Spearfish / Black Hills KOA

The Great Outdoors

Camp in an RV near Spearfish and spend a day exploring the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, which winds along the edge of a narrow gorge carved by the Spearfish Creek. It extends from the city of Spearfish to Cheyenne Crossing along an old railroad grade that was abandoned following extensive flooding in 1933. There are impressive views of the 60-foot Bridal Veil Falls on offer, as well as access to fly fishing pools and hiking trails to the Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls. Aside from being renowned for the changing colors of its yellow aspen and birch leaves, the canyon also provides a home for mountain goats, chipmunks, and deer, as well as hawks, woodpeckers, and bald eagles.Continue driving south through Black Hills National Forest, and you’ll arrive at Custer State Park, which was the first state park to be established in South Dakota. It’s known for its herd of around 1,500 free-roaming bison, which can be viewed from one of the scenic drives that wind through the park. Stop in at the Peter Norbeck Center to learn about the park’s natural and cultural history, then visit the home of South Dakota’s first Poet Laureate at the Badger Hole Historic Site.Camping at Spearfish / Black Hills KOA can also be convenient for visiting Wind Cave National Park, which sprawls just to the south of Custer State Park. It’s named for its immense cave system that comprises numerous chambers whose walls are honeycombed in boxwork calcite formations. Regular tours led by local rangers explore the cave system, ranging from the easy Garden of Eden and Natural Entrance tours to the more challenging Fairgrounds Cave tour that accesses both the upper and middle levels of Wind Cave.

Exploring the City

Spearfish campers can enjoy access to a couple of nearby supermarkets, as well as gas stations if you need to fill up your RV rental. Spearfish is also home to a handful of fast-food restaurants and local eateries if you prefer to dine out.If you’re visiting Spearfish, be sure to stop in at the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives, which is one of the oldest fish hatcheries in the United States. Its 1899 hatchery building is now home to the Von Bayer Museum of Fish Culture where an impressive collection of artifacts related to fishing and aquaculture are on display. You can join a guided tour of the Neo-Colonial Revival-style residence that D.C. Booth built in 1905 and admire the reproduction ice house and rail car once used to haul trout through the Black Hills, as well as the Yellowstone Boat that was used to collect trout eggs until 1911.Spearfish / Black Hills KOA can also be used as a base for visiting Rapid City, which lies just 45 minutes’ drive away on the eastern edge of the Black Hills National Forest. Admire the life-size statues known as the “City of Presidents” that dot the downtown area and delve into the region’s natural history and geology at the Journey Museum & Learning Center. Rapid City is also famed as the gateway to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a massive sculpture of four U.S. presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln). It was completed in 1941 by Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln, with the site now featuring an interactive museum and the Sculptor’s Studio where a 1/12th scale model of Mount Rushmore is on display.Whether you want to explore the natural wonders of the Black Hills or see Mount Rushmore with your own eyes, book an RV in Lawrence County and start planning your next vacation.