Black Hills on Points
Looking to visit the Black Hills using credit card points? Here’s our tips and tricks for planning your trip including where to stay, what to do and where to eat. Plus, how to do it for less using credit card points.

Our trip was a total of a week long and we packed a lot of fun in. It is possible to go for a shorter time and pick and choose what activities are the most important to you. There is so much to do here that is family friendly. We went during the summer, but it would be gorgeous in the fall while the leaves or changing too.
How to get to Rapid City, South Dakota
We road tripped here as we are located in Minnesota and it’s about a 8 hour drive. Another option is flying into Rapid City, South Dakota which has several air carriers including American Airlines, Delta and United!
Where to Stay in Rapid City on Credit Card Points
There is tons of places to stay in Rapid City on Credit Card Points.
Hyatt Place, Rapid City
The Hyatt Place, Rapid City is a brand new hotel opening in June of 2025 and our favorite option for staying on credit card points because it’s a category 2 currently and requires only 6,500-8,000 points per night. You can also use any Hyatt free night certificates here if you have them. A big plus for us is that we can fit our family of five in their rooms comfortable with two queen beds and a pull out sofa.
This hotel also included free continental breakfast which is always a plus with a family.
We have not stayed here has it was not open when we visited, but if we were going to go back again this is the hotel I would pick.
Marriott Hotels Black Hills
There are some great options in the Black Hills area within the Marriott brand. If you are looking to stay outside the Rapid City area it offers some other options as well.
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Rapid City – This is a fully renovated hotel in Rapid City that is a great use of your free night certificates or a great point redemption. Plus, now the WaTiki Waterpark is included! Enjoy a curated waterpark experience at the largest indoor waterpark in the Dakotas, directly connected.
- Residence Inn Rapid City – This is the newest Marriott hotel in the region. The WaTiki Waterpark is included with a stay at this hotel too. This hotel is not directly connected to the water park. Once again a great redemption of the free night certificates for up to 50,000 points.
- Courtyard Rapid City – The WaTiki Waterpark is included with a stay at this hotel too. This hotel is not directly connected to the water park. A great redemption of the free night certificates for up to 50,000 points.
- Springhill Suites Deadwood – This hotel is perfect if you want to break up your stay in different areas of the Black Hills. It includes a free continental breakfast great for families to start out the day and large rooms. A great redemption of the free night certificates for up to 50,000 points, but during peak times you may need to top these certificates off with a few extra points.
- Four Points by Sheraton Deadwood – Located in the historic downtown of Deadwood this hotel is great if you are looking for adult fun with casinos, craft beer and more. A great redemption of the free night certificates for up to 50,000 points, but during peak times you may need to top these certificates off with a few extra points. There is a parking daily parking fee.
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Spearfish – This hotel requires the least amount of points and is probably the most dated, but if you are looking for a hotel in this location it’s a great option. If you have a free night certificate for up to 35,000 points this is a great option too. Free breakfast and parking included.
IHG Hotels Black Hills SD
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Custer – If you are looking to stay on the south end of the Black Hills this is a great family friendly option. Custer State Park is on our list of activities to do!
- IGH Properties Rapid City – There are three great options if you are looking to stay in the Rapid City area. They include the Staybridge Suites which has a full kitchen option great for long stays and families, Holiday Inn Rapid City Downtown and Holiday Inn Express & Suites.
What to do in the Black Hills South Dakota
There are so many fun activities that everyone will enjoy that it’s hard to narrow it down to our favorites! Here is a range of outdoor activities that we loved doing while we were there.
Mount Rushmore – The must see attraction in the Black Hills! I highly recommend going to the night illumination if you can and attend the program that goes with it. It’s highly moving and a great experience. It begins with a ranger talk, this program continues with the film “Freedom: America’s Lasting Legacy” (captioned) and culminates with the lighting of the memorial. Program held nightly late May through the end of September and lasts about 45 minutes.
Crazy Horse Memorial – This is a great memorial and we attended the nighttime Legends in Light Laser Show. If this does not fit into your schedule this is one thing I would possibly skip.
ATV Riding – This experience was so much fun! There’s tons of trails and ATV rental places in the Black Hills. We used D&K ATV Rentals and had a great experience. We rented out of the Sugar Shack location.
