Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch

We stayed here twice on our trip out west during August 2023. The first time we ate at their restaurant sitting on a hill. The staff was more concerned with talking to our friends while we waited to see our waitress. It got to the point where I had to go over and ask how to place and order and she totally forgot about us (although we were like 10 feet away). We did the chuck wagon. I took the wagon and the rest of my family rode the horses. It was a good experience. The food was excellent but the entertainment was eh . It really wasn’t long or anything special. But I would say it was worth it for the food and the ride. I got no cell reception here between Xfinity, Verizon, and t mobile. The first time we came we got a pull through and it was really tight for our 42 footer. The second time we got the patio pull through and it is a little better. We were nervous the first time about the space to pull out but we were ok. The second visit we rented the side by side. We did the 3 hour rental. Because everything is so far apart here we could have easily had it for the whole day. The location is about 1/2 hour from 90 but close to Mount Rushmore.

More expensive than we usually pay per night but a TON of amenities. Two pools and live entertainment. Restaurants/bars/coffee/ice cream shops. Downside is it’s a crowded and our site had the dog park behind it.

Arrived on 9/4 (labor day 9/5).  Was packed day we arrived, but most left the next day.  When the crowds left, most of the extras shut down for the season.

Staff was friendly and property was mostly clean.  First night felt a bit overcrowded.  They rent golf carts / gators, and there was alot of people noise the first night.

Second night was better.  Most of the crowd had left and we got to enjoy a quiter night that felt more like camping.  The pools all closed, and most of the on property food options closed for the season on labor day.

Being a KOA Resort, this place felt like it would be a great place to stay if you have kids, and/or a large rv.  There are many ammenities on property (before they close for season).  It is very close to Mount Rushmore (we drove right by it to get here), and a pretty location (especially when the crowds left)

Our stay was fine. No serious complaints but I will point out some things that don’t seem to align with the “resort” ambiance you pay for here.

First I was not expected to be nickeled and dimed. Bread in the campstore was $6+ dollars - if it were good bread maybe. But it was Wonderbread.

The breakfast provided is an amazing concept but the delivery is sub par. The food was gross. They don’t have any real syrup for the “all you can eat pancakes” for $3.50 and they basically give you Karo syrup. Biscuits were hard and the small yogurt cup was $6+.

After all that I look at my bill and see a pet fee per night on top of the resort fee per night. I get this is a tourist trap area, but come on y’all, let’s keep things classy.

The young foreign staff working at the restaurants and eateries are confused, annoyed, and rude.

The WiFi is awful. Just awful. You will never connect to it. We didn’t once and I have a king antenna repeater installed in our rig. And I get it if you’re saying to yourself right now, “it’s camping, lady! Disconnect and enjoy nature” but the problem is we’re full time, I work remotely, and I depend on WiFi for my job and income. Without reliable internet I cannot stay at a campsite. This works sometimes if there’s good cell signal but here at this KOA there’s NOTHING. If there’s no cell signal on the campground then you MUST put effort into making your WiFi better across the whole campground. I do not have an option to stand in the gift shop or campstore to take video calls with my CEO. That’s not going to work.

And lastly the shower curtains in the bathhouses were full of mold. Shower curtains are like one dollar. Change them out!

My biggest pet peeve is that they don’t have recycling. Especially with the campstore being full of cases with single use plastic drinks. They don’t recycle! How is this even possible in 2022?

Stayed for 2 weeks and the amount of activities to do is enough to keep my 17 month old toddler busy!

Highlights: -Splash pad & jumping pillow we loved! -Taco and Margaritas in their prospectors tent on Wednesday as well as a daily pancakes breakfast. Didn’t do the breakfast but did do the tacos. Not the best tacos but Margaritas pretty good :) -5 parks located within the campground so my little guy never got bored of playing at one for to long. The park in the front by registration was our favorite! Turf flooring and very toddler friendly. He loved climbing on and through the logs. -two pools! Pool in the front was our favorite because it had a nice shallow kiddie area and seemed less crowded.

• loved being able to grab coffee and lattes from the fudge/coffee shop in front.

-main store and small outpost store by pool had anything you could possibly need including endless toys and souvenirs. Only carried Monster energy no red Bull if your into energy drinks. Both shops sold liquor by case or cans. -fun to watch the draft horses pulling the wagons for the chuck dinner rides. -loved watching the end of the night round up of the horses. -mining for stones was a fun 10 minute activity for the little. Cost $9 for the bag of sand and rocks you buy at the outpost store. -live music in the evenings -water slide ( we didn’t do it but looked awesome!) -hourly kid activities-(some at an additional cost ) movie nigh & popcorn, ice cream social etc. -great location to get to all local attractions quickly.

