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Awesome campground - from TripAdvisor.com
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We stayed at the Palmer Gulch KOA in June of 2008. This was one of the best campgrounds that we have stayed at. There is so much for kids to do. There are trailrides, a horse drawn wagon ride every night, pancake breakfasts, 2 pools, a hot tub, a water slide, mini golf and a great little restaurant. It's also centrally located to so many things: Mount Rushmore, Custer state park, Crazy Horse, etc. There is so much to do in this area and it's breathtakingly beautiful.
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Posted by Happycampers05 on 8/21/2008
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What a great place - from TripAdvisor.com
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We recently purchased a 25' travel trailer and had never camped before. One of our friends told us about Custer KOA but thought it was a bit expensive. We checked it out online and found a great deal. It was easy to get to and VERY near the Faces and Crazy Horse. Our kids loved the pancake breakfast every morning and the activities at the campground. One trip to the Faces was all we did. The rest of our time was spent at the campground.
The check-in was efficient and all staff we encountered were great. We even had someone lead us to our campsite. I was a bit worried when I noticed how tight the parking appeared, but we didn't have any problem parking the camper and unhooking my F-350 crew cab pickup. It may have looked like a parking lot, but we had a great time getting to know our neighbors. The nights were quiet, the internet worked when we wanted to use it, and we really found the break from our cell phones nice (it's camping, right?).
We're going back with friends next summer, and may even visit the resort in their off-season.
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Posted by Jasper87 on 8/18/2008
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Watch Out For Rodents! - from TripAdvisor.com
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Mount Rushmore KOA is located in a beautiful area and does have some nice amenities, but clearly has a problem with rodents. We stayed in a rustic cabin (I think it was #11) and was amazed to find rat droppings on the ledge above the sink, the fireplace, a stool, and I even found one when I pulled back the cover on the bed! After further investigation I found open containers of rodent poison, one behind the fireplace and one in the kitchen. We came in late and my children were already asleep when I made these discoveries so we stayed there. When I looked under the kids' bed the next morning to make sure we got everything I noticed the bed was all ripped up underneath leading me to believe the rodents were nesting right under the kids' mattress.
I informed the reservation agent about the rat problem the next morning and was casually offered a 15% discount. She was not at all surprised by this information. When I told her it was pretty unbelievable that they would rent out a cabin with an obvious rat problem to a family with children and a dog her response was, "well it is rustic." To which I replied, "yes, I know, but would you sleep on a bed with rat poop?" She said no and offered me a further discount. To their credit they gave me 50% off. I told her that they should not be renting this cabin out (especially at $140 a night), what if my kids or the dog found the rat poison before I did?! She did nothing to convince me that this problem would be taken care of so I felt the need to post something here. We were going to stay another night but we packed up and moved on to a much cleaner and cheaper hotel.
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Posted by Labuchana on 8/17/2008
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Great Location- Way Overpriced. - from TripAdvisor.com
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The location to Mt. Rushmore was excellent. We tent camped and the campsite was a mess. Unlevel site, dirty, we didn't use the table but unlevel. The sites are right on top of each other. The worst thing was that the site cost $50.00 for two adults and two kids. The little water park was nice and so was the putt putt golf. The waterslide pool was green- no black. We didn't allow our kids to go on it. There is a national forest campground about one mile closer to Mt. Rushmore- I wish we would have known about this one we would have stayed there.
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Posted by Explorer1421 on 8/13/2008
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Wonderful for a campground! - from TripAdvisor.com
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This campground was perfect! We have a daughter who is 2 1/2 and she loved it! There are plenty of things for the kiddos to do from jumping on the huge jumping pillow, a brand new splash park and the swimming pool.
Our cabin was lovely. It did have bugs, but it's a cabin! You're supposed to be roughing it, right? If you don't want bugs stay in a hotel. We loved the porch swing and fire pit.
The bathroom were always kept very clean. The showers got a little dirty around 10 pm, but that was during the shower rush, so it is expected.
All in all, this was a wonderful place to stay.
The restaurant on the grounds, Ponderosa, had awful service. Don't eat there. We were even given a dirty cup for our daughter...it still had the BBQ sauce and finger grease from the previous user all over it.
