This campground unfortunately ranks as the worst we've ever encountered, despite our extensive experience as full-time campers. Although we planned to stay two weeks, we cut our visit short by five days due to poor treatment from the staff. Below is a detailed account of our experience. First, I want to recognize a few staff members who were genuinely professional and kind: Courtney (with purple hair), Louise, and Pam from the kitchen. They made sincere efforts to improve our stay. Unfortunately, the overall experience was overshadowed by significant issues with the campground's facilities and staff responsiveness. Here's a summary of the issues we faced: DAY ONE: I used the showers in the women's restroom under the office, and the drain in the first stall backed up, causing the water to rise past my ankles. I called the front office, and maintenance was supposed to be contacted. DAY TWO: The drainage issue continued. I informed Courtney that the shower was still backing up and draining slowly. She called maintenance, who arrived to find the shower clogged. I expected it would be fixed by the next day. DAY THREE: The shower began filling up with water again while I was using it. Standing in dirty water mixed with bodily fluids and plumbing chemicals was extremely frustrating. I reported the issue again, but the man with the Australian accent responded harshly, "This is the first time I'm hearing about this," suggesting it was my fault. DAY FOUR: The shower clogged for the fourth time. I was understandably upset. Reporting the issue again to the same unhelpful staff, the Australian-accented man dismissed my concerns, saying, "I already called maintenance, and they put chemicals in." I requested to speak to the park manager, Carla Jacobson, who would be available the next morning. After getting her information, Pam from the kitchen overheard my frustrations, validated my concerns, and got maintenance to address the issue. When I spoke with maintenance later, they condescendingly said, "We put chemicals in and have been running water for 20 minutes. It's fine," implying it wasn't a problem. DAY FIVE: I met with Carla Jacobson to explain the situation and seek resolution or an apology. Her response was indifferent, merely saying, "ok, thanks." This lack of acknowledgment made it clear that we needed to leave early. We had been living in fear of retaliation due to the poor treatment, which was unacceptable. In summary, this was by far the worst experience we've had with any KOA or campground. Poor facility maintenance and inadequate customer service led to a highly unsatisfactory stay. We spent $500 and faced significant discomfort, including exposure to unsanitary conditions. I'm posting this review as evidence in case of any health issues related to toxic plumbing chemicals. This serves as a cautionary note to potential visitors. Previous reviews also mention similar staff issues, suggesting these problems are likely to persist. STAY AWAY FROM HERE!!! read more

Rapid City KOA - Day 4 clog - RV Parks Near Me - Rapid City, South Dakota

This place is a typical KOA in that it has attentive personnel, campsites are laid out level on gravel or hard top, and many of support features you would expect to find at a KOA. The staff is busy at this place. You'll see them zipping around in golf carts escorting visitors to their campsites -- why I don't know it's not complicated to get around -- but the site is not massive and it may be. They're concerned about traffic jams or entry into sites from the right direction without clogging up traffic on the site. Now for the downsides. This place is busy and noisy. It's a smack dab suburban Rapid City. Many of the guests, haul motorcycles and ATVs. You may find you are a weekend, as we were, at seven or 8 o'clock in the morning while Sam Yahoo is letting his Harley idle for 10 minutes until he decide to get on and ride it on Friday nights. You can hear the sounds of cars on a race track, this goes on at least until 10 o'clock and then there's the sounds of just Rapid City around you. It's a noisy place no doubt about it. This place is worth three stars for a place to stay if you need or want a KOA . The staff can't be everywhere to intervene with inconsiderate guests. And the location is both a plus and minus for reasons I've cited here for this reason I've given it a three star rating. read more

The grounds are kept up nicely and it's a large campground. We arrived at 10:15 and although there was no one in our campsite, they would t allow us to park our camper there until after 1 pm so we had to drop it in the overflow lot. That made no sense to me and created an extra hassel for us disconnecting and reconnecting our truck to the camper just to move it a few yards. read more

