Points of Pride

Our Location Rocks. Literally.

Located on a 118-acre campus in the eastern foothills of the beautiful Black Hills, South Dakota Mines is just 35 minutes from Mt. Rushmore and an hour from Badlands National Park. The Black Hills area is known for a milder climate than other parts of the state, a climate more akin to the front-range of Colorado. Our winters are warmer and our summers cooler, making us a perfect climate for outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, rock climbing, and more.

Though our temperatures tend to be milder, we do have unpredictable weather – perfect for atmospheric science majors on campus.

Located one hour to the northwest of Rapid City you will find Lead, SD, home to the Sanford Underground Research Facility. SURF, as it’s called, is base to world-renowned research and science experiments involving scientists from around the world as well as students from South Dakota Mines.

Location

Rapid City is the 2nd largest city in the state of South Dakota
Population: approximately 75,000
Six-hour drive from Denver, eight-hour drive to Minneapolis; direct flights to Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Phoenix.

Weather

Four distinct seasons. August average temperature: high 85/low 56. January average temperature: high 36/low 12
Average monthly snowfall ranges from 7 inches in Rapid City to 15 inches in the Black Hills
Number of sunny days per year: 226
Named third best city for new graduates in 2022 , and top 25 coolest towns in America in 2021

Things to Enjoy

Hiking, biking, camping, canoeing and kayaking, golfing, skiing and snowboarding, rock climbing, fishing, dirt biking and ATVing, hunting, water sports, and more!
Art galleries and Art Alley, shopping, restaurants, movie theaters, music events, theatrical productions
Parks, museums, libraries, churches, escape rooms, arcades, indoor climbing walls
A huge range of tourism venues that draw millions of visitors every year: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave (and many others), the Badlands, historic Deadwood
Rapid City's Main Street Square (boutiques, cafes, fountains, and skating in the winter . . . plus a statue of a president on every downtown corner) – also featuring free weekly summer events - Summer Nights.