Lodge at Palmer Gulch

2.0 star property

Photo gallery for Lodge at Palmer Gulch

Aerial view
2 outdoor pools
Terrace/patio
2 restaurants, lunch served
Front of property

Reviews

8.8 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Housekeeping
  • Gym

Explore the area

View map
12620 HWY 244, Hill City, SD, 57745
  • Place, Needles Highway
    ‪5 min drive‬
  • Place, Mount Rushmore National Memorial
    ‪8 min drive‬
  • Place, Mount Rushmore
    ‪10 min drive‬
  • Airport, Rapid City, SD (RAP-Rapid City Regional)
    ‪54 min drive‬

Room options

Standard Room, 1 King Bed

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
(2 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Standard Double Room

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful
(22 reviews)
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

Executive Cabin, 3 Bedrooms, Mountain View

7.2 out of 10
Good
(7 reviews)
  • 3 bedrooms
  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 8
  • 1 King Bed, 1 Queen Bed, 2 Twin Beds and 1 Double Sofa Bed

Executive Cabin, 3 Bedrooms, Hot Tub, Mountain View

  • 3 bedrooms
  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 8
  • 1 Queen Bed, 1 King Bed, 2 Twin Beds and 1 Double Sofa Bed

Executive Cabin, 4 Bedrooms, Hot Tub, Mountain View

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 4 bedrooms
  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 12
  • 2 King Beds, 4 Twin Beds and 2 Twin Bunk Beds

Comfort Double Room, 2 Queen Beds, Fireplace, Annex Building

  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

Similar properties

About the area

Hill City

When you stay at Lodge at Palmer Gulch in Hill City, you'll be in a national park, within a 10-minute drive of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Mount Rushmore. .This family-friendly hotel is 10.4 mi (16.7 km) from Custer State Park and 3.3 mi (5.4 km) from Black Hills National Forest.

What's nearby

  • Needles Highway - 5 min drive - 6.0 km
  • Mount Rushmore National Memorial - 8 min drive - 8.5 km
  • Mount Rushmore - 10 min drive - 9.9 km
  • 1880 Train - 10 min drive - 11.6 km
  • Prairie Berry Winery - 12 min drive - 9.8 km

Getting around

  • Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) - 45 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Alpine Inn - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Bumpin' Buffalo - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Dairy Queen - ‬15 min drive
  • ‪Carver's Café - ‬10 min drive
  • ‪Lost Cabin Brewery and Beer Garden - ‬9 min drive

About this property

Lodge at Palmer Gulch

Family-friendly hotel with 2 restaurants and 2 outdoor pools
Lodge at Palmer Gulch offers 61 accommodations with hair dryers and irons/ironing boards. Flat-screen televisions come with cable channels. Bathrooms include bathtubs or showers.

Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include phones along with free local calls (restrictions may apply). Housekeeping is provided daily.

2 outdoor swimming pools are on site along with a children's pool. In addition to a seasonal outdoor pool, other recreational amenities include a complimentary water park, a hot tub, a sauna, and a fitness center.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Stay in one of 61 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Bathrooms have bathtubs or showers and hair dryers. Conveniences include irons/ironing boards, as well as phones with free local calls.
Dip into one of the 2 outdoor swimming pools or enjoy other recreational amenities including a complimentary water park and a sauna. Additional features at this hotel include complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and gift shops/newsstands.
Grab a bite to eat at The Peak Grill & Tap Room, one of the hotel's many dining establishments, which include 2 restaurants and a coffee shop/cafe. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge. A complimentary continental breakfast is served daily from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM.
Featured amenities include a business center, laundry facilities, and ATM/banking services. Planning an event in Hill City? This hotel has 500 square feet (46 square meters) of space consisting of conference space and 4 meeting rooms. Free self parking is available onsite.
A complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning between 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM.
The Peak Grill & Tap Room - This restaurant serves lunch and dinner. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. A children's menu is available.
Turtle Town - This restaurant serves lunch and dinner. A children's menu is available. Open daily.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Free self parking on site
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking and van parking available

Food and drink

  • Free continental breakfast available daily 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM
  • 2 restaurants
  • A bar/lounge
  • A coffee shop/cafe

Restaurants on site

  • The Peak Grill & Tap Room
  • Turtle Town

Things to do

  • 2 outdoor pools
  • Basketball
  • Bicycle rentals
  • Children's pool
  • Fishing
  • Free water park
  • Gym
  • Horseback riding/rentals
  • Hot tub
  • Mini golf
  • Playground
  • Sauna
  • Shopping
  • Volleyball
  • Waterslide

Family friendly

  • 2 outdoor pools
  • Children's pool
  • Free water park access
  • Grocery/convenience store
  • In-room cot
  • Laundry facilities
  • Mini golf
  • Playground
  • Pool gate
  • Waterslide

