Hill City
| Distance from Mt. Rushmore |
12 miles |
| Distance to Other Places |
Crazy Horse Memorial, 5 miles Mt Rushmore, 12 miles Custer State Park Game Lodge about 25 miles Deadwood, 48 miles Sturgis, about 65 miles Spearfish, about 70 miles via US14A (Spearfish Canyon Scenic Drive) Devil's Tower National Monument, about 110 miles via US14A Wind Cave National Park, about 27 miles Jewel Cave National Monument, about 25 miles Badlands National Park, about 110 miles via Rapid City and I-90 Hot Springs, about 40 miles |
| Time Needed: | Give an hour or two |
| Best Time To Go: | Anytime (Midday if you take the train.) |
| Directions: | Follow US 16A north to US 16. Follow 16 west and you can't miss it |
| Cost: | N/A |
| Highlights: | 1880 train, dinosaur exhibit |
Description:
Open All Year Although the town appears to be open all year, many of the attractions are seasonal. |
Hill City was once at the center of one of the three great gold mining districts in the Black Hills. (The other old gold boom towns are Deadwood and Keystone.) During it's heyday as a mining camp, a contemporary writer described Hill City as "a mile of hell" because there was one solid mile of saloons and gun-play just about daily. The town's been tamed a lot since those times, first as a stop on the main stage coach route from Cheyenne to Deadwood, and later as a stop on the railroad. Today, Hill City is still home to the Black Hills only railroad, the Black Hills Central Railroad. It's also home to the "Black Hills Institute" a private organization of dinosaur hunters who operate a museum on Main Street. A good way to see Hill City is to take a morning train out of Keystone, walk around for a couple of hours, then take an afternoon train back. Info: Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce PO Box 253 Hill City, SD 57745-0253 Phone: (605) 574-2368 Toll Free: (800) 888-1798 Fax: (605) 574-2628 Hill City is moderately tourist friendly and it is the second best base for touring the Black Hills; that is, close to almost everything. Lodging with four franchised motels and dining with four real restaurants are somewhat limited. On the upside, a number of local artists and craftspeople work out of Hill City. |
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