June 2021 | Black Hills, South Dakota
Long time, no post, but I am back for the summer! My family recently went on our first family trip since the beginning of the pandemic, and because I am finally off of school for the summer, I wanted to start updating the blog again! We went on a road trip through South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska (itinerary coming soon!). I first wanted to write about Under Canvas Mount Rushmore, one of the places we stayed during our trip.
What is Under Canvas?
Under Canvas calls themselves an “upscale camping experience provider,” which you probably better know as glamping. With a focus of being more sustainable and eco-conscious than the average hotel, they have 9 (and counting) “glampgrounds” in/near national parks around the US. These locations include Acadia, Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, and, of course, Mount Rushmore!
Location
Under Canvas Mount Rushmore is situated in the Black Hills National Forest. Only a ten minute drive to Mount Rushmore itself, the camp is so close that Mount Rushmore can be seen from the outdoor deck/event space attached to the lobby tent! There’s not much else around the camps, so the view of the nearby valleys was gorgeous as well.
When to go
Because weather largely affects camping conditions, each Under Canvas location has a designated season. As for Under Canvas Mount Rushmore, this season begins in May and goes until early September. We stayed for one night over Memorial Day weekend (early June) and were really happy we chose to go at that time. It wasn’t too hot during the day in our tent (there are only small portable fans) and it wasn’t unbearably cold at night either. Thankfully, it was still cool enough that there were little to no bugs/mosquitos!
Accommodations
During our stay, we stayed in the Suite Tent with Kids. This is the Suite Tent option with a smaller kids tent close by. We chose this option primarily because it was the only one large enough for the entire family (2 adults, 3 kids), but we were also looking for a tent with an en-suite bathroom. The Suite, Stargazer, and Deluxe options have bathrooms (toilet, shower, sink) in the tents, while the bathrooms for the other tents are the communal “bathhouses” (these were clean and nice, just did not seem as convenient!). The showers, at least the en-suite ones, are pull chain showers to minimize water waste. Similarly, the toilets are low-flow and the faucets turn off automatically. I can imagine that these changes, albeit small, add up to a lot, especially in a hospitality setting (where so many people visit every year)!
The main Suite tent was set up as one large room, with a sliding wooden door acting as a partition between the bed/lounge and bathroom. As it’s a tent, there wasn’t a lot of room for five people, but definitely enough for our tons of luggage and to relax comfortably (especially considering my sister and I slept in the kids tent). There is a nice small “front porch” area set up with patio chairs as well.
The kids tent was a small, teepee style tent outfitted with two cots and a bedside table. Because the kids tents do not have a stove like the larger tents, the bedding is thicker and warmer. I was worried that it would be too cold at night to sleep in the kids tent, but that wasn’t an issue for me at all!
Amenities
As mentioned above, each tent is equipped with a wood burning stove (and complimentary firewood!). USB power banks, small portable fans, and lanterns are provided as well. WiFi is not offered at any of Under Canvas’ properties as to promote “connecting with those around us and exploring the great outdoors” (via the Under Canvas FAQ–also a great place to look for more info on the campgrounds if you’re interested in staying there!). Complimentary firewood, fire starters, and s’more supplies can be found in the lobby tent. Speaking of this lobby tent, this is also where the restaurant (totally recommend their tacos for dinner) and aforementioned deck/event space is located.
Recreation
There are various free activities offered daily, among them info hikes, yoga, bingo, and trivia. Wooden bracelet making was offered when we were there, and it was a great way to end our night! Bonfires are lit from 7-9pm every night for complimentary s’more making as well.
What to see in the area
Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Needles Highway, and Custer State Park are all situated within the Black Hills National Forest, all fairly close to Under Canvas Mount Rushmore. Devil’s Tower, in neighboring Wyoming, is only two hours away (and definitely worth the drive)! There are also many small historic towns (largely occupied by casinos and shops now) nestled in the Black Hills that are worth driving through. Driving through the forest takes quite a while (with minimal to no cell service at times), so I would recommend downloading a map of the area on Google Maps beforehand and accounting for any possible delays in your schedule.
My thoughts
I had never been glamping before, and really enjoyed my first time doing so at Under Canvas! I loved the design and overall ambience of the campsite, and it truly felt like a high end hotel experience in a camping setting (which, I guess, is the entire point of glamping). The location of Under Canvas Mount Rushmore was especially convenient, and I would love to visit their other locations in other national parks around the US!
