Park Resorts look beautiful. My son loved the photos of the bison right outside the Creekside Lodge but it seems a little far from everything but Custer State Park. I am also worried about feeding the picky 8 year old there. Help! Advise please!

Staying in Keystone vs Hill City vs Custer State Park

Your best bet in my opinion is the K Bar S Lodge in Keystone. It is not in the touristy area but next to wildlife and a spectacular view of Mt. Rushmore. They offer a great full hot breakfast with many, many choices for the picky eaters. You can find plenty of places to eat lunch and a great spot is the buffet at Custer State Park. We were there in June 2008 with our teen aged son.

Staying in Keystone vs Hill City vs Custer State Park

We stayed in Keystone on our vacation to this area in 2006. Yes, it is touristy, but with children, especially the 8 year old, I think it%26#39;s a good choice. There%26#39;s a boardwalk with souvenir shops galore! We didn%26#39;t spend a lot of time in the ';downtown area'; as we were so busy touring the area, so the touristy feel didn%26#39;t bother us. Keystone has a mini golf course and alpine slide, along with the Big Thunder Gold Mine. There are some restaurants, but many of them looked questionable. We did like Big Time Pizza at the Roosevelt Inn; we stayed at the Roosevelt, so it was very convenient. I would highly recommend the Roosevelt Inn%26#39;s roomy family suites; they are a good value.

K Bar S Lodge gets great reviews on this site, but it doesn%26#39;t have a pool. I don%26#39;t know how important this is having 2 children. It really does look like a lovely facility away from the crowded areas.

I am not familiar with staying at the Custer SP Lodges or cabins. I am more of a hotel person. We did find the dining in Custer quite good. We went to the Blue Bell Lodge and really enjoyed it. As CeCe mentioned, the State Game Lodge has a luncheon buffet which also gets good reviews on this site. I wish we would have had time to check out the Game Lodge..it just didn%26#39;t happen.

As far as where to stay, it really depends on what you like. I would say if you like having plenty of amenities, I%26#39;d stay in Keystone or Hill City. If you are more into the rustic scene, Custer would probably be quite fun. I do think, however, that Keystone and Hill City are a bit more centrally located. Also, from Keystone or Hill City, you can be to Rapid City in about 1/2 an hour. Rapid City has some chain restaurants that will probably make your picky eater happy. Most of these are located at the LaCrosse St. Exit off I90.

Have a wonderful trip, and feel free to ask any additional questions. Our daughter was 8 when she visited SD, and she often ranked it higher than our Disney World trip.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I glanced online at both the K Bar S and the Roosevelt but I will have to go back and give them another look. SLRtravelplanner, I showed my reluctant teenaged daughter the comment about your daughter liking SD better than Disneyworld. She grinned and said that she does not believe you.....

Hi Mamajuls!

I am sitting here at my computer laughing out loud right now! Teens are tough! :) Maybe she%26#39;d believe my daughter who is now 10??? LOL!! They all think us adults are pulling their leg!!

Seriously, I think she will have a really great time. There have been a few threads on here about reluctant teens who go, and when they come back, they%26#39;ve had such fun they actually want to go return. I often laugh at people who asked me, ';Why are you going to SD? Do you have family out there?'; I%26#39;m sure she may be getting the same reaction from her friends. I still remember us sitting on the plane to come home, and my husband saying, ';I had a great time. This was a wonderful trip.'; It is truly a wonderful area to visit, and it really is largely ';undiscovered'; compared to many of the touristy places. This is really a true story. LOL!!

Have fun planning, and enjoy your Thanksgiving! In case you don%26#39;t post any additional questions, please let us know about your trip next summer after you return.

I fell in love with Sylvan Lake over 50 years ago as a child. I am returning this August after a absence of nearly 30 years. The Lodge has been rebuilt since my last visit. It is indeed a lovely setting.

Peddler665:

I agree that Sylvan Lake is certainly one of the jewels of the Black Hills.

I%26#39;m guessing the lodge is the same one you saw as a child. The current lodge was built in 1937. A small addition was built in the 90s and some general renovations have been done but it%26#39;s mostly been the same since it was built.

The original lodge burned down in 1935. It was located right on the water near the dam.

Thanks Accomadator. I had heard there was a more recent rebuild but I may have misunderstood %26amp; it was but the addition.

Anyways I am anxious to revisit %26amp; show it to my wife. She%26#39;s never seen the Black Hills at all.

Before I even got the Sylvan Lake reply, I decided too that it would be the best choice but there affordable rooms were all booked, so, we booked a small cabin at State Game Lodge. We are going to stay the first night in Keystone just for proxmimity, to see the Mt. Rushmore light show and not have too far to drive, and then move ';basecamp'; to Custer.

Hi Mamajuls,

Where are you staying in Keystone? I think you will like the proximity to Mt. Rushmore.

I have read the State Game Lodge has a nice lodge buffet. I know the food at the Blue Bell Lodge was quite good. We particularly enjoyed the bison meatloaf. Service was also excellent.

Now to my most important question: Has your teen warmed up to this vacation yet? :)

We are staying at the President%26#39;s View Resort. Reviews seemed to vary but none of them said it wasn%26#39;t clean and the rates were better than anywhere else, and only for one night?

Ali is now smiling when she says,';We%26#39;re not going to South Dakota.'; Her boyfriend went a few years ago with his family and emphatically states that it was a lot of fun. She did laugh pretty hard when she saw the review of the State Game Lodge cabins that stated some people had to wait a while to get into their car once because of the bison hanging out right next to the vehicle.