Newton Fork Ranch — Hotel in Hill City

If you are planning a trip to South Dakota, this is the place to stay. End your search! The location is unbeatable! You are literally in "the heart" of the Black Hills, and the staff at Newton Fork Ranch have clearly put their hearts into this beautiful property.

We stayed one full week and we were lucky to experience spring, fall, and winter weather in the Black Hills. The cabins are set back from the road and you are immersed in the beauty of the setting.

There is no TV or internet and we loved that fact (huge reason we booked it). We spent a lot of time looking out the window and on the deck at the many deer and elk who come to graze. There were also mountain blue birds, turkeys, and foxes. The stars at night are unbeatable. This is a wonderful place to remind you to put down the phone and the TV remote, reconnect with nature, and pick up a book. For those who feel they cannot live without (you can do it), there is cell service here which is nice for emergencies or a must-see event which for our case was the NEED to only watch Game of Thrones the Battle of Winterfell episode live so we would not see spoliers.

Newton Fork Ranch is close to all the sights! Easy trip to Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, scenic drives, Rapid City, etc. We even did a day trip to the Badlands and hiked there all day. There is the Mickleson Trail that you can access on the ranch property. We used it to forgo the car and walk into town for lunch and shopping.

The cabin itself has everything you may need during your stay. AND IT'S DOG FRIENDLY!! We brought our two dogs with us which was a real family trip! They were upset when we told them this was only a vacation and we had to return home.

Thank you Newton staff for creating such a wonderfully true "getaway." It's amazing how the soul craves to be disconnected from the world for a bit. Thank you for giving us a beautiful place to recharge and achieve this.

We are on a mission to road trip through all 50 states but after this stay are thinking to just give up and come back here...

I highly recommend Newton Fork Ranch!!! My husband and I visited from out of state for a long weekend, wanting to see Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. We stayed for 3 nights beginning of May. Weather was perfect. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the 40s. Chilly overnight, but beautiful during the day.

When searching for lodging, I knew I wanted to be out in nature, not in a hotel. I researched many cabins in the area - most of them were in areas right by a highway or the cabins were set very close to each other. Newton Fork Ranch is unique in that they only have 9 cabins, and they are spread out from each other which provides more privacy and serenity. There are only two cabins that are somewhat close to each other: Timber Haus and Meadow Song.

We stayed in Timber Haus, and it was heaven on earth. The cabin was clean and very cozy. The scenery is so beautiful - nothing better than sitting on the deck with a morning coffee looking out over the meadow and the forest. If you're really lucky like I was, you'll get to watch the deer grazing on the grass in the meadow (they joined me between 5:30-6:00am).

The bed upstairs in the loft is comfortable, but it is very tight quarters and low ceilings (A frame), so if you're taller than 6', you might have issues. Also, the stairs are tricky, so I wouldn't recommend if you have any knee or mobility issues. I'm quite fit, yet I had to be very careful when going down the stairs.

Technically, it accommodates 4 people because the sofa is a sofa bed. However, I personally wouldn't recommend it. The square footage on both floors is very small, tight quarters, so 4 people milling around would be crowded. Also, the 'bedroom' in the loft is not enclosed, so no privacy. I think the cabin is ideal for a couple.

The owner was very communicative, friendly, and available. Very easy check in and check out. Overall, we think Newton Fork Ranch is just about...

We booked ahead from the UK based purely on reviews and photos. Approaching Hill City from the airport, I started to get really worried seeing all the holiday camps advertising 'cabins' strewn along the main highways. Nothing close to the slice of peace and tranquillity I was looking for. The relief was tangible, turning the corner in the road to see the entrance to Newton Fork Ranch and the beautiful lush green meadow beyond. Just a handful of cabins arranged around the perimeter, each given plenty of space and oriented to ensure privacy and a view from the balcony. The cabin was light, airy, comfortable and equipped with everything we needed. The large windows affording a view of the meadow even when inside. During the days spent in and around Hill City I came to appreciate just how unique Newton Fork Ranch is. The majority of accommodation around this area is very commercial, touristy, high density and right on the main road. Newton Fork Ranch is in a completely different class. There was some noise from the road during the day largely due to the number of ATVs on the roads in the summer but this died down completely at night and in the mornings. If you're an international traveller, you'll need to bring you're own 4/5G WiFi as a dongle or phone enabled for US networks as there's no built in WiFi at the cabin. In general I like to leave all my technology behind on holiday but when travelling abroad, internet access is extremely helpful for logistics and researching and planning activities. I used Airalo to purchase an eSim for my iPhone 13 and it worked great. If you're looking for a beautiful, peaceful place to stay in South Dakota surrounded by nature but close to all the top attractions, I think Newton Fork Ranch is as...