Lodge at Palmer Gulch

We stayed here three nights for a family vacation. It was clean, the staff was very helpful, and the breakfast was standard continental with very good coffee. We loved the outdoor pool and hot tub. The kids played pickleball every day (they can "check out" paddles and balls at the front desk). There were so many activities for the family to do on site, which was nice to come back to after sight-seeing around the Black Hills. The restaurants at the campground were pretty good, too. I recommend this property and would go back there again!

Perfect place for a much-needed night away from home. It was peacefully quiet at our cabin, our kids loved the pool and mini golf, and the parents enjoyed a little downtime.

What I didn’t like about the property is our hot tub did not work the first night and that’s why I got a cabin with the hot tub so we can sit in it for the full two nights. I rented it and they didn’t refund anything second thing that I didn’t like is you can’t even Get in 10 minutes early. You have to be right on the dot with these people.

clean, nice room in a pretty, quiet setting. Laundry machines were a long walk from the lodge and several driers were not working, so it took a long time to get our clothes done.

This place is a kid paradise! We loved it! Two pools, two hot tubs, splash pad, jump pad, mini golf, basketball, volleyball, and two playgrounds. Plus bikes for rent, cheap activities every day, live music, all the necessities available to buy on site. Can't recommend this place enough! Our two queen room was clean, beds were nice. Wifi was a little finnicky but worked most of the time in our room, as well as at the pools. Kids had rootbeer floats ($3), made tiedye shirts ($10ea), and we were sad we missed the rocket building. Minutes from Mt Rushmore, and between Custer, Hill City and Keystone. So lots of nearby shopping and dining options! We hit up all three. Close enough to Rapid City to make a trip or two there too. I'll definitely be recommending this place to all my friends!

Becky was so great and chipper upon check-in. She really helped us out and set the tone for our stay. Loved all the activities - pickleball, basketball, mini golf, pool, etc.

Amazing place to stay . Just a few minutes behind Mount Rushmore . There is a bar and a few restaurants on site . There also so many activities. Utv rentals . Horse back riding two pools plus many other things to do . There also general store gift shop . Truly a enjoyable experience

Great amenities for kids and family.

Check-in could have been smoother but overall the stay was great. There is so much to do at this campground that there is really no need to leave. It is kept very clean and other campers were very respectful overall. We will be back!

Some things need cleaned and updated - the mini golf is worn out- needs painted and power washed, some new clubs and balls as well. The pool was freezing mid July and the small hot tub was just as warm as bath water and filled with 20 kids and drink, vulgar adults, so hard to enjoy that. Someone monitoring the pool would be good for that reason. Some large signage stating no kids under 18 and raising the temp would make it more enjoyable. Vending machines weren’t stocked well at all in the lodge, but the complimentary breakfast was good. The rooms were very clean and beds comfortable. The price of $250/night felt high for what you got. Our cabin didn’t have a coffee pot, but was cute, old and I loved the original details that were left untouched. Thank your for leaving plenty of towels in the rooms! The grounds were very clean around the campground. The store was very expensive. $60 for drinks for 5 of us.😳. Def bring your own snacks and drinks or you’ll pay a premium! Overall, good experience!

Beautiful property, friendly staff, very clean

Stayed for three nights and no one ever came to restock or clean our room. Breakfast that was included was really only bagels and cereal and very limited for someone with food allergies or diet limitations. I expected more for the price as it was expensive to stay at the lodge.

Tap water was brown. Other than that we enjoyed it!

Our room was covered in mold in the bathroom. They did allow us to move. The bedding is disgustingly old. The showers/bathtubs are also very old. Hot water is nonexistent, it’s warm.

Overall the room was clean, however there was hair on the toilet and also a gob of it on the floor. I still would rate it as excellent because of the cleanliness of the rest of the room. I would definitley stay here again.

Clean rooms. Always helpful

Location was central to what we wanted to see. Info for booking didn't match. Black mold on ceiling in bathroom needs an updated. Service people were very helpful.

Lodge in need of upgrades but great amenities on site and fun activities for kids. Staff were friendly. No room cleaning and state of room are reasons for lower cleanliness scores. Mildew on shower ceiling etc. but it is a camping location so we expected some of this.

