1880 Train - Hill City Depot

Karen Cusey (KarenQZ)

2024-04

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A Nelson (DZ Dog Mom)

2023-11

We loved our train rode from Hill City to Keystone, the info during the ride was great, we loved learning about the history.The cars were clean and bright, easy to see out the windows, relaxing ride for a cool fall day, the colors this time of year are gorgeous.Highly recommend doing this if you have the time!!

DreamRider

2023-08

Such a wonderful day in South Dakota. 84 degrees and a slight breeze. We decided to take the 10 mile round trip from Keystone SD to Hill City SD via 1880 Train, an hour each way. What a nice trip. Wife's first time on a train and she really enjoyed the slow narrated tour of the countryside.The cars were open air and wooden seats. No restrooms on board and they do sell water and some small snacks for cash only.We saw a part of the area that is only accessible from train and crossed over many local streets.. We lost count of how many deer and turkeys we saw. We recommend this trip to all.

Regina Ruckle

2023-10

The train ride was such an amazing experience!! The crew were fantastic, they answered any questions you may have and told us all about the train itself (over 100 yrs old) we saw lots of deer along the way in such beautiful scenery. Highly recommend!!!!! Can’t remember the price of the tickets, I do know it did not cost very much especially for a 2 hour train ride.

Time dreamer

2023-08

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Gretchen Dust

2023-07

My dad is an absolute lover of all trains. When we were in Keystone and he suggested a train trip, it was a chance not to pass up. Open air car is the way to go. Don't skimp on just going one way. it's better to get the full experience if you can spare the time.It was like you were stepping back in time to hear the whistle of the steam engine and see all of the steam escaping as we clicked along the old tracks and heard the tales of how everything came to existence and what still remained.The popcorn is crisp and salty to enjoy while taking in all the sights. The Black Hills, the train, all kinds of wildlife like the osprey nest and local visitors along the way.Jim was in town from San Diego and was full of fantastic information. He even included our question on the return trip, which we were just tickled over!We remarked it would be a little cooler to be able to see the actual water going into the containment from the water towers. I'm sure that's a minor change, and there must be a reason that it goes directly into the containment unit so as not to waste water.If you have the opportunity, please book your round trip tickets and take a little peek in their gift shop for ultra cute postcards and little trinkets that you might not realize that you need in your life!At the risk of sounding cliche or cheesy, it was a father daughter trip, and the best part of my journey was getting a chance to talk about trains with my Dad.Price for entry: $45

mark lewis

2023-06

Slow paced 1 hour trip in each direction between Hill City and Keystone. Staff was incredibly friendly, helpful and informative. Really cool to get to enjoy a trip on and old steam powered locomotive. Only reason this is getting 4 stars and not 5 is I was disappointed in the lack of overlooking views with the mountains and valleys. In my mind I was expecting a trip through the Black Hills on a train to have glorious overlooking views and it was way more close up rock with all the cut throughs. In many cases you are only 2 feet from the walls of the rock they cut through and don't have a view at all. Outside of that the price ended up being $187 for 4 people after taxes and fees, which was a bit pricey. I will say this about the trip, it's not worth the money charged, but it is worth every minute of your time to make the trip!

Mark Barto

2023-10

Went from Hill City to keystone it took around an hour. The train had awesome views and was very informative about the train and area. We stayed in keystone for 3 hours way too long for us. The town is the standard tourist trap all the shops had much of the same merchandise. The food was on the expensive side also ok nothing to get excited about.

Dale Twedell

2023-08

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Valerie Ashley

2024-01

We did the Holiday Express on the 1880 train. We got hot chocolate and cookies to enjoy while riding up to the North Pole to pick up Santa. Every kid got a bell and candy canes. Each kid got to sit with Santa and tell him what they would like for Christmas and also got to meet Mrs Clause and some Elves. Really great experience for any age.

Jabal Engelhard

2023-10

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James Menzies

2023-09

As a lover of vintage locomotive trains, this was a wonderful experience. We booked the round trip from Keystone to Hill City and back to Keystone, with a 3hr gap between rides so we could explore and eat lunch there. Riding the train was great and had informative historical audio playing describing the history of the towns and railroad. I highly recommend booking in advance, especially during tourist season/summer. Great fun.

