Bed Bugs and Shady Management…read more I stayed here on July 22, 2020. Great check in and looked like a clean place. At 2:30am I was woken up by 2 bites on my face. I stripped the bed and found bed bugs and other insects under the pillow, on the floor, and on the carpet. I went to the office and there was a sign saying ring the Ring device for after-hours service. I attempted to ring the Ring device for about 30 minutes, along with calling the phone number with no joy in contacting management. At 3:00am I returned to my room and removed my belongings to prevent the insects from entering my luggage. I pulled up a chair and sat outside the lobby for another 2.5 hours trying the Ring device and phone number, hoping to reach management and get at least some sleep that night. At 5:00am I left one last message on their answering machine then left Spearfish. I recieved a call hours after I left, sometime before lunch. The manager said that sitting in front of the lobby was "bizzare" and I "should have gotten a room somewhere else" if I couldn't reach management. This is not a solution when a guest has a problem at your establishment, and frankly it's poor business management. I left a review on Google immediately after I left, to prevent anyone else from dealing with thebed bugs in my room. Management replied to my Google review and attempted to make me out as a shady individual who roams the grounds at night. Going so far as to say I "disturbed the other guests" by waiting by the lobby for someone to show up. Was I supposed to stay in my infested room all night until management stumbled in sometime in the late morning, after leaving the property unattended at night? Also, I doubt I disturbed the other guests with my sitting because I can tell you that I was the only one there. Management can't say the same, as they were gone and unreachable for the entire night. This business is extremely shady, and I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Please feel free to contact me if you would like additional photos, videos, or testimony about the bed bugs, insect, and poor management of Bells Motor Lodge. Stay away!

Wow, this place was an unexpected surprise! The exterior only tells part of the tale. The sign is…read moreeither original and extremely well kept, or is new and done in a very cool, retro style. The exterior and the grounds are immaculate and show a lot of pride. It was Scott, the owner, that checked my daughter and I in during a recent motorcycle trip. You don't meet inn keepers like him much any more. He was extremely friendly and eager to offer suggestions and advice and answer questions. He has menu's from several local eateries on hand, and he has some great maps and he was really gracious and marked some places we were interested in on one for us. There is an outside heated pool that my daughter really enjoyed. It was sparkling clean and the entire area around it was clean and well kept as well. Our room was large and extremely well maintained. Nothing looked or felt worn or dated. It was retro to be sure, but everything was very nice. The AC worked great, the bed was very comfortable. It was an excellent value. Spearfish is a great town. Unfortunately because of it's proximity to quite a bit of tourist type stuff there are quite a few of the big chain motels here. Most are double the price of Bells and not near as charming, and you don't get a gracious host like Scott to help you out. There is a covered sitting area outside the front of each room, and plenty of chairs. It was a great spot to sit and chat with some of our fellow travelers. When in the area again I won't consider staying anywhere else. It's a great value and just a cool spot. It has a charm and ambiance you don't often find anymore. Highly, highly reccomended.

The people who own this campground and work have done a lot to help my family through a very tough…read moretime I deeply appreciate them

AWARENESS: Chris' Campground was our RV destination stop…read morewhile visiting South Dakota from June 27 through July 6, 2022. NARRATIVE: This years annual RV trip with four other RV friends and family began and ended here at Chris' Camp from June until July of 2022. Located right off the I90 freeway in the town of Spearfish, Chris' Camp turned out to be a great place to stay since its centrally located to everything you may want to see and do in the South Dakota area. The campground is well maintained and has lots of amenities such as; two heated swimming pools, a petting zoo and many grassy shaded areas for kids to play. The staff were friendly and extremely helpful, especially when looking for great place to eat in the area. They were also helpful in pointing out places to have repairs done to one of my fiends truck. SCENE: Located right off the I90 freeway in the town of Spearfish, Chris' Camp turned out to be a great place to stay since its located less than than 15 minutes from Deadwood. 20 minutes from Sturgis. And, an hour from Rapid City and Custer. Three of our rigs lucked out and got pull through spots and one had a back in but, the staff made sure we were all together. The only downside to Chris' Camp would be the roads. Made up from dirt and rock, the frequent rains made traction going uphill in some spots dificult. RECOMMENDATION(S): The friendliness of the staff alone would made me recommend Chris' Camp to everyone.