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Posted by Dolcezzaom on 7/13/2008
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Loved Mount Rushmore KOA - from TripAdvisor.com
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We just came back from a family vacation and stayed at Mount Rushmore KOA. This campground is the 2nd largest campground in North America. This campground has the best of both worlds. Lots of amenities and if you are camping on the outer edge of the campground you have peace and quiet. For amenities, there are 2 pools, one small and didn't really see anyone using it and the other one normal size. There is a waterslide that catered really to kids only. But that is ok. When we were there it was always busy and the kids whether little or older looked like they were having a ball. They have mini golf which was always busy, a jumping pillow which my kids loved and they are 11 & 14. They have a great water park for the little ones. Good basketball court and beach volleyball net. Although my kids did not go, they showed movies every night. They were mostly Walt Disney movies like Finding Nemo. There is lots to do at the campground. As far as the camping spots are concerned when you first drive past the office you will see camping that is very open and parking lot style. I don't disagree that it is definitely parking lot camping. But if you go on the KOA website you can get spots that are farther away and not so parking lot style and quieter from the "resort" life, yet close enough that you can walk to all the activities. Very centralized and the kids will love it. I highly recommend this KOA.
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Posted by Cougar63 on 7/8/2008
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Lucky if it turns out okay - from TripAdvisor.com
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We had our family reunion at the Mount Rushmore KOA/Resort. They completely messed up reservations...it really was quite ridiculous. The campers looked like sardines, I would hate to have to trailer and back in there! Our cabin was beautiful but it should have been for $650 a night...they upgraded us because they double booked our cabin with a relative and bumped us w/ no notice, then when I found out just by chance I called and made them make it right for us. So we go the grand executive cabin for the same price as a tiny cabin! The place is spread out horrible. The pool is right by the horse barn so there are tons of flies. I am from a farm and it still bothered me! There is no bathroom by the pool! Mini golf is moderate at best. And that is about it...way over rated by their advertisements!
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Posted by Kgunk on 2/18/2008
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Don't bother with this KOA - from TripAdvisor.com
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We arrived to our cabin at Mount Rushmore KOA only to find dead flies in the windows, More flies then I could count and a wasp nest inside the cabin. The furniture in the cabin was old and out dated. I sat in the rocking chair only to have the back break(I only weigh 230). The floor in the cabin had settled and slants to the front of the cabin. The stove and refrigerator needed to be updated. The mantle over the fireplace had been burned by previous people but the smell was still overwhelming. The bedding was worn out.
Our dining experience at the "restaurant" on the site was even worse. We were told our group would have to wait even longer(at the time we were told 30 minutes for an empty restaurant) because the staff couldn't enter orders on their computer. We didn't eat there. The area surrounding the facility is wonderful, many sites to see besides Mt.Rushmore and Crazy Horse.
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Posted by Careerteach on 8/24/2007
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Campground crowded and bathrooms filthy. - from TripAdvisor.com
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Campground crowded and bathrooms filthy.
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Posted by Eapayne on 7/11/2007
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Perfect for families! - from TripAdvisor.com
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My husband and I took our 4 year old son and 8 year old daughter to the Mount Rushmore KOA and my daughter begged to stay another day. At the dinner table tonight my son asked me if we're going back tonight.
I think they really enjoyed all the fun available to them in the afternoons and evenings once we were done sightseeing for the day. For $45 you can get a family pass for all the "extra" attractions: jump pillow, water slide and mini golf. The day we were leaving the splash park was reopening. I guess they were having draining issues with it from the day it was put it so its not the KOA's fault but thankfully they think they have it ready to go. We stayed in the Lodge and it was awesome. The people there were very friendly and helpful. One girl at the desk has been in the area for 5 years so she was able to give great advice on where to go, whether you had kids or traveling on your own. The only downside to the Lodge was how rude some guests can be. We had someone above us walking around with very heavy feet at 6:00 in the morning. Also, some people, would let their room door slam shut and it was quite annoying. Its not the KOA's fault but just common sense. My kids know enough to let a door shut gently. The nightly movies were great for the kids. They also had Father's Day crafts for the kids.
We went horseback riding right there at the stables and I would not recommend it. It was an hour and 20 minute trail ride, very slow and my daughter was getting bored after 45 minutes. Don't get me wrong if you don't mind going through the woods at a slow pace but it was extremely hot and having your horses nose up the keister of another horse and actually being able to see everything when that horse does a duty - yuk. But on a good note. The people at the stables were incredibly friendly and helpful. They were very good with my daughter and with me at the end since I was stiff and could hardly dismount. LOL.
