RV Rental Hermosa, SD

South Dakota is often associated with endless expanses of grasslands, but that all changes in the Black Hills near Hermosa. Badlands National Park and its accompanying wilderness are some of the most popular recreation areas in South Dakota and are just a short drive away when you book an RV in Hermosa. Hidden amidst the state’s sprawling prairie lands lies an enormous network of canyons winding their way through otherworldly rock formations. While badlands can be found throughout Montana and the Dakotas, the park is one of the best examples of it and also has some of the most abundant fossil deposits in the country. Also, if you’ve never seen a bison in the wild, sighting one on a hike through the park is a magical experience.

Wind Cave National Park is also close by and offers tours of one of the largest cavern systems in the world. Its interior is filled with geological oddities including massive branching crystalline structures hanging from the ceiling and erupting from the cave floor. Outside the cavern, there are some great hiking trails with excellent wildlife viewing opportunities.

Another place with exceptional hiking trails is Custer State Park, just a little way to the west of Hermosa. It’s famous for its huge bison herds, which can easily be viewed from the Wildlife Loop scenic auto route. The begging burros, a herd of feral donkeys, are even known to approach cars and visitors in the hopes of getting some extra food. To really experience the park though, you need to experience it on your own two feet, and the trails are the best places to see animals in their natural habitat.

While there may not be very many people living in Hermosa, it has a good number of RV parks and campgrounds thanks to its location near the Black Hills and all of its tourist attractions. One of the closest places to camp with the motorhome rental from Hermosa is Heartland RV Park and Cabins, just a short drive south on Highway 79. Their sites have full hookups, access to a swimming pool and hot tub, and there’s a camp store where you can pick up all the essentials.

Another option for your travel trailer rental in Hermosa is Southern Hills RV Park and Campground a couple of miles north of town. They also have full hookups in addition to laundry facilities, showers, and flush toilets. It’s quite close to a truck stop, which could be a convenient place to fuel up your rig or use the dump station.

If you’d prefer something closer to the mountains in a more rustic setting, consider staying at the Custer State Park. It’s a bit of a drive from Hermosa but offers spectacular views, canoeing and kayaking on nearby Stockade Lake, and loads of great hiking trails. The park has quite a few campgrounds within its borders, but the Game Lodge sites are some of the more modern ones with electrical hookups, laundry, and flush toilets.

Hermosa is a very small town and doesn't offer much in the way of in-town attractions. There are a lot of interesting to explore that are quite close by. An exception to this is the Roy’s Black Hills Twin Drive-In, which is right in the middle of Hermosa. The double-screen outdoor theater harkens back to an earlier time and is sure to bring joy to anyone who remembers watching films from the comfort of their car as a teenager.

The Spokane Ghost Town is also not far away and is a great day trip for anyone getting an RV rental in Hermosa, South Dakota. Like many of the towns that popped up in the Black Hills in the late 19th century, Spokane was built to capitalize on the area’s gold rush. Today there are no signs marking the community, and most of its buildings have been torn down. Intrepid explorers can still wander through the town’s schoolhouse and a few other structures though.

It wouldn’t be a trip to South Dakota without a visit to Mount Rushmore, which is only a short distance away when you get a motorhome rental in Hermosa. The gargantuan rock portraits of U.S. presidents Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Jefferson are an enduring symbol of America and one of the most popular sites to visit on any cross-country road trip. Equally interesting is the nearby Crazy Horse Monument, a tribute to the Lakota leader who took up arms against settlers and the U.S. government moving into Native American lands.