New RV campground outside Hill City

Nestled between two hills across from the old sawmill is the brand new Black Hills Sawtooth Campground & Cabins (BHSCC) run by Aaron Olson. 

Olson, a long-time local to the Black Hills area, has his own excavation business in Rapid City where he digs foundations and works with sewer and water systems among other things. 

“I started in that, and then I went into vacation homes as kind of a side hobby,” said Olson. 

Through this, he gained experience in entertaining guests. However, Olson always wanted a campground. 

In spring of 2022 Olson purchased a property from the sawmill and named it BHSCC in honor of its history. 

“That sawmill meant a lot to the locals around here. A lot of them were employed over there. So I thought we need to keep some sort of sawmill name in the area because that will eventually go away and become something else,” Olson said. 

The property came with two existing buildings. One Olson believes used to be offices and the other used to be a milking shed. There were also mobile home sites and a few RV sites Olson removed to transform the campground. 

Working on nights and weekends, Olson designed the campground for maximum occupancy while still allowing space for guests to be comfortable. He even carved out part of the hillside to make more room and upgraded all the utilities like power, sewer and water.

With his background in infrastructure and installing utilities, Olson was able to take on the work himself and do it within a budget. 

BHSCC officially opened a few weeks ago, and reservations are slowly coming in. Eventually, Olson hopes to hopes to have a full campground where he can provide a great experience for his guests.

The easy access campground features 20 full-service RV sites in a clean, safe area. While guests are close together, Olson said they are usually like-minded. They like going to attractions during the day and relaxing around a fire at night. 

In line with this there will be individual fire pits and picnic tables for the larger RV sites and community ones for the smaller sites with firewood sold at the campground. 

According to Olson the campground also offers convenient access to popular tourist attractions and is within walking distance of several wineries and breweries. There is even a view of Black Elk Peak from the campground, which is featured on the BHSCC logo. 

With a background in vacation rentals, Olson has a good grasp of the hospitality industry. However, through the process he learned there is a demand for more than just vacation campgrounds. 

“I found out there is a demand for more work campers,” said Olson. “So I may gear this campground more toward that.” 

While still offering the space to nightly guests, the BHSCC will remain open year-round with discounted monthly rates to provide space for workforce housing. 

“That way it’s supporting other local small businesses for their housing needs for their employees,” Olson said. 

Things are still in flux at BHSCC as Olson continues to develop the business in his spare time. The next project is converting the main building into four rental cabins for 2024. He would also like to convert the old milking shed into a guest check-in area and a little store with wood, ice, T-shirts, hoodies and other things like that. 

As things progress, Olson said, “I want to enjoy this first year at the same time and have friends come in and just hang out.”

Reservations can be made online at blackhills

sawtoothcampgroundand

cabins.lodgify.com. The cost is $60 per night. Monthly rates are $800 during the summer and $500 during the winter. Help setting up will be available if needed.