DOG-FRIENDLY PARKS IN RAPID CITY, SD

The eastern edge of the Black Hills provides Rapid City's dramatic setting at 3,202 feet elevation in western South Dakota. This city of 74,000 serves as the gateway to Mount Rushmore, situated just 23 miles southwest of downtown. Continental climate creates extreme seasonal variation: bitter cold winter averages around 25°F, though chinook winds occasionally bring sudden warming, and summer temperatures reach the mid-80s. Rapid Creek flows through the city, carving a scenic valley. The transition from High Plains grassland to ponderosa pine forest happens within the city limits, creating unique ecological diversity.