Hot Springs, SD Summary

Hot Springs (population 4,132) is 50 miles south of Rapid City. In 1890, wealthy businessmen turned the springs into a spa.

Today, visitors can enjoy the springs by visiting Evans Plunge, the world’s largest natural warm-water swimming pool. It maintains a constant temperature of 87\260F and is 50 by 200 feet, complete with three water slides, exercise equipment, water volleyball, and basketball.

The Angostura Recreation Area has four campgrounds and 175 campsites, cabins, fishing, picnic areas, sandy beaches, hiking, paddleboats, and more. It is open year-round.

The Mammoth Site, just west of Hot Springs, is the largest paleontological find of its kind in the world. Here are the fossils of nearly 50 mammoths found on this land as well as fossils from other species which lived on these grasslands 26,000 years ago. There are guided tours, mini-digs, and a bookstore. A 20,000-square-foot building is dedicated to research and is open for tours. Also worth visiting is the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary where hundreds of mustangs run wild on a private preserve. This is the first privately owned wild horse preserve in the United States.

Rapid City has the nearest airport.