McDonald Mountain Ranch — Hotel in Hill City

First off, let me say that I'm not one easily moved to write reviews; that said, I'm a big fan of TripAdvisor and felt compelled to share our very positive experience at the McDonald Mountain Ranch in Keystone, S.D. ||||Our family of four (mom, dad, and 2 college age sons) recently stayed at the McDonald Mountain Ranch for two nights in early June while visiting the Mt. Rushmore area sites (Mt. Rushmore, Jewel Cave, Wall Drug, the Badlands, the area's scenic drives, etc.).  As we had been traveling for nearly two weeks visiting different national parks, I was eager to find a place that offered a more restful and comfortable stay, one away from the more commercialized "strip" of hotels/motels and commercial businesses near Mt. Rushmore, but still close enough for easy sightseeing.  Luckily, I discovered a listing for the McDonald Mountain Ranch. It sounded perfect, and we had a great stay there!   ||||While not quite as close to Mt. Rushmore as lodging options on the aforementioned "strip" (but still close... as reference, Mt. Rushmore is less than 20 minutes away), we found the McDonald Mountain Ranch to be far superior in terms of relaxation, comfort, and picturesque setting (think pampered B&B vs. cookie-cutter hotel/motel). My reservation inquiries to Richard, the owner, were promptly responded to and reservations, easy to make.  We stayed in the Carriage House, a 2 level accommodation, adjacent to the main house on the expansive property, and were very comfortable. As the Carriage House was just built in 2016, everything in the unit was new and fresh. While there is only one bedroom in the Carriage House, it easily accommodated the four of us with its queen sleeper in the living room area, as well as a comfortable roll away bed (my sons didn't care to share a bed so they opted for the queen sleeper plus the roll away option); both sons (as well as my husband and I) slept very comfortably.||||In addition to the bedroom and living area, there are two full bathrooms-- one en-suite plus a 2nd one (a real plus for a traveling family!) and a large, beautiful kitchen.  And, as we had been traveling for over a week, one amenity I was particularly pleased to have was an in-unit washer and dryer. Being able to do laundry right there in the unit without the hassle of finding quarters and running back and forth to a laundry room was a real plus.  There is also a lovely deck off the bedroom (with stairs to the first floor if a 2nd entrance is desired), which I found to be a peaceful and relaxing place to enjoy a good book after a long day of sightseeing.   ||||The first night there, we were tired from a long day of traveling so we opted for a quick bite and got good burgers at the Wolf Camp snack bar, less than 5 minutes away (other more typical restaurant options were 10 minutes away).  The second night, following a trip to Jewel Cave we landed upon the Buglin' Bull in Custer, where we had a great meal.  For the morning meals, we enjoyed the spread of breakfast goodies provided by the McDonalds and left in our fridge (a lovely platter of fresh fruits, orange juice, cereal, milk, coffee, and pastries... I'm pleased to say we waited until later in the day to sample the selection of tempting chocolate bars also left for us to enjoy!).  Another thoughtful item left in the fridge was bottled water which was nice to have in the car while sightseeing.  ||||All in all, we enjoyed a lovely, relaxing stay at the very scenic McDonald Mountain Ranch, and if our future travels take us to that area again, we'd be eager to stay in their Carriage House again.||||p.s. I think it's worth mentioning one point about directions--  they could be confusing as some online maps show a north Playhouse road and a south Playhouse road; others, a Playhouse road and S. Playhouse.  And both scenarios show a portion of Mountain Road separating the two.  We managed just fine, but I think it's worth noting nonetheless, particularly depending upon from which direction one is...