Bummers: Our first site was extremely small #435 back in. Our neighbors black tank lines basically ran right beside our fire pit.
These sites are all up a very large hill and they are all cramped in there. -Second site we moved to #345-back in. It was a beautiful site had a LARGE open field in the back with fire pit behind camper was able to pop a tent up for baby to play and he had endless space to run. -Verizon = no service -Wi-Fi hardly ever worked even with our booster. Not a huge deal for me but husband works from home so to work he sometimes had to go sit in front and even then it is very glitchy and logs you on and off.

Will returned because we loved it. Really is a resort. Extremely kiddie friendly.

I’ve been to this KOA in the past, but not for a number of years. It still lives up to the hype. The amenities are endless. Too many to list here. The kids loved the splash park, bounce pillow and ice cream shop. We were visiting when they hosted one of their rodeos too. Overall a great place to stay. As some reviewers have mentioned, it is a pretty busy park. Cell signal is virtually non existent as well.

This KOA is massive! They have tons to do and even have horseback riding which was really fun. The only bad thing was the size and how busy it was. There were tons of people. RVs were packed in like a parking lot. We were in a tent and the tent sites were very nice but a little far from bathrooms. The bathrooms and showers were clean and the shower was really warm. Bring bikes or something to get around camp.

Yes it is a big RV park with all the amenities but at certain point it’s too much. The staff was friendly enough but a lot of the campers are kinda rude, it’s equivalent to being at a big resort or a theme park. Also the phone service and Wi-Fi are very spotty. My wife said the dryers at the laundry mat were not efficient and cost more than usual. On the bonus side of all of this the park is in a great location and has a great hiking trail across the highway up to Black Elk Peak.

• Resort that was not as advertised, arrived late was told security would be there to assist in getting to our site but we could not find anyone to help after getting lost we finally found out spot that was tiny and not level, water hook up was broke, staff was not helpful or friendly. Pool was tiny, slide was not working and pool too crowded to use. Very disappointed in this campground. Also no cell service and wifi was terrible. Only positive was the beautiful views.

Campground is clean but very close quarters and crowded. lots of amenities for families especially during summer months. Awesome views from some campsites. lots of areas for pets.

Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch was our first experience at a KOA. We thought that having lots of amenities would be beneficial. However, we weren't given an opportunity to choose our campsite and ended up in a tiny pad on the end of a long row of giant RVs. Our car didn't fit on the pad without straddling the firepit. Even then we feared a tight-turning RV could ram our car.

The check-in process was amazingly easy and we were kindly directed to our spot. We were far from any trees but could make out rocky prominences on the horizon.  The pad was very level, for this we are grateful. We had no trouble with hookup.

Palmer Gulch is in a canyon so there was no cell signal. Even with a booster, we only got up to one bar. The local WiFi was better than nothing. I could check emails, though they loaded over minutes each. It was impossible to watch any television or do much web surfing, especially during the evening when most people want to do these things.

Taking a walk meant passing dozens of smoking fires, not getting into nature. I'll grant that it could be fun if you have kids, but most of the shops and activities were shut down (Covid? or season?).

We just wanted a nice quiet place to spend out SD vacation. We were out and about during the day anyway, but rigs pulled in right past us until after 11 PM. Those diesels trucks and Class A's can be very loud when you're trying to get to sleep.

We left a day early because we didn't enjoy staying any longer. They were very professional and accommodating with one-night's-stay refund.

I would have preferred parking under a tree somewhere, though he haven't done that yet. There are many RV parks in the Black Hills, but most that we saw were similar to the KOA (tightly packed units). The State campgrounds look more promising and, if we go back, we might try to stay at one of them.

There aren't many other amenities in the surrounding areas. Town is 20+ minutes away. The location had a little place to make burgers and pizza. A small row of shops for coffee and horseback riding. Helpful staff. Wifi was terrible everywhere except the Lodge. Campsites fluctuated from .01 mbps down to sometimes 5 mbps. Closer to the .01 most of the time. Zero cell reception on all devices. Nearest cell tower is 2 miles away.

Campground is located in the heart of the black hills and provides several amenities that are perfect for being in a remote area. Back spots are spacious and tree covered

Very large campground with a lodge and amenities. Large camp store with necessities, food, camping supplies, and souvenirs. We came in on Saturday which was loud and busy. We ordered food from their take out restaurant which was very poor quality. The fudge shop had a great latte the next morning. Unfortunately their restaurant was closed due to lack of ability to hire workers from the pandemic. The pancake tent had decent, quick breakfast food.