Conveniences

  • ATM
  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Grocery/convenience store
  • Laundry facilities
  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Vending machine

Guest services

  • Concierge services
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Business services

  • 4 meeting rooms
  • 500 square feet of conference space
  • Business centre

Outdoors

  • Barbecue grill
  • In a national park
  • In the mountains
  • Picnic area
  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Lift
  • Pool hoist on site
  • Stair-free path to entrance
  • Well-lit path to entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible lounge
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible path to lift
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk
  • Wheelchair-accessible restaurant
  • Wheelchair-accessible van parking

More

  • 1 building
  • 3 floors
  • Banquet hall
  • Fireplace in lobby

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Free cot

Bathroom

  • Bathtub or shower
  • Hair dryer
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • Flat-screen TV with cable channels

More

  • Air conditioning (climate-controlled)
  • Free local calls
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Phone

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3 PM; Check-in end time: midnight
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours), key retrieval

Pets

Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 25.00 per pet, per day
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs only
Specific rooms only, restrictions apply; pet-friendly rooms can be requested by contacting the property at the number on the booking confirmation
An off-leash area is available

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
3 children, up to the age of 1, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 10.00 per day
Free cribs are available on request at the property

Payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Pet fee: USD 25.00 per pet, per day
  • Service animals are exempt from fees
  • Rollaway bed fee: USD 10.00 per day

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted

We should mention

The seasonal pool will be open from May to September

Property is also known as

Lodge Palmer Gulch Hill City
Lodge Palmer Gulch
Palmer Gulch Hill City
Palmer Gulch
The Lodge At Palmer Gulch Hotel Hill City
Hotel At Palmer Gulch
At Palmer Gulch Hotel
Lodge at Palmer Gulch Hotel
Lodge at Palmer Gulch Hill City
Lodge at Palmer Gulch Hotel Hill City

Lodge at Palmer Gulch Reviews

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 519 out of 910 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 247 out of 910 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 96 out of 910 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 29 out of 910 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 19 out of 910 reviews

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

JOY, MARKLE

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Kristen

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Went on a cross country road trip and stayed in many hotels. This one had amazing things for our kids to do, but the hotel is lacking in a few areas. We were originally put into a cabin that looked like it was falling apart and stank horribly, bath tub had holes all over the bottom, window screen was broken, it was just gross. We got moved to the hotel and that was much nicer. The amenities were great! Kids fell in love with the play areas, pool, etc. Lots to do! Breakfast is average continental. All in all it was a good trip
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jamie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Perfect for traveling with kids!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Patricia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great for kids
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Billi

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved this place. The area is pretty and the kids could have been entertained for days without leaving. I would love to go back. We ended up being in the very far corner so bikes would have been handy. I didn’t look into renting anything there, this was a short stay for us. Next time.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Tyrone

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kathryn

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mary

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Louise

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff was very helpful and pleasant. The room was nice sized even with rollaway cot. Lots of activities for kids, teens, adults, and groups to enjoy with daily activity sheet available to help plan the stay. Camped here in one of the little cabins 30+ years ago and had so much fun with my kids. This year in Lodge with grandchild was even better.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Christina, West Point

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location and has everything you need to keep the family fed and busy.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2025

8/10 Good

Barbara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Lovely location. Staff were wonderful, excellent customer service! Lodge is older but clean.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Waylon

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great staff and kids activates
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

Candace

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jeffrey

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place to vacation
Stayed 5 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Shonna

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great for family visit to Mt. Rushmore!

Stay in the Executive Lodge was nice. We had 5 people and needed 3 bedrooms. There aren't many options like this in the Keystone area... most accommodations suiting that many have a pull-out couch for 2 people. Executive lodges are nice and warm/heated. Living area is roomy with a dining table, fireplace, and sitting area. Master bedroom is nice & big. Other 2 bedrooms are smaller. Worked great for us BUT, for the price, I might have opted to stay another night in the Lodge which, also had really nice rooms.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Shonna

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Perfect family spot for Mt. Rushmore visit!

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.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Marcia

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property was very nice and inviting. Staff was excellent and made great dinner spot in Hill City. Enjoyed the quiet cabin and fireplace. Recommend highly
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sheri, Mesa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful property, friendly staff, very clean
Stayed 3 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Cristian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kimberly

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2024

10/10 Excellent

Dustin

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everything was absolutely great, i didnt realize the resort was seasonal so that was a lil bit of a bummer but will absolutely go back.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2024

8/10 Good

H

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2024

10/10 Excellent

Merle

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place will come here again and recommend it to all others that are going to the area.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2024