We reserved a spot for our 44 foot rv, a pull thru spot. It was sooo small we couldn't open a slide. The site was mud. The picnic table was on a major slant unuseable. The resort has RVs jammed in very tight even though there are a lot of empty spaces. Stay away from the 4 pancakes and the syrup is like melted plastic. Horrible I will never go to another KOA because of this one experience. read more

Visiting South Dakota and site seeing so we decided to stay at a koa considering it's a popular campsite I stayed at recent ones in California but this was my first time visiting an out of state koa .What can I say this campsite was cool , our tent site was a pretty nice size with a neat table and fire pit. Showers were decent staff at the front desk were helpful, as well as a fully stocked store. I enjoyed myself. read more

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Beautiful country and this camp ground nestled right down in the middle. Our tent site. Was super tiny but we were able to make it work and still have enough space for a campfire and s'mores :) laundry facility, game room and showers all very nice. Love the sinks for washing dishes and all the basketballs and volleyballs available for the kids. I recommend this KOA, very nice! read more

Rapid City KOA - No horseplay happening here :) - RV Parks Near Me - Rapid City, South Dakota

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We stayed here for 3 nights in the blazing heat of July. We went exploring every day at the surrounding attractions, so it wasn't like this KOA was an all inclusive type of campground. Pros: 1. The pool was fun and the improvements they are making look like they are going to look good. 2. The sites were level - which is great. 3. The store was properly stocked. Cons: 1. The area outside the pool was under construction which, imho, was a safety hazard for the kids running around. 2. The site directions need to be flipped. - It appears that all the sites have the camper doors facing South with the sun beating on the camper all day with the only relief coming at night time. 3. The staff in the office were okay, not nice or mean, just meh. 4. I've stayed at several KOA's and I can't remember having to pay an additional fee for every single person who stayed in my camper. It's usually an extra fee after so many people. 5. The dead - partially and fully squished bunnies that multiplied daily in the road into the campground were awful to see. read more

My husband booked this KOA by mistake and asked to cancel our reservation (it was over a week out) and the manager said no, because of Sturgis (we didn't even know it was Sturgis). My husband asked if kids 10 and under were discounted (like most other koa's) and the manager said "I'm sorry you people can't read-it's all on the website. 5 and under here." He also asked about a military discount and she ignored the question and told him the amount. He repeated the question and she asked if he had the KOA card. He didn't, and she said "koa way or no way." She was obnoxious, rude, and condescending. I don't recommend this place solely based on the manager's behavior. read more

So they had a nice pool. Plenty of spaces. Laundry facilities. A nice little store. Fun weekly events. Nice staff. Clean park. Big Rig friendly. Convenient to local attractions. Wi-Fi was ok (not great but ok). But I really feel like it was a bit pricey. But what was the most upsetting is they let you drop your mail in the office to go out.... well mail i sent out from there took almost 2 weeks to arrive. While mail I sent from our next stop a week later in Sious Falls got there before the mail I sent from that office at the KOA. Would I stay here again?? no. Let me clarify I left a low review mainly because of the poor Wi-Fi but the mail situation was aggravating as well. But let me tell you the nasty comment I got from the KOA is now even more of a reason!! read more

A nice KOA located very close to the main freeways giving easy access to all of the sights in the area. We had one of the larger pull through sites near the entrance. The roads and sites are gravel, but easy to navigate for big rigs. Each site has a small grass area with a picnic table. The park has all of the standard KOA amenities with a pool, playground, dog area, bathrooms and showers, etc. along with a game room and a pancake breakfast offered most mornings. Wifi was not working at all for us during our stay. See all of our reviews and pictures at thegilliamsisland. read more

Rapid City KOA - RV Parks Near Me - Rapid City, South Dakota

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I presume that a KOA would have passable Wi-Fi if it is advertised. I was unable to use it for two days. Logged on fine but so slow it was useless. Too many guests is no excuse. read more

We stayed here 1 night for less than 12 hours. We were given the last campsite, which was adjacent from the playground and the dog run with roads on both sides of us. It rained the night we were there and practically flooded our campsite. We are driving across the country so it wasn't like we could just go home and wash out the truck and camper. Being next to the playground was definitely not a plus as it was very loud and obnoxious, this also came to a surprise to us that children were interacting so closely in the middle of a global pandemic. The staff there were nice enough as they seem to be part of the KOA cult franchise. Nothing was extremely wrong with anything it was just WAY TOO MUCH MONEY for what it was. read more