The kids loved the small, cold water slide as did I. There is also mini golf, a pool, splash pad and variety of games for free as well as scheduled activities, sone with a fee. We made marshmallow guns and rented bikes too. You could rent all terrain vehicles and golf carts. The latter required reservations a day in advance and were in short supply since the campground is so large.

The bathrooms and showers were decent and clean.

It’s nice and the kids would stay again. It was quiet enough in an RV.

We did think that the way the “ shuttle” was stated there was one throughout the day. There is only one at night.

There are too many items to list. I liked it a lot but we were hoping for better food to buy to make or purchase as this was day 6 and 7 of our journey.

The best KOA I have ever stayed at. It is definitely a resort: they have everything for everyone. Amazing play and pool area. Restaurant, wine tasting, deck bar with local brews on tap, OHV trail access and rentals, stables. List goes on…

Great place to keep a family entertained! They have it all at this resort, if it weren’t for the beautiful scenery that surrounds the resort you wouldn’t want to leave! Only down side is un-usable WiFi and no cell service (we have Verizon)

The Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch was our first experience at KOA and really set the bar for activities and organization. From what I can tell, this is a very large KOA with a wide variety of sites. 

Upon arrival, you can tell right away that they operate the campground well. We were directed to a staging area while we checked in. The buildings are all well maintained, and there is plenty of staff on hand throughout the campground.

One recommendation is to look for the horses when they are brought to the corral in the morning (usually between 6:10 and 6:30 am) and then returned to where they bed down for the night (usually around 6:30 pm). It's quite the site to see roughly 30 horses running free and being guided by two people on horseback!

The only issue that we had was with our connectivity to the outside world. We had NO cell connectivity anywhere in the campground (Verizon) and their Wi-Fi was essentially useless unless you were right next to the bathrooms. Even at the main building, there was no connectivity through Wi-Fi. Trying to connect to work was impossible, and we ended up leaving a day early because of it.

Clearly, if you can be disconnected for your time there or are fine with trekking to Grapes & Grinds in nearby Keystone, then this is a fabulous campground. 

3 stars only because of the Wi-Fi (cell coverage is out of their control) and only until Starlink goes live for us RVers.

The campground is huge—maybe too big for it’s own good. There are hundreds of sites, tents and campers are all mixed together. There are lots of different site designations—some have water/electric but no waste, etc…

There’s a lot to do here—trail rides, cookouts, and lots of programs each day and evening geared towards the family.

The place is huge! I can imagine kids wandering a getting lost.

The bathrooms and showers could be more abundant, and def cleaned better/more often.

Check in was smooth and the store is very well stocked.

Pulmer gulch is a awesome place. There are many things to do. There is a mini golf course, a playground, a Tiny gift shop, and my more. One cool thing is there are big boulders scattered across the campground which kids love to climb on. There is also a pool and water slide that is free to get in. The campground is really big too. I loved camping there I hope to go back again.

This campground is awesome! With views of Black Elk Peak, a 30 minute drive to most attractions near Mt Rushmore, you can’t beat it. The kids loves the pool area, splash park, and mini-golf. Multiple activities each day for the kids to do.
Sites are mostly level and easy in and out, many pull-thru sites. Bath houses are clean and modern. Staff is courteous and helpful. We enjoyed the horseback rides into the Black Hills National Forest from the on-site stables. I definitely recommend staying here for a Black Hills vacation.

Verizon cell coverage was non-existent, which admittedly is outside of their control. But there was absolutely no Internet access through their WiFi, which is within their control. Their suggestion: drive 10-15 mins to nearby town to find their library. Sorry... that just doesn’t work in this day and age. Fix the Internet access, and I’d bump it up to 4 stars

Would've give 5 stars but they don't pay attention to the size of the trailers and the size of their spots. They just throw you in anywhere. Took us a good hour to park and set the trailer ground was so uneven we ended up having to dig out a hole for our tires to sit in to level out the trailer. The park is very large over 400+ site plus many cabins, deluxe cabins, and executive cabins to rent. Many things for the kids to do pool water slide splash pad a long with many playgrounds around the park for them to play at. Activities in the pavilion restaurants snack huts horseback rides, rental bikes golf carts and ATVs. Lots to do in one place. Don't forget it about 7 miles from Mt. Rushmore and about 10 miles from Crazy Hores Memorial. Other then the crappy spot we got place was great. If your coming here either say your trailer is bigger then it is our pay for the deluxe pull throughs

We really enjoyed our stay at the Palmer Gulch KoA. We have two kids ages 3 & 7 and we never ran out of activities at the campground. We rented a full day UTV, rented “banana bikes” and utilized all of the fun zone. Unfortunately, all the horse rides were booked for our weekend.