Horseback Riding at Blue Bell Stables – We LOVED this experience! We did the 1 hour ride and I think that was long enough as we aren’t used to sitting on a horse! The tour guide was great and it was fun to get back into nature and experience it from this view.
Custer State Park – We did the horseback riding at Blue Bell Stables, Wildlife Loop Road and Needles highway in the park!
1880s Train – This train travels from Keystone to Hill City and you can board at either place. We choose to board in Keystone, stop in Hill City and get right back on. If you do this there isn’t a lot to do in Hill City so I would do a turn around trip. There is more to do in Keystone so you could stay in Keystone and then board the next train if you wanted to. It’s fun if you have a kid that loves trains or you want to see the back woods of the area. I felt like we could have skipped this because we did ATV riding and Horseback riding through the area.
Rushmore Tramway Adventures – So much fun! We did the Tubing Hill (SO FUN!), scenic Chairlift and the Alpine slide.
Rush Mountain Adventure Park – This is a great option if you want to do a small cave and some adventure park things. If you do the cave I would do the adventure park here instead of Rushmore Tramway Adventures. We didn’t
Jewel Cave or Wind Cave – I highly recommend booking these in advance! We did not do this and it was booked up so we did the Rushmore Cave instead, which wasn’t as good I don’t think.
Bear Country USA – Can not recommend this enough. Our kids LOVED it, which kind of surprised me. Actually the adults did too!
Reptile Gardens – This is another one I would skip if you are short on time unless you have a kid that loves reptiles. It’s fun, but we preferred Bear Country USA if you need to choose.
Pirates Cove Adventure Golf – We had some extra time in Rapid City one night and did this fun mini golf course!
Broken Boot Gold Mine – There is gold panning places all over the Black Hills, but this is the one we choose to do along with the tour of the Broke Boot Gold Mine. We liked it, but didn’t find it to be a MUST do if you don’t have time.
D.C. Booth Historical National Fish Hatchery – This was a request of our middle child who loves to fish! It was free and fun! We got lucky and there was an amazing guide in the railcar and explained how they used to transport the fish and it was so interesting.
Spearfish Canyon – We took a day and drove this making stops at Spearfish Falls, Roughlock Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Devils Bathtub. This day was one of our favorites! The hike to Devils Bathtub is a bit long, but totally doable. Highly recommend wearing swimsuits under your clothes along with water shoes on the hike as you do cross through water. It was a bit busy, but nothing crazy. It’s also a shaded hike so if it’s hot out it’s doable.
Fort Hayes Chuck Wagon – We did the Chuckwagon Supper and it was a fun night! The highlight was the Buffalo Hunt Coaster!! We also did the Pancake Breakfast on a Sunday morning and attended the Gospel Service.
Storybook Island – If you have small kids this is a fun stop in Rapid City to wear off some energy!
Where to Eat in the Black Hills
- Blue Bell Lodge – We ate here after we did the horseback riding at Blue Bell Stables which is right across the road. Then we did the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop Road.
- Ruby House Keystone – We ate here after we took a ride on the 1880s train. It’s right across the road. The costumes the waitresses wear are a little provocative just a heads up!
- Benky’s Ice Cream Keystone – A sweet treat after riding the 1880s train! So good!
- Piesano’s Pacchia Rapid City – Small little pizza shop that was so good!
- Shipwreck’s Bar & Grill Rapid City – This delicious restaurant is right across from Reptile Gardens and so good! They have an awesome outdoor area to eat at and I highly recommend.
- Blackbird Espresso Spearfish – Amazing espresso and the light breakfast options looks amazing too!
- Fort Hays All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast – This is a fun way to start your day out before exploring Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills. They have a Gospel Service at 9 am on Sundays which we attended and it was great!
- Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper & Music Show – Step into the Old West with the Chuckwagon Supper & Music Show at Fort Hays Old West Town. This unforgettable experience combines a delicious cowboy meal with lively music, creating a perfect evening of entertainment. Enjoy the sights, sounds, and flavors of the Wild West in an authentic setting that will transport you back in time.
The Wrap Up
Our family loves visiting the Black Hills and it makes the perfect destination for a family vacation especially if you are located within driving distance. We are so glad we can utilize credit card points to make this fun family vacation a reality over and over again!
To start your credit card points journey we recommend signing up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card to make both of these redemptions possible! A great article on our 3 Card Beginner Strategy will help you get started after that. See all of the Best Credit Card offers here.
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