I've already looked for KOA's closer to home because I love the fact that they have all kinds of entertainment for the kids. Oh and I forgot to mention they have nightly music/talent for all ages and also rock climbing, fishing pond...the list goes on and on.
Also, if you have any questions you can go to the general store and they have an information area where you can ask your questions or have them look up info online for you.
I've also seen people mention how packed it was and not having cable TV, isn't that what camping is all about. Getting out with the kids or spending time with them playing cards or meeting the people next to you, making new friends?
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Posted by Mom1234 on 6/24/2007
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Avoid this one, there are better campgrounds for less $$ - from TripAdvisor.com
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I had expected this one to be very nice as it was highly rated by Woodalls, but I am starting to question the integrity of their rating system...
Very crowded, "cattle run" mentality. When you checked in, you were given a campground brochure advertising a completed splash pad that was, in reality, still in the early stages of construction. The amazing thing is that they show a picture of kids playing on the splash pad and the equipment had not even been installed yet. This seems very misleading to me.
In typical KOA fashion, you are charged for everything, i.e. waterslide, miniature golf, "pillow jump", etc. A load of wash is a whopping $2.00 per load for only a 22 minute wash. They charge more for a dog than a child, which is nonsense as none of the other KOAs we have stayed do this.
"Comfort Stations" (Bathrooms) were among the worse of all the KOAs we stayed at this trip. Restrooms and showers were worn and dirty, one toilet looked like it was about to overflow with something I could not identify. Toilet paper was everywhere on the floor.
Campsites are wide and grassy, which was nice, but from my campsite, I could count the number of trees in the campground on one hand so the wind and dust just gusts from one end of the enormous campground to the other.
Over the air TV is basically non-existent, and only the super premium (and super high price, i.e. $67 per night) sites have cable TV. With a site this big and commercialized and for what I paid per night, I would have expected Cable TV at all full service sites. If I owned this campground, I would have opted for a less expensive overly done check-in lodge in exchange for cable TV at more sites. Guests really don't get that much out of your check-in building.
There are a lot of other campgrounds that I would pick in the Hill City/Mt. Rushmore area if I were to do it again.
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Posted by Chaskatraveler on 6/10/2007
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Great fun for families - very comfortable campground. - from TripAdvisor.com
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We just returned from a week at the Mt. Rushmore KOA campground near Hill City, SD. We were a large party and needed three of the 2-room Kamper Kabins. Each cabin slept 6 people. If you are looking for a genuine outdoor adventure - look at the campsites at one of the National Forests or Custer State Park. But this place is great if you are looking for an easy base to see the sights from. There were 2 pools, a waterslide, bike rentals, evening entertainment, a store that was pretty reasonably priced, putt putt golf, fudge shop, gift shop, laundry and more. We asked for cabins with shade and were really pleased with where we were situated (Cabins 152, 153, & 157). The 400 block cabins are even better though farther from the store. The cabins have electricity so we were able to use our electric skillet and electric kettle during the fire ban due to high temperatures and lack of rain. Cell coverage is spotty (stand in the lane of traffic, tilt your head to the left etc.). Wireless Internet service in the campground was not the fastest but still a nice feature.
The full hook-up campsites for RVs were like a parking lot - can't say that would be my thing. But the non-hook up sites were nice with some trees.
If you are staying for several nights, get the KOA $14 membership as the 10% savings on your reservation will more than pay for itself.
The bathhouses were very well maintained.
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Posted by Ajcolorado on 8/3/2006
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Sardine Campsites - from TripAdvisor.com
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Campers were squeezed in like sardines. No privacy. Some sites had little or no shade. Very noisy with campers coming and going all the time. Barking dogs inside campers during the day. KOA charged extra for use of water slide. Pool broken and out of use for 3 (maybe more) days. Camp stores frequently out of ice. Evening movies canceled due to more broken equipment. KOA field staff rude, bossy & crabby. Restaurant wait staff was terrible. Bath house was nice (closed 1 1/2 hrs. for cleaning.) Turned us OFF to camping.
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Posted by Marcene on 7/26/2006
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