First off, let me say that I'm not one easily moved to write reviews; that said, I'm a big fan of TripAdvisor and felt compelled to share our very positive experience at the McDonald Mountain Ranch in Keystone, S.D. ||||Our family of four (mom, dad, and 2 college age sons) recently stayed at the McDonald Mountain Ranch for two nights in early June while visiting the Mt. Rushmore area sites (Mt. Rushmore, Jewel Cave, Wall Drug, the Badlands, the area's scenic drives, etc.).  As we had been traveling for nearly two weeks visiting different national parks, I was eager to find a place that offered a more restful and comfortable stay, one away from the more commercialized "strip" of hotels/motels and commercial businesses near Mt. Rushmore, but still close enough for easy sightseeing.  Luckily, I discovered a listing for the McDonald Mountain Ranch. It sounded perfect, and we had a great stay there!   ||||While not quite as close to Mt. Rushmore as lodging options on the aforementioned "strip" (but still close... as reference, Mt. Rushmore is less than 20 minutes away), we found the McDonald Mountain Ranch to be far superior in terms of relaxation, comfort, and picturesque setting (think pampered B&B vs. cookie-cutter hotel/motel). My reservation inquiries to Richard, the owner, were promptly responded to and reservations, easy to make.  We stayed in the Carriage House, a 2 level accommodation, adjacent to the main house on the expansive property, and were very comfortable. As the Carriage House was just built in 2016, everything in the unit was new and fresh. While there is only one bedroom in the Carriage House, it easily accommodated the four of us with its queen sleeper in the living room area, as well as a comfortable roll away bed (my sons didn't care to share a bed so they opted for the queen sleeper plus the roll away option); both sons (as well as my husband and I) slept very comfortably.||||In addition to the bedroom and living area, there are two full bathrooms-- one en-suite plus a 2nd one (a real plus for a traveling family!) and a large, beautiful kitchen.  And, as we had been traveling for over a week, one amenity I was particularly pleased to have was an in-unit washer and dryer. Being able to do laundry right there in the unit without the hassle of finding quarters and running back and forth to a laundry room was a real plus.  There is also a lovely deck off the bedroom (with stairs to the first floor if a 2nd entrance is desired), which I found to be a peaceful and relaxing place to enjoy a good book after a long day of sightseeing.   ||||The first night there, we were tired from a long day of traveling so we opted for a quick bite and got good burgers at the Wolf Camp snack bar, less than 5 minutes away (other more typical restaurant options were 10 minutes away).  The second night, following a trip to Jewel Cave we landed upon the Buglin' Bull in Custer, where we had a great meal.  For the morning meals, we enjoyed the spread of breakfast goodies provided by the McDonalds and left in our fridge (a lovely platter of fresh fruits, orange juice, cereal, milk, coffee, and pastries... I'm pleased to say we waited until later in the day to sample the selection of tempting chocolate bars also left for us to enjoy!).  Another thoughtful item left in the fridge was bottled water which was nice to have in the car while sightseeing.  ||||All in all, we enjoyed a lovely, relaxing stay at the very scenic McDonald Mountain Ranch, and if our future travels take us to that area again, we'd be eager to stay in their Carriage House again.||||p.s. I think it's worth mentioning one point about directions--  they could be confusing as some online maps show a north Playhouse road and a south Playhouse road; others, a Playhouse road and S. Playhouse.  And both scenarios show a portion of Mountain Road separating the two.  We managed just fine, but I think it's worth noting nonetheless, particularly depending upon from which direction one is...

I highly recommend staying here. Everything about our stay was good. The owners/hosts were sitting on their porch when we arrived.They were sweet and informative. The owner's ancestry has historical ties to the area and it was cool to hear about. He gave us all sorts of information, maps, and recommendations.||||We stayed in their Calamity Jane Cabin and it was love at first sight. Build in the late 1880s it was way more authentic than other cabins I have stayed in. With that in mind, it was also updated to be accommodating for guests. They thought of every detail, and they made the space work so well. There was a mini kitchen with a mini fridge, sink, table, dishes, and microwave. They had set up a convenient breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit (cherries, grapes, blueberries), juice, milk, hot chocolate, and ghirardelli chocolate.||||The queen bed was memory foam and very comfortable. There was a cot and I even found that comfortable. The interior was rustic but decorative. Nice fireplace. Plenty of light. The A/C worked well and I was very comfortable. ||||They had a nightlight in the bathroom, and extra toothbrushes/toiletry items. I have never felt so cared for as a guest. The next morning he was on the porch asking us if we needed anything.||||My friend and I were raving about it the whole time we were there. Perhaps the only drawback was that it was close to the road and their house, but we were so charmed we...