South Dakota Ranch Vacations

For a real experience of a working cattle ranch, head over to the Circle View Ranch and join Philip Kruse. He grew up on the homestead and his family has welcomed guests to the ranch since 2000. The 2,800-acre old-world property offers a varied landscape of prairie land, hills, and breathtaking Badlands scenery.

Days at Circle View Ranch can be filled with fun activities like rock and fossil hunting, horseback riding, and simply following the daily activities that happen at a cattle ranch. Kids will have a blast joining the Kruse children for their barnyard chores, feeding hens, and counting newborn chicks.

Circle View Ranch offers guests a comfortable stay in cozy B&B main-house guestrooms with private baths, the bunkhouse fitted with 4 guestrooms, or in separate camping cabins. There’s also an authentic 1880s homestead house for a more rustic private retreat.

Free-flowing coffee and a hearty ranch breakfast are served daily for main-house visitors, who are welcome to use the guest kitchen to cook additional meals. The bunkhouse has a full kitchen, and the guests can opt in for breakfast at the main house.

Famous South Dakota attractions such as the Badlands National Park, The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, and the Wild Horse Refuge are within a 30-minute to two-hour drive from the ranch. Evening brings time for enjoyable bonfires and great conversation with your friendly hosts, who can tell you all kinds of stories and information about the area.

This operating cattle ranch northwest of Wall is set among open plains, cedar, and native cottonwoods. A generational homestead since post-Civil War days, Dennis Ranch offers a real family stay where you can experience the day-to-day workings of ranch life.

Robert and Cindy Dennis and their children heartily welcome guests to learn about their ranch. You’re invited to try your hand at daily activities according to the season and your interests. Kids will love feeding the horses, playing with pups and cats, pony/horse riding, and visiting calves. You might enjoy a trail ride or local sightseeing, and Robert is always willing to hitch up the horses to take your family on a wagon jaunt around the property. At Dennis Ranch, there’s always something going on!

Guests can especially enjoy delicious home-style meals created daily by Cindy, including a hearty breakfast. The fresh ranch beef is something guests will truly enjoy. Dennis Ranch offers a comfortable queen and a double-twin guest room on the basement level of their family log home, including a private attached bath and private entrance.

Evenings on the ranch are for winding down, friendly conversation, and maybe a song or two around a campfire. Be sure to check out Robert’s leather workshop, where he handcrafts beautiful saddles, chaps, spur straps, and guitar straps. Dennis Ranch is about one hour from the Black Hills and popular area attractions, like the town of Deadwood and the Wounded Knee Museum.

Spend quality time in the great outdoors with the family at Nemo Guest Ranch. This sprawling property located in Nemo, in the heart of the Black Hills, was once part of the vast 1946 4T Ranch. Today, the guest ranch offers plenty of space to explore and rejuvenate.

With over a dozen fully equipped historic cabins and rentals of varying sizes including studios with kitchenettes to 5-bedroom homes, your small or large group can relax in homespun comfort. There are also RV spots and tent camping sites with modern showers, horse stalls, fire pits, and picnic tables.

Surrounding Nemo Guest Ranch are numerous hiking, biking, and riding trails, including The Centennial Trail. You can bring your ATV or rent one for a day of trail running or spend time trout fishing, backcountry trekking, or simply relaxing.

Nearby attractions include Rushmore Tours, Rushmore Tramway Adventures, Big Thunder Gold Mine, and Black Hills Caverns. The expansive homestead has many wide-open areas to host large events. There’s an onsite restaurant in the historic Nemo railroad depot building, and Nemo town has any necessities you might need for your stay.

Over three generations, historic mine claim properties passed hands and eventually became the Newton Fork Ranch, a family-owned enterprise. The ranch’s guest cabins outside Hill City dot the mountain acreage, surrounded by meadowland, forests, and rocky outcrops.

Fresh mountain air can rejuvenate you on a ranch vacation in the beautiful Black Hills. Each private log cabin with native stone accents offers well-appointed furnishings, a full kitchen, and the utmost privacy. Some include loft bedrooms, a walk-in shower or a footed bathtub, and outside porches for watching spectacular sunsets.

Depending on where your cabin sits on the homestead, you might see elk and deer strolling through an adjacent meadow or see wild turkeys gather in a valley. With only one cabin offering TV and WIFI, Newton Fork Ranch is a place of silence and tranquility where you can recharge from life’s hectic pace.

Newton Fork Ranch is centrally located near many South Dakota attractions. The well-known Michelson Trail runs right through the property for easy access, and nearby Deerfield Lake is perfect for trout fishing. The property is also close to Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Wind Cave State Park, and Jewel Cave National Monument. Hill City is home to several wineries and breweries, plus casual and fine-dining restaurants.