Frequently Asked Questions

Black Hills & Badlands Questions

We recommend at least three days. The Black Hills can typically be divided into 3 touring areas – Southern Black Hills (Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park), Northern Black Hills (Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood), and the Badlands. 

Having three days allows you to touch on all of these areas. Of course, more time in the area will allow you a better opportunity to see more and not rush through the sights. 

Rapid City regional airport is the most accessed airport in the area. 
There are year round direct flights and some seasonal direct flights. See the RAP website for more details. 
https://rapairport.com/

Rapid City is the largest town in the area and fairly central, especially if you plan on going out to the Badlands. There are a handful of hotels in the quaint downtown area where you can walk to restaurants and boutique shops. 

Other hotels are around the interstate/Box Elder area and it’s a good idea to have a car if you’re staying there. 

Alternatively, there is ample accommodation west of Rapid City in the Black Hills. These are smaller towns and will give you a true sense of the Black Hills (Custer, Keystone, Hill City, Deadwood, Spearfish). Depending on what you would want to see, staying in the Hills can mean longer driving times to various sights, or shorter to others. 

We are happy to give hotel recommendations based on individual preferences. 

There are some wonderful restaurants in Rapid City and the Black Hills. Here is a list of a few of our personal favorites. 

Rapid City – 
Tally’s Silver Spoon 
Murphys Pub and Grille
Delmonico Grill
Juniper Local Cuisine
Bokujo Ramen 
Windsor Block (bar)
Harriet and Oak (cafe)

Hill City 
Alpine Inn
Pizzeria Mangiamo
Cream (Ice cream/coffee) 

Custer 
Custer Wolf
Skogen Kitchen
Custer Beacon
Black Hills Burger and Bun

Deadwood
Saloon #10 Deadwood Social Club
Silverado Franklin
Jacobs Brewhouse

The months of May through mid-October are the best touring months. 
In the spring and early summer, you can expect calm mornings with possible thunderstorms in the afternoons. 
The peak of summer is busiest in the area, particularly either side of 4th of July. The days are warmer, with a dry heat. 
September is our favorite month in the area, particularly moving into fall. The last two weeks of September and first week of October are great for fall colors. 

You can expect the Black Hills area to be slightly cooler than Rapid City, and the Badlands area to be slightly warmer. 

While this is typically what we expect, the weather can fluctuate drastically in the area. See some average temperatures here. 

Black Hills Tour Company & Our Tours

Owners Kevin and Melina started the company in 2014 with the hopes of expanding the tourist opportunities available in the Black Hills. We are a a team of about 12 local guides who love the area. We run private tours and customize outings to fit our groups needs. We believe in personal experiences – you’ll be paired with a great guide and we hope to share the best with you. 

Typically our full day tours are between 7-9hours depending on the tour. 
As we offer custom tours, we can confirm a rough time frame at the time of booking depending on the itinerary. 

We are based in Rapid City, and offer complimentary pick up within Rapid City city limits and at the collection of hotels around the Box Elder area. We do offer pick up in other areas of the Black Hills, a destination fee may apply for our additional time and costs. 

We run private tours only, and unless noted the tour will be just the guests in your party. 

Our typical cancellation policy is as follows – 

More than 45 Days in Advance – 100% refund minus any transaction fees
44-14 days in advance – 75% refund minus any transaction fees
13-4 days in advance – 50% refund minus any transaction fees
Within 72 hours of commencement – refunds will not be available.

We always recommend our guest invest in travel insurance. As we run private tours, out guides and vehicles are set aside for you for the day form the time of booking. We understand sometimes uforeseen things happen at the last minute, that’s when travel insurance can help. 

We pride ourselves on using very comfortable vehicles! Depending on your group’s size we either have luxury converted Ford Transit vans with super comfy captains chairs. We use top of the line, spacious Ford SUV’s if you are a couple. Our largest 10/14 seater vans are Mercedes Sprinters. 

We typically have a no dog policy. We need to be respectful to other guests who may have allergies and will be in the vehicles followng the tour. 

We get asked this all the time

Snow really varies depending where you are in the Black Hills. Rapid City averages about 40″ per year, but the northern areas can get 100″+!
To keep in mind for trip planning, it is typical to see some snow into April, and even early May. This can sometimes impact the road conditions/openings on some of the main tourist roads. 
In the fall, it’s not uncommon to see snow in October – and then other times October is dry and a great time to visit. It can be a little hit or miss!

Bike Tour Questions

We recommend using gravel bikes.
A road bikes tires will be too thin on the packed gravel. We wouldn’t recommend any narrower than 32mm tires. 
Mountain Bikes work really well too, but can be a little slower on the trail. 

This bike ride is along the shoulder of the main tourist road in the National Park. There are no bike trails within the park. 
It is a very slow and lightly trafficked road, even riders who are not used to sharing the road, typically find this ride very accessible. We do not recommend this ride for riders under 12. 

While it is possible to ride up to the monument, we typically only recommend it to very experienced and conditioned road riders. 
The hill to Mt Rushmore is very steep, long, and typically there is quite a lot of traffic. 

We think the best riding months in the area are June and September. That being said, May can be a great time to ride – the weather is just a little more hit or miss. July and August are also wonderful times to visit, the weather can just be slightly warmer. 

We aim to accommodate our riders where we can. If you are going to be renting a bike for multiple days we can absolutely help you ensure your bike is is comfortable as possible. 

We do not. We are not aware of any Mountain Bike rentals in the area.