- - - Current Review - 2025…read more- - - One of our favorite places to visit - great people, great views, and great climbing !!! - - - - - - - - May, 2025 Visit If you visit Devils Tower, you should plan to stay at Devils Tower Lodge (DTL) !! Stay at DTL for: The DTL team members The views of Devils Tower... the only places to sleep with a view of the Tower are the KOA campsite and Devils Tower Lodge The climbing Meeting fellow guests, and the communal meals The quiet of the nature The clear skies and stars at night If we could award six stars we would WOW!! - - - We recommend you also plan to climb... you CAN do it... all four of us - Mom, Dad, two kids, climbed and you can climb, too! You'll be safely roped in with a great climbing team. - - - We discovered Devils Tower Lodge (DTL) in 2017; we planned a visit to Devils Tower as part of an "out west" vacation and we were intrigued by the chance to see Devils Tower / Bear Lodge, from the room; then-owner Frank invited us to also climb with them, and we did not expect we would climb, but we said "Yes" and then when we got there we did climb - all four of us, and we had a phenomenal time... the whole trip was great and Devils Tower Lodge was the favorite highlight of that great trip. This year, in 2025, we had a chance for an extended weekend trip and we quickly confirmed that we'd go... Wyoming, especially Devils Tower Lodge, is a favorite place that excites us and also provides quiet and tranquility. In 2017 we climbed 120 feet up, while safely roped in; this trip I just hoped to get at least a little higher this time, and with Curtis we did make it higher, about 150 feet up... We climbed at the same spot on the Tower - they can point it to you so you can see it from the Lodge, and you can see the Lodge from where we climb. We enjoyed the "beginner" climb; if you're more experienced you can likely pick other locations on the Tower to climb. We climbed the Everlasting and Broken Tree routes 4-5 times. Curtis was a great guide!! Our daughter also climbed separately with DTL members (incl. Carlos), and they made it all the way the top... we were so proud that she set a goal and achieved it! A tornado hit the tower in 2024; the tornado damage was evident; it looked like the tornado hit the tower straight on, as trees were felled on both sides; we later saw much more damage as we drove toward Gillette. Breakfast and Dinner... great food, lovingly prepared by Hannah and Glen... plenty to fill you up... The rooms - each is uniquely decorated and nice and quiet, with great views. Stargazing... skies so dark; airplane flights do happen, but they are infrequent; you will likely see several satellites - smaller lights moving much more quickly than planes... for the first 90 min or so after sunset. Sunsets are later, and longer/slower than back home in STL. Peaceful... so quiet and peaceful there... you don't miss any noise; you are relaxed. The views of Devils Tower / Bear Lodge are wonderful, and the owners - Rachel and Gabe - a wonderful couple, now parents, are welcoming and giving. Thank you, Curtis, Carlos, Hannah & Glen, and Rachel and Gabe! - - - Original Review - 2017, abbreviated - - - AWESOME! Go. Stay. Experience. You'll be soooooo glad you did!We had a 15 day vacation to 8 places in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Utah and Colorado, and it was all amazing... this was out best-ever family trip for many reasons... and climbing Devils Tower with Gabe and Julius was THE BEST part of our amazing trip.If we could award six stars we would!... We reserved the cabin with two bedrooms... a full bed in each room and two futons in the large open room... amazing view of Devils Tower from the front door, from the nice and large patio deck, and from the panoramic window in the bathroom. ... The climbing was one of the highlights of our trip. They have a training room next to the main house where they fit you for shoes and the climbing harnesses, and where you learn that climbing is "not a series of pull-ups, which is often what they show in the movies," but is mostly legs pushing you upward, and where you put that into practice on a short rock wall. ... We climbed three routes from where we were, all starting right there at the same place, just a few feet left or right of the other. I truly thought we'd be happy if we climbed about 20 feet high, and lasted a full hour. As it was, all four of us climbed up the 100-foot route and the 115-foot route, and we were there for the entire six-hours that Gabe and Julius planned. ... Since coming home, we have been to our local pool, which has a 12-foot rock wall. This wall frustrates us because it requires so much upper body strength, and it is significantly more difficult that's climbing Devils Tower. Seriously... the rock wall at our pool takes more effort to climb than it did to climb Devils Tower.Thank you Frank, and the entire team at Devils Tower Lodge! ----- ----- -----