Plus: 1)This campground is conveniently located in the city. 2) Rest room and laundry facilities is clean Negative: 1) Non-competent or staff who do not care. I have stayed in the campground for 5 days and wanted to extend it for one additional day, so I called the front office and spoke to KARLA requesting for back in, full hookup site for one additional night (hopefully the same site). She told me there's none available and the only site available is a pull through site. When I asked again, she said in a IMPATIENT voice " I have told you 5 times, there is no back up full hook up site" Right after the call, I managed to book a full hook up, back in site that Karla said is not available. So, why the wrong information from Karla? a) incompetency or b) laziness or c) want to up sell since pull through is more expensive or d) discrimination as I speak with an accent Conclusion: an explanation from management would be much appreciated. Thank you. read more

Awesome place!!! Great staff! Loved the dog park... could use a "tunnel" in the dog park . ( small piece of plastic culvert) breakfast was available and good!!! Just overall wonderful. Best KOA to date read more

The owner/management at this site does NOT honor veteran discounts. During our stay the employee in the office talked to people checking in while six Rvs sat in the check out line waiting for the camper to move his rv so they could register When it was brought to his attention that he was holding up a line and people couldn't enter or exit the campground he had a no worries attitude. Then two large dogs roamed the campground bit a campground employee terrorized children and other dogs and when it was brought to his attention he stated people in the campground were "over reacting"?! Really?! Not a good attitude to have at all. read more

This KOA is conveniently located to downtown Rapid City and grocery stores. Not far from Custer StatePark. Patio sites gave comfy furniture. Employees were friendly and helpful. The pool is no longer there. read more

Tent camped here 2 nights and no issues! The WiFi was a little slow but if you're going camping to use WiFi then you should reconsider the point of camping. Nice showers. Laundry was 24 hours! All you can eat pancakes for $3 in the mornings. It's in a good location convenient to most everything. Then again Rapid is a small town so no bad areas. read more

We have stayed at many KOA's and this was one of the worse experiences we have ever had. The campground is super nice. It has a nice pool and playground. The staff and manager is a completely different story. The people in the office are not friendly at all. It had hailed for three days straight so we had a mat outside our camper so that we wouldn't track mud into the camper. We were talked to several times mats aren't allowed, but others had them out. The day we were leaving, they called us THREE minutes before checkout time to "make sure" we would be gone at 11. When I had called and talked to the Manager about our experience, she didn't care at all. I had told her I would make sure to leave reviews, her response was "go right and write a review." read more

Debbie Downer, the owner, answered the phone in a crabby mood. She cut me off as I began by telling her we needed extended stay, thus inquiring about rates. I was told, "stay somewhere else"! I did, indeed, find somewhere else. We travel full-time and enjoy the hospitality of many KOA RV resorts. We've stayed at this particular KOA in the past and its location isn't worth the money. The prices have shot up to $53.00 a night. I suggest anyone reading this looks around the area. There are less expensive parks on the way up the hill to Mt. Rushmore. For instance, Rapid City RV Park and Happy Holiday RV parks both have very nice owners. They are always friendly and comfortable. read more

Although this Rapid City KOA amenities were plentiful (swimming pool, kids playground, free Wifi, showers, laundry room, basketball court), we were disappointed with this campgrounds city location. PLEASE Google map and satellite this KOA location before hand and you'll see there is a local race car track nearby (a few blocks away towards the southeast). We arrived on a Friday afternoon and the local race car drag strip noise was in high gear after 7pm. The race car engine noise didn't end until midnight and we weren't warned about the loud engine noise level during check-in from the otherwise friendly front desk staff. Had we known about the noise level of the local drag strip before hand, we probably would have gone elsewhere because we were tired from a long road trip and couldn't get any sleep from the never ending roar of the engines. Facilities- Although the bathrooms look new, the white walled shower rooms and shower ceilings have mildew everywhere- they definately needed cleaning with bleach. Most of the shower floors in the evening were dirty with dirt from the other RVer's who had wore their sandals in the showers. The dirty shower floors were dirty because the dirt RV grounds and gravel roads are not paved in most areas, and could use some maintenance and improving so that people don't bring in dirty shoes from the campground. The restrooms, bathroom counter tops, and toilets all appeared to be clean. They appear to clean the bathrooms once a day, since there is a sign that says they do between the hours of 1pm to 2pm. Conclusion- Had the local race car drag strip not been so loud, I would have probably gotten some early sleep. If you stay on a night when the local race car track is not being used, you just might enjoy your stay at this KOA. read more