We had site 303 which was a patio pull-thru, there was plenty of space between our neighbors and right by the fun zone. Our kids were able to play on the playground or basketball court while we watched from our campsite.

If you have children, highly recommend this KoA.

This campground is very clean, well kept, and VERY Large! There are UTVs that you can rent to go out on the trails, there's a fun zone for the kids that has bouncy houses, the pools, Mini Golf and more! There are over 500 sites at this campground plus cabins, a restaurant, a hotel, riding stables etc. It is also just 5 miles from Mount Rushmore and 15 minutes from Crazy Horse!

We stayed here for a couple nights and it was pretty nice! It’s got a “Lodge” type vibe with the ability to rent cars, UTVs and stuff like that. It’s super clean and very well kept. They’ve got a giant play area for the kids.

We tent camped, it was nice, flat grassy area! Campsite had firepit, 2 picnic tables, 1 was covered and had light and outlet! Lota of trees, pretty spread out from other campers! Nice convenience store on site, 2 restaurants! Pool was closed for renovation! Unfortunately the bathroom in the tent area was closed with no notice! Closest bathroom was in the middle of all the RV spots, but the bathrooms were clean! Another con was all the workers hovering over us making sure we checked out before checkout time! It was very annoying!

This campground has something for everyone including everyone: tents and campers, cottages, hotel rooms Extremely close to the entrance to the park. Less than 3 miles I believe. Lots of activities for families with and without kids. Playgrounds, mini golf, a water slide, ATVs and bicycles. Biggest KOA I’ve ever seen. Each RV platform also has a chair swing, grill, firepit and patio furniture.

One of the nicest KOA's we have stayed at with SO many amenities! However, it was VERY crowded and almost felt like we were stacked on top of each other (reason for 4 stars). We were so tight in our RV site we barely had room for one tent and  we really needed space for two.....but next time we would reserve a bigger site earlier in the season.

But the bathrooms were nice and clean, there was plenty to do like a pool, nice store, breakfast, horseback riding, games and movies and even a chuck wagon dinner (reserve in advance).  It also was is the best location to visit a variety of historical and nature sites like Mount Rushmore, Black Elk Peak Trail, the Needles drive in Custer SP along with various caverns, the 1886 train and nearby Wall Drug & Badlands NP. By far my favorite thing every morning was the "cowgirl wake up call" when they rounded up the horses and herded them to the front of the campground along a channel near our campsite.

We stayed here for one week at site 515. It was a back in site which was pretty roomy for our 45 ft trailer. After Memorial Day a lot of on-site amenities close which is a real bummer. I wish they would keep them open till the Buffalo round up in late September.There is NO cell service. The WiFi worked some of the time. If you are needing a steady connection for work I would not recommend staying here. There is a ton of wildlife around. We saw like 30 deers everyday grazing by the rodeo area.

This campground has everything your kids will need or want for a memorable camping experience. If your traveling with out kids it’s a bit busy/noisy and tightly spaced. Overall it’s a very good place to stop for a night or two if seeing Mt Rushmore. On the first night, after we finished hooking up, it was a welcome to have a hot meal right on the property. We enjoyed tacos and margaritas in the Prospectors tent while watching all the families come and go from the camp activities. It’s a huge campground, and they lease all manner of transportation for your stay, bikes, four wheelers and dune buggies. They have a full stable of horses and guided horseback tours. They also have two pools, one with a water slide, mini golf, a snack and ice cream stop, a few little stores for your firewood and camping needs, play grounds, basketball courts, a sand volleyball pit, activity pavilion, bounce pit, water fun zone and so much more. The views of the mountains are beautiful and the grounds are kept spotless. I’m sure with a campground this large that’s no easy feat. The abundant staff were friendly, and helpful and on their collective toes to make sure all this ran smoothly. We are empty nesters, so we didn’t take part in the activities much and moved on after our two nights, but would highly recommend this campground if you have kids and are looking to create some memorable days in camp. I will add It’s very pricey and the spaces are extremely tight... we’re a 36’ so we got the pull through costing 130 a night. Over all a nice experience, but a looking for a less expensive, less crowded spot next time we come through. We had no Verizon service here and the internet was very spotty. Overall Technology failure.