Very clean and bed was comfortable staff was friendly

The staff was very friendly and the room was clean, but had brown water come out of the shower.

Dichtbij de natuur. Dichtbij Mt Rushmore en Custer State park, al met al zeer centraal. Van allerlei dingen te doen op het park zelf. De buitenrit met de paarden viel erg in de smaak bij onze dochter. De lodge heeft houten vloeren. Wij hadden een kamer op de 1e, dus hoorde wel onze bovenburen lopen. Enige nadeel. Prima verblijf op een fijne plek

Bed and pillows very comfortable

Stayed in deluxe room with a balcony overlooking the mountainside. Peaceful. Breakfast was simple but good. Fresh coffee all day. All staff was friendly and helpful. Centrally located to attractions ( 6 mi from Rushmore) and great restaurants. The room and lodge were very clean

The beds and the pillows were hard as rocks. The best bed we had in the room was our cot. Our toilet ran and barely flushed. Not worth the price of the rooms here

I loved the location of the Palmer Gulch Lodge. Closed to all the sights we came to see. Beautiful location and the property offered everything we needed - plus! Outdoor pool, pickleball court, dining, specialty stores- ice cream, pizza, fudge, wine/ coffee shop and a singer in the evenings. Plus horseback riding and lessons for the kids. We brought our 14 year old grand nephew and he had so much fun. The staff at the from desk was extremely helpful in reference to what up see and do. Thank you! Plus there was a free continental breakfast every morning. The property is pet friendly and did not charge extra for a pet. We had our cat with us and the staff was very nice to greet her. The lodge is showing its age in reference to our room. The room temperature was difficult to control and the heating /air unit was very loud. The bathroom light was connected to a very loud fan- not a separate switch so it woke everyone up if you need to use the bathroom - or makes it difficult to hear the TV if someone is in the bathroom. The sink is outside of the bathroom - so not privacy getting ready in the morning or night. The shower head was a misty spray and went everywhere and the bathroom sink was clogged. The rooms are old as well as the linens , blankets and bedspreads. The mattresses were okay but the pillows were very lumpy. Would I stay again? Yes- because of the location, staff, and amenities. We used the pool everyday and if was well kept and there were plenty of chairs.

My family and I loved the family friendly atmosphere. We stayed in the hotel. My only complaint would be that our room was a "deluxe double queen" room. Our beds were full size, not queen. Overall, something that we would definitely do again.

Such a fun property with a lot of activities for kids and families to do! There are 2 restaurants on property plus a coffee and wine shop. My only real complaint is the WiFi does not work there which doesn’t sound terrible if you want to disconnect but the phones hardly work to even call or text people you’re staying with. Overall a good time though and all the staff were very nice.

I stayed at the Lodge and my room was on the main floor, just two doors away from the Lobby. I could hear the people talking in the Lobby and also the people above me. Next time, I am going to stay on the top floor. Everything else was good and the staff was friendly.

Exceptional staff and cleanliness. Balcony was a nice surprise. It overlooked the mountainside and was a great place to relax.

Service was great. However, the bath fan sounded like a plane taking off. The walls didn’t stop sound from coming through as we could hear our neighbors. Their shower sounded like it was in our room.

Great place to stay on vacation. It was easy to get to and easy late check in. Very friendly staff & clean.

We stay right after the primary season closes. It is very quiet and pleasant. But even in the Executive Cabins, some items work fine, and others do not. For example, the gas fireplace did not work properly. I asked maintenance to check on it and they did so promptly. But the next day it failed to light again. I said the heck with it. There is not much hot water for showers or baths. The water heater could not accommodate more than two short showers. You needed to wait another 30 minutes for the water to heat up. Every TV remote had "worn-out" batteries. I bought replacement batteries. The TV\'s have two remote controls but our grandkids weren\'t there to show us how to operate the darn TVs. That was our problem. Nevertheless, we continue to return each after September. We enjoy the surroundings and the quiet. Finally, I believe that the off season should have a lower price point. The cost is high. Given the number of VRBOs in the area, we may consider one of those next year. Or maybe not.

Great staff and kids activates

Front desk staff went above and beyond. Excellent service!

Great staff. Thank you!

Great accomodations & wondeful helpful staff!