We stayed here on wary night after we finally made our way in to the black hill area. Crabby, tired and needing to rest - was a HELL of a drive from Chicago! We seen pool/hot tub and have always trusted the KOA franchise, so we pulled in. We came on a weekday, after labor day, so there weren't too many campers in the park, which was nice. Especially when we hit the pool and hot tub...that was great! The campground and bathrooms were nice and clean. My gripe was more with the service....we were greeted by Ms. Debbie Downer. No smiles, which is fine..could be a bad day...but not even a thank you as we paid her the cash to stay. Which I have to say, $40 for a campsite OFF SEASON is a bit much to swallow. Wasn't even a shaded area! Although I admit, we woke to a beautiful view of the black hills the next morning. Which was amazing. They have nice, clean bathrooms and separate shower houses. And a game room for the kiddies. The clerks bad mood didn't change the next morning either when we went in for coffee...same bland face and bad attitude. And all we said was good morning! This place isn't horrible, but for $40 a night...there's much better value in that area. Wish we weren't so tired, we could have looked around a little more rather then settling. read more

Not in a great part of town. This park is getting business off folks assuming all these KOA Campgrounds are one. This is a- MUD PIT ! No drainage for rain - our camper is filthy! Office rude - when we saw other parks all over close to all the attractions we were sick we stayed here. This is not one to stay at folks. Remember Hwy 44 NEVERMORE! read more

The staff was helpful and very friendly. This KOA was clean and very well taken care of. This was our first KOA experience and they certainly did not disappoint read more

This KOA is in a much more urban setting than we are used to, but it is still one of the nicest ones we've been to. All of the facilities were clean and confortable. The pool is huge and well maintained, and the all-you-can-eat pancakes were fluffy and delicious. The employees also seemed to enjoy being there, which is extremely important. read more

Rapid City KOA - The cook said, "People say my pancakes taste a little fishy," and then put this on our plate. :-) - RV Parks Near Me - Rapid City, South Dakota

Even though this campground is in amazing South Dakota, bordering the beautiful black hills, I have to give it only 1 star due to poor customer service. As I travel from Massachusetts to Oregon during a pandemic to be with my daughter and grandson, I am trying to minimize contact with people as a precaution, and I am staying in my car at campgrounds along the way. I called ahead the day before and day of arrival 3 times and asked to purchase wood ahead of time, since I knew I would get in after the office closed after a long 12 hour driving day. Each time I was assured that I could call when I arrived and they would bring me firewood. So, when I pulled into camp at 7:30 pm, cold and hungry, and the office was closed, I immediately called the main number. No one answered, since the office was closed, but their message gives a contact number for after hours. So I called, and I explained that I was told I could get wood after hours. She didn't like my tone and told me so. I was frustrated, yes, but NOT rude or inappropriate at all. She hung up on me! I called back and she did not answer. So I left a message, "I'm not sure if we got disconnected or if you hung up on me but please call me back. I am desperate for fire wood to stay warm and cook dinner". She never called back. An hour later she walked into my site and left 4 small pieces of firewood. At that point I already ate cold food out of a can and was setting up for sleep. 6 campgrounds along the way from MA to OR... this was the only disappointment. I will not be returning on my drive home in a couple months. read more

This KOA was just ok. The wifi did not work the whole time we were there. The cabin we were in was in disrepair and the door did not close right between the rooms. The pool was a nice bonus. I would not return to this KOA unless I had no other options. read more