Jade Salisbury

2023-07

Went in the mountains from keystone to hill city and back! Spendy but the whole family like it ranging from 1 1/2 year old to senior citizen. Recommend for families! It doesn't tell you but you can take train one way stay a bit then take it back! We did not know this.... We would have stayed a bit then took next train but we bought our tickets ahead of time!

Tammie Fuda

2023-08

The museum was amazing. The curator..Rick Mills was friendliest, knew everything about trains, explained the design of the museum and his passion. The 1880 train ride was fun to experience. I can't wait for my next visit.

R. Zimmerman

2023-07

A fun, leisurely time.Bought tickets two days out with a two hour layover in Keystone.A narrated trip.You can just ride between the two towns. Each way is about an hour not including the time to reposition the engine.Very helpful and friendly staff, both, in the stations and on the train.Price for entry: $39.00Ticket type: Round trip between Hill City and Keystone.

Lynel Seawood

2023-07

July 5th 2023, the day we took the train was very cold for us, around 55 degrees and we have chosen and open train to sit in. Price was expensive for the 6 of us. The ride to keystone took about an hour and an hour ten minutes back. You get to see other things from the train that you don’t see from a car. On the way they give you some history of the area and they do try to sell you extra things like pictures, maps, water and popcorn so be prepared for that. Our train that left early am wasn’t busy at all but coming back was a little busier but not extremely full either. We did it once, I personally wouldn’t take it again.

Nikita G

2023-05

So much fun! Especially if you have kids! I would 100% opt for the shootout ride if you can swing it! Really fun (especially for the kids again), just make sure you are on the LEFT side of the train (looking up towards the engine when you depart Hill City) so that you are on the correct side to see the shootout. We switched sides on the way back and that was nice to get to see the scenery on both sides (so again, we sat on the LEFT side if your facing the direction the train is going to go, both ways). Gorgeous views of the black hills. The lady narrating was kind of silly and awkward, but the kids loved it!

Greg Wickard

2023-08

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Pete Capes

2023-05

This was a relaxing ride between Hill City and Keystone.We spent about 2.5 hours at Keystone after our ride there. Very cool city. Walked up and down the main street not even realizing there was an old keystone city nearby.Can't wait till we can make it back and visit the old city.The only problem an individual might have would be the time, loading was not when announced. Not a problem for us.

Nicole Dobbe

2023-05

We weren't sure about how our kids (4, 2 and 2 months) would do but they really enjoyed it. An hour is a long time to sit but they looked for wildlife and saw lots of deer. They liked waving to the people who were watching the train. We sat in the caboose from Hill City to Keystone, which was enclosed. I liked the padded seats but the kids seemed to like the return trip in the open car better. I had a bit of anxiety about them leaning over the edge and my husband and I both kept a hand on them.Overall, I would recommend for families with young children as long as you know it won't be relaxing and you probably need to bring snacks (like most things for toddlers go)!

Cameo McNeley

2023-08

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Melanie Sanchez

2023-10

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Jeremy Scheff

2023-05

An amazing place and cool train to ride. My second time being here. 2015 and this year 2022. Lots of great photo opportunities, history of the train and the area. Highly recommend it to families, couples or even just yourself. Fun for all.

Anne Simons

2023-08

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Dawn Olsen

2023-08

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Jamie Wagner

2023-05

A fun train ride pulled by a steam engine. Very informative guide and friendly staff on board and working the gift shop and museum. A highlight for us was seeing Black Elk Peak. The highest in SD. I would suggest calling ahead to reserve seats if you know you wil be near Hill City or Keystone. The seats fill up fast, especially for larger families or groups.They have the old #7 engine that was used for movies and you'll see that history in the museum. Neat.

Andrew Sternke

2022-05

This was a fun adventure - our kids had never been on a train before. This ride takes you through the countryside and has neat historical sites and wildlife along the way! Our children range in age from 12-1 and they all enjoyed the experience!The day was a warm one, and the open air ride was perfect for keeping us comfortable. Strongly recommend this unique experience!

Stefanie Williamson

2022-05

This train ride was a worthwhile adventure to have with the kids. The ride was slow and relaxing, with beautiful scenery to look at. Both kids were so relaxed that they feel asleep to the show, swaying motions. I'm so glad we did this! It's totally worth it.

Doug Hampton

2023-08

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Robin

2023-08

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