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Roads

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Facilities

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Buildings

Established Camping

Rafter J Bar Ranch

14 Reviews

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Location

Rafter J Bar Ranch is located in South Dakota

Directions

From South Hill City Limits: Go 2-3/4 mi S on US 16/385.

Coordinates

43.88885554141632 N
103.59088816752967 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Fair
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Cabins
Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
WiFi
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

(888) 723-8375

Cody

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 11, 2023

Fantastic

Great place to stay with a little something for everyone. Tough to get reservations and a little spendy, but the staff was great, lots of space and tree cover, great activities, and amenities. We will stay here again, no doubt.

SiteCabin

Month of VisitJuly

Michael W.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 25, 2022

Best Campground in The Black Hills

I now understand why this is the most recommended campground in The Black Hills when the question is posed on social media. There is a site here for everyone. Small spaces, long space, shaded spaces, wide open spaces for you Starlinkers. Back ins, pull throughs. The sites are well spaced, so you don’t feel like you are in a big parking lot. The pool and playground for the kiddos are brand new. The office/store has basic necessities and ice cream. Bath houses are close and clean. And it is ridiculously well located. My site is easily over 100 ft long, back up to a wooded hill and leaves me lots of space from neighbors. All the full hookup connections are logically placed.

Site149

Month of VisitSeptember

(4) View All

John L.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 1, 2022

Lives up to its reputation

This was a wonderful campsite. It’s situated right in between Mt. Rushmore and The Crazy Horse Memorial. Plus it’s 5 minutes down the road from Hill City, SD with the normal amenities (grocery, fuel, restaurants, etc) plus wineries and breweries.

The property is absolutely massive with great views all around. We were in the Lower Ranch Camp which we enjoyed. The site was gravel and deep with 50/30/20 amp electric, water and sewer and lots of space. There are laundry facilities in the bathhouses scattered around the property. The pool is heated with a hot tub and there was a small general store.

This was a historic ranch and a stop for the stagecoaches.

We will definitely stay here again the next time we pass through the Black Hills.

Site172

Month of VisitAugust

(6) View All

Penny Y.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 25, 2021

Beautiful

Great location, large sites, full hookups. Limited cell reception no wifi. There was considerable highway noise where we were located on the east side.

Month of VisitAugust

Tracy O.

Guide

Reviewed May. 25, 2021

Close to Rushmore!

This was in a beautiful area off the beaten path. Close to Rushmore. Big open area. Nice sites.

Month of VisitSeptember

Victoria G.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2020

Beautiful

Large dispersed campground, beautiful setting, busy due to location to tourist site, also a bit more costly but worth it. No wi fi or satellite signal available. Would highly recommend and would love to stay again

Victoria G.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 18, 2020

Amazing

Only booked a night on a trip through SD, I wish I could stay there a longer. Nice staff, and wonderfully clean. Big site, which makes me feel better about my most costly night so far. Worth it in my opinion. Large campground with different areas. We stay on the Island. Quiet, super shady on the "Island". Lots of trees and beautiful. I can't say enough good things. I will be back. Btw no wifi or cable on the island but that was made clear on reserving, very accommodating a last minute reservation. Thank you Rafter J ranch

Sethen E.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 17, 2020

Wonderful

Centrally located! Just across the street from access to Mt. Rushmore and the Needles Highway and down the road from Crazy Horse. Beautiful view of the hills. Most campsites are spread out (the island, ranch area are spread out well), but some can be a little more packed (in the base camp area). Polite and helpful staff. Water, sewer, and electric. Security present. Very family friendly. Big open spaces for kids and dogs to play and playgrounds, volleyball court, basketball court, and a nice pool. Quiet camping. Flat parking. Nice showers and cute cabins. First time through we stayed in a cabin (no running water) and the next in a campsite. Both times we had a great experience. Thank you to Rafter J Bar for a fun family experience!

(5) View All

Cynthia I.

Scout

Reviewed May. 26, 2020

Beautiful, Great Location!

Stayed in one of the cabins over the weekend, while family stayed in their camper at the Ranch site. Wow, the cabin exceeded my expectations! It was one of the larger cabins with a separate bedroom. It was so clean, I thought it was newly built. Large patio overlooking streams, great views, quiet. Outdoor grill, kitchen with fridge and coffee maker. Comfy beds and tv with satellite. Clean, spacious bathroom. Must bring your own towels, linens, toiletries, etc. Plenty of space throughout the camp. Within minutes of Mr Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Sylvan Lake, Hill City, and Custer.

Dana S.

Scout

Reviewed May. 21, 2020

Picturesque

Pictures don’t do this place justice!

Deb W.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 15, 2020

PERFECT

It doesn’t get any better than this!! It #1 in my book and we have camped everywhere! Black hills, I’m coming back!❤️❤️

Bill S.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 31, 2018

Wow, wide open

Great campground. Plenty of room. Kids had tons of room to play. Great pool. Awesome WiFi at main building. Staff was super friendly & helpful. Stayed here for a week to tour the area. Will be back!

Month of VisitAugust

Amy T.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 27, 2018

Great location in the Black Hills!

This campground was absolutely gorgeous and a great place to stay while visiting the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Devil’s Tower. We had a beautiful campsite in the “Ranch” section that had lots of trees and was a fair distance away from our neighbors. Showers/restrooms were clean and the laundry facilities and camp store were handy. Kids loved the pool, hot tub, basketball, and volleyball court. I loved the wide open feel of the campground and would definitely recommend to others visiting the area.

Site62

Month of VisitAugust

(4) View All

Heidi M.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 7, 2018

Beautiful location with wonderful amenities.

WiFi was spotty but full hookups with the amazing scenery is awesome.