Very average for KOA. Tent sites are packed in. Packed. Almost an afterthought. The shower and bathroom house is essentially uphill yet the stairs to the hill are blocked by a huge patch of roped off new grass(mud) so you have to wander on slippery grass slopes. WiFi was terrible. Unusable. Check in was quick. Location is easy on/off for main roads. Showers were decent. read more

I like this location. It's clean and quite. I like the shower room. They have 2 playgrounds and a pool. The little picnic table next to our pull through has a cute little shelter. It's about 35 mins to Mount Rushmore. Which is perfect for a little day trip out and back. Then hit the WaTiki water park for the 2nd half of the day. read more

As usual, employees were friendly and helpful. Grounds were kept neat and clean. Activities planned daily. Not a rustic setting, it is located in the city but that can make getting to stores & restaurants easy (Que Pasa? Mexican restaurant was great and Prairie Edge is a store to NOT miss). Laundry room prices were literally twice of the other KOAs we've stayed at this summer (we've stayed at 9 so far)- $2.50 per wash and $.50 per 10 min of dryer time (30-40 mins to dry a load). read more

The staff was very friendly, the park was so so. We only stayed one night as we were passing thru. We left early in the morning around 8:00. We were on the road and I noticed an extra charge on my account l, so I called and was told it was for our dog. There was no mention of this charge when I paid nor when we arrived and checked in. Sneaky for sure. Will not stop in there again. read more

We were here for 5 nights. While the cost is higher than what we are used to; the park is BEAUTIFUL!!! They were very accommodating to my family, three fifth wheels wanting to park next to each other. Every night they had a gathering in the pavilion. Wine tasting from local wineries, ice cream social, watermelon night, etc. The park is quiet, no traffic noise. If you have pets, they have the most adorable pet run area! "Toys" for the dogs to run and jump on, run thru and a shaded sitting area for dog owners. I highly recommend this Park! read more

This locations claims outdoorsy-ness and rustic camping, but let's be real. This is glamping at it's near-finest. It's in the city, on the opposite side from the mountains and wilderness, and it mostly concrete. With that being said, it's a decent place! The spaces were kind of cramped, and we (unintentionally) showed up during Sturgis, so it was pretty packed. But the bathrooms were clean, it was relatively quiet considering how close it was to the freeway. There was an incident when we tried to start a fire, and were unaware that there was a burn ban going on. We weren't told at the front during check in, and then were berated by a gentleman in a golf cart who rolled his eyes when we asked for a hose to put the fire out. Not a huge deal, but I really could've gone without the eye roll and attitude. I get it's probably annoying to have to tell everyone, and some people just don't listen, but that was not the case this time. So, the big question, would I stay here again? Maybe. They are super puppy friendly, and seem family-oriented. But I was disappointed to not be more in the woods. So it's a toss up. read more

Well, like I've seen on other reviews, if I could give it no stars, I would. This place does not even come close to what the website or other reviews say. VERY misleading. The cable hook ups are only in a few sites. When asked about the WiFi, the girls in the office said that there was no password, you just needed to "pick one that was available in the area". Seemed to have little knowledge of any questions that were asked. And pool, seriously? There wasn't even water in it. Other visitors had been told for days that it would be open "tomorrow". Really? And the "hot tub" was cold, not even Luke warm. Why not inform guests that these were issues at the time of check in and at least offer a discounted price? This KOA was a big disappointment. We've stayed at many other KOA's and this one is by far the worse that we've seen. One would think that during peak travel season it would be in better condition than it was. Like the girls in the office stated, we need to take it up with the "Corporate Office", not their problem. Ugh! read more

Very clean and beautiful campground. The staff was always very friendly and attentive. I was there for the Sturgis Rally and it was still a pretty quiet place even with the roar of thunder coming and going. The meals were great and reasonably priced. The only negative and it's not a big one is the camp K9's gate poles weren't close enough to the gate so my little dogs walked right out of there. I would stay there next trip up. read more