Love this place! From the moment you arrived, you are greeted and made to feel like you are at…read morehome! They showed us to our room, we chose the window room, and the view was spectacular. We also chose the dinner option, which I also recommend because there are few places nearby to eat. The dining area also has a great view of the tower. The communal dining allows you to interact with the other guests and the hosts! The dinner was homemade and delicious! I want to keep this place a secret because they don't have many rooms, but if you're planning on a trip to Devil's Tower... this THE PLACE to stay!

This is a fun place for the kids to try out skiing for the first time…read more I brought my family to Terry Peak to learn how to ski. I grew up skiing, but my Florida babies hadn't seen snow until this vacation. There's a sweet little ski school that introduces kids to skiing. They get a two hour lesson with other kids, and by the end of it, most kids can safely ski down the bunny slope for the rest of the day. Sometimes they do take the kids on the chairlifts within those two hours, but on the day my kids took the class, they stuck to the magic carpet. Not a problem. Both kids enjoyed their lesson enough that they were up to trying the chairlift with me, and we hopped on, and the staff was kind enough to slow down the chairs to let us get on awkwardly and then to stop the lift when my son fell off when he dismounted. Everyone is super friendly. The instructors were really nice and great at communicating with the parents. The people running the rental area were very understanding when my daughter lost her ski in the powder. The resort is small enough that I was comfortable letting my kids go off with their ski school friends to ski the rest of the afternoon. The kids' green ski lesson package included a beginner's pass that allowed them access to the Stewart lift, so they could go down a couple green circle runs, which was enough for my daughter. The next day, I signed my son up for the Blue ski lesson package. On that day, it was just him and another kid who had also been in the beginner class the day before. The instructor took them to the top of the mountain, and by the end of the 2 hours, my son felt comfortable going down the easier blue squares. Both of my kids are now excited to plan more ski vacations. Terry Peak is probably too small for more experienced skiers to stay amused for long, but for a two day intro to skiing for my kids, it was perfect. We were there for spring break, and it happened to snow for the three days before we arrived, so the mountain was "busy." The lines to buy tickets and get fitted for rental gear were long and slow. But once you are all set up, the resort itself was fantastic. The lines for the chairlifts moved quickly, none of the 30=60 minute waits that I remember from skiing in Tahoe as a kid. The Stewart Lodge Cafe was a very fast place to grab a quick meal. They just serve pizza, hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders, corn dogs, and chili. There's also a bar on one side that allows kids to sit at the tables but does not allow outside food. I heard that the other lodge has a better menu, but we never made it down there. There's a decent amount of free parking. We took a taxi from Deadwood (cost $35-40 each way) rather than try the icy and unfamiliar roads in a rental.

We didn't "hit the slopes" but yet we're packed with others brave enough to take on the wind and…read morecold. No doubt it is a popular place to ski. The bar area offered the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine with a view of the slopes .

Absolutely lovely accommodation. My only regret was not being able to stay longer than one night…read more Close enough to town to walk to food yet off the main street. Had a small kitchenette and Kerig (much appreciated). Window overlooking the creek and as temp was cool enough we left it open all night to listen to the creek. In the morning we took coffee out on the trail and sat on one of the benches at the adjacent park. Highly recommend staying here, especially considering the price!

I'm almost afraid to post this recommendation....for fear I won't get a room next time! Note, this…read moreis as good as it gets for the $50 motel on your roadtrip. We who travel live in hopes of the sweet, charming, economical, unique, clean place with warm, friendly, family run management...people who care. Bingo! The motel is situated beside the Spearfish Creek and lovely park and walking trails. There is plenty to choose from for dining and coffee within walking distance. Rochelle was so pleasant to deal with, her kids help out, there is a little pool that I didn't have time to use, the room was clean and spacious and they are pet friendly. What more can you ask for!!