We were running late after experiencing some road delays. Called the lodge and koa 8 different times and messaged them to ensure we could check in late and someone would be there. No one picked up or answered. We were charged for the room and when I called to try to get a refund I was sent to a voicemail and never was called back.

Checked in late - night patrol meet us at gate and made sure we were checked in - went above and beyond

Check-in could have been smoother but overall the stay was great. There is so much to do at this campground that there is really no need to leave. It is kept very clean and other campers were very respectful overall. We will be back!

This Koa offered a lot of activities for children so that's definitely a plus. The main issue we had was at check in. When we booked two rooms at the lodge, we paid extra to have balconies. The desk clerk gave us two rooms on the bottom floor as far apart as they could get. When I questioned her about this, she said that she didn't assign the rooms and that it wasn't possible to put us next to each other for the length of our stay (4 days). After getting to our rooms, we decided that we would ask for some of our money back since we paid more to have balconies. After going down to the desk and talking to someone else, he readily agreed to move us to rooms with balconies on a different floor with side by side rooms for the entire stay. He was incredibly helpful and the rest of the stay was fine. However, the first impression was not a good one as the first clerk wasn't willing to accommodate us even though we booked and paid for specific rooms months in advance.

Great location and has everything you need to keep the family fed and busy.

We loved it here. The location was fantastic. It was close to Mt Rushmore but away from all the hustle and bustle of the tourist spots.

Such a relaxing stay!! Close to everything! Hated to leave

Nice place, but difficult to find as it has poor signage. It is actually a KOA.

The place is decent, but they did not make it obvious that all the amenities are seasonal. Definitely not worth the price in the off season, its a mediocre hotel that is miles to the nearest anything. I would have thought at least the bar/restaurant would be open but no.

Nice place but no phone service.

Quiet, rustic and within a beautiful forest

Took our grandkids on a road trip to the Black Hills and we based our stay here. It was central to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Keystone, Custard State Park and Hill City. We stayed in the lodge beside the pool. The kids loved it! There is so much to do right there at the lodge. The lodge is old but was very clean. The staff was friendly and helpful. The beds were pretty good. The fan with the bathroom light was soooo loud - there was no sneaking to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The free breakfast was only cereal, yogurt and muffins or bagels but that was as advertised. All in all we had a wonderful time and I would be happy to stay here again.

Convenient to multiple local destinations.

Stayed three nights, the location was convenient to Mt Rushmore and Custer State Park areas. The only complaint was the remote cabins were difficult to find in the dark. One more sign at the last fork in the road would be an asset.

The property was beautiful and quite, easy access off main road. Only thing that needs improvement is the continental breakfast. That fell short compared to the rest of the amenities offered. Marie stayed on May 25th

The property offered a bunch of different options for family such as a pool, horseback riding, etc. The continental breakfast was basically cereal and bagels. They offer another breakfast you can purchase at another tent.

On site dining was great!

Location of this resort was close to several iconic Black Hills attractions. After Labor Day, the bulk of the restaurants and shops at the resort understandably closed for the season. The grill. Was open until 7:30 for burgers

Breakfast was just cereal, granola bars and muffins. We were not informed until we arrived the bar and restaurant's were closed for the season.

So much to do to keep kids busy. Rodeo was fun. Only 1 bad experience. Pancake breakfast for $ 3.50 ( don't waste your money) pancakes are terrible.

The rooms in the lodge are really nice! Was expecting something more worn/rustic and was pleasantly surprised. Continental breakfast was really pared down... we chose to pay for the pancake breakfast in the tent. Pool near the lodge and hot tub are heated, great on cold nights. Only a 10 minute drive to the Mount Rushmore entrance and Keystone came in handy b/c the weather wasn't great during our stay and we had to stop multiple times at Mount Rushmore before the fog/mist cleared.

Nice place. It’s got something for everyone. Only suggestion I would make is for better options for breakfast. Only had the bare minimum.. no hot options

The food was limited and restaurant on property wasn’t the best . The ice cream shop was good

Such a fun property with a lot of activities for kids and families to do! There are 2 restaurants on property plus a coffee and wine shop. My only real complaint is the WiFi does not work there which doesn’t sound terrible if you want to disconnect but the phones hardly work to even call or text people you’re staying with. Overall a good time though and all the staff were very nice.