We highly, highly recommend this incredibly clean, well run and well maintained campground. The work campers - Carla, Heidi, Melanie, Diane, Leslie, Brad and so many others that I didn't get to personally meet - smiled all the time, which is always a good sign! The campground sits way off the main road and we never heard any traffic noise. It was nice and safe for kids to play and ride bikes. Super nice bathrooms (individual shower stalls for complete privacy) and laundry facilities in two different buildings centrally located in the campground. Cute little cottages, each with a swing on the front porch. Two different playgrounds for the kids. Nice tent area. The campground is level, with gravel roads and sites. The sites are big with a good amount of grassy 'yard' between them. We stayed in site 49 in a 40ft motorhome (had to park our toad down the road a bit). Though the site was a tad too small for us, the campground manager, Carla squeezed us in at the last minute - GREATLY APPRECIATED HER DETERMINATION TO FIND US A SPOT!!!!! And quite honestly, that site was the best for entertainment! We were right in front of the playground and tent area. The South Dakota weather can be a little rough on tents sometimes and, though we felt sorry for the tent campers, it still made for some entertaining evenings! We stayed here for two weeks in July, 2020. Can't wait to visit again! Super nice for big rigs, too. Oh, and they have a cute little Kamp K-9 area to let your dog run free a bit. Close to town, grocery store, Walmart, Rushmore Mall. Within 30-45 minutes from Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer SP, Keystone, Hill City, Deadwood and so many amazing things to do in this beautiful state! Highly recommend! read more

Doesn't feel like camping. It's loud from the nearby freeway, and loud from all the people. The spaces are tight so it's extremely crowded and the pool was jam packed every day, every minute it was open. They have a fenced dog area and other spaces to walk dogs on leashes, and with more and more travelers bringing their dogs I'm sure I'm not the only one that deeply appreciates this space for my four-legged family member. The staff were all very nice, the gift shop had great stuff for decent prices, and they had a lot of other amenities like outdoor games, playgrounds, laundry, cheap breakfast, and ice cream. I can't get past how tightly packed KOAs are in general but this one was really tight. It's just not camping when you, your tent (or camper), and your stuff are just feet away from others. It seems a bit greedy of KOAs to jam people into their "campgrounds" like sardines. It really takes away from the experience. Also, again, this site is very close to the freeway. This site gets 3 stars because of the dog friensly spaces and its proximity to so many great things to do in the area. That's really it. read more

More expensive than other KOA's, no pool. It did have a playground but that was it. We rented a car from them expensive and old!

This was our 2nd stay at this KOA, super nice people, offers great dinners so reasonable. Camp grounds in excellent shape. Quiet. We will return again. read more

Rapid City KOA - Laundry, shower building and 1 kids play grounds - RV Parks Near Me - Rapid City, South Dakota

Customer Service is everything, and this place hasn't learned it yet. It has a nice pool area, and things for kids to do, but I won't be back. I booked a year in advance and was given a spot in their drainage ditch. We couldn't use our fire ring because it was flooded with rain water. I asked to move when we got there and realized with my children the mud would be a problem. I was told there were no open spots and they couldn't help that it rained. However, they had my contact information and could have given me a heads up that I should be prepared for mud. We asked to use the covered picnic area, and our request was answered with a snarky "sorry we didn't put the umbrella over the campground". Between the dog poop and mud the campground was a disgusting mess. The flooding wasn't an issue for all sites, but it definitely was a reoccurring problem that the camp has experienced every time it rains. My advice to the owner operator,Carla, you know it's an issue so fix it. If you don't, stop renting out spots that hold water. Clean up the dog poop that is all over the campground. Get your staff some customer service training. read more

We made reservations four months in advance for a multi-night stay to see Mount Rushmore and other area sights. Our accomodations were confirmed as "deluxe" pull through. Their website, with accompanying picture, said deluxe sites were concrete pads with a patio and patio furniture. Our actual accomodations are reasonably large, but the pad is uneven, rutted gravel. There is only sparse weeds around the gravel, no patio could be found and the patio furniture was a picnic table in the weeds. When I called the manager, she said any 50 amp site was "deluxe." The two stars are because we do have electricity and sewer. Wifi is too slow to use. read more