Hill City, Lead Gold mine, Boondocks

The Black Hills of South Dakota are full of fun places like Sturgis and the Full Throtle Saloon, or the Buffalo Chip, then there is Boondocks and the old mining town of Lead.

We are camped near Custer State Park and the town of Custer in the southern part of the Black Hills at Custer's Gulch RV-Park. It is an OK commercial campground just like dozens of others in this area.

Click here for information on 1/2 price camping at PPA campgrounds

Hill City

Joyce perched on a stool, like the Princess she is, at one of the "eateries" of choice in Hill City. There are several good places so pick one and enjoy yourself.

Hill City Western Art shoppe Jewels of the West

Jewels of the West, Western Art shop in Hill City. I did not need anything from the place but they had some nice "stuff".

Mangy Moose in Hill City

The Mangy Moose in Hill City is a Tee Shirt shop, restaurant and bar -- the consummate business for a tourist town like Hill City. For some reason none of the locals we asked recommended the Mangy Moose for food.

Motorcycles in Hill City

Joyce is admiring these Gold Wing motorcycles. The folks on them are having so much fun. Ya reckon she is trying to decide if we could have more fun on one of those?

Unique camping arrangement

We saw this unique camper in a campground off Iron Mountain Road. It is certainly a way to travel light.

Boondocks

Boondocks is a business located between Deadwood and Hill City. It is a novel place to stop.

The old automobiles and motorcycles are part of the ambiance.

Many tourist are stopping in this place for lunch. We would have tried it but it wasn't time for food.

Boondocks in the Black Hills of South Dakota

They have a remarkable collection of 50's memorabilia in a variety of buildings. You must check out the indoor part of the restaurant then walk around the grounds. I am not sure but I think I saw "Elvis".

Lead South Dakota

This is one of the two main shafts that once operated in Lead. They were mining ore at a depth greater than 8,000 feet. When you visit the Black Hills you simply must stop by Lead and view the giant open pit gold mine in the center of town. The story is a good one.

Lead open pit gold mine

This part of the gold mine was an open pit. It is a huge hole but nothing like one of the open pit copper mines. It is something you should not miss when visiting the Black Hills.

Dairy Queen in Hill City South Dakota

This is NOT your usual Dairy Queen. It is located in Hill City and does not appear to have a drive through window. However, there may be one operating out the back door.

Click here for more of our South Dakota Travellogs

That is all there is.