Origin
Rapid City, SD
Late night in Rapid City on Wednesday
Local time
12:13 AM
MDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Rapid City, SD to Colonial Pine Hills, SD
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
16m
Distance
9.7 mi
16 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 15m
★
6 AM
0h 17m
8 AM
0h 20m
10 AM
0h 18m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 18m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 16m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Rapid City, SD
Wikimedia Commons
Colonial Pine Hills, SD
Thomas P
Trip Overview
Rapid City, SD to Colonial Pine Hills, SD is 9.7 miles and takes about 16 minutes via Mount Rushmore Road, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within the Great Plains region of South Dakota. Given the minimal distance and duration, this trip is ideal for a spontaneous excursion or as a quick addition to a larger itinerary. You'll be navigating mostly surface roads for this entire trip, so expect a relaxed pace. It's a straightforward connection between two points, perfect for when you need to get from A to B efficiently without a long commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Rushmore Road | 4.6 mi | 7m |
| Sheridan Lake Road | 3.2 mi | 5m |
| Catron Boulevard | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Clarkson Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Alfalfa Court | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Mount Rushmore Road
— 4.6 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Rapid City, SD and Colonial Pine Hills, SD.
1
Start on US 16
4.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Mount Rushmore Road
2
Turn right onto Catron Boulevard
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Catron Boulevard
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left onto Sheridan Lake Road
3.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Sheridan Lake Road
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto Clarkson Road
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Clarkson Road
5
Turn right onto Alfalfa Court
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
Alfalfa Court
6
Arrive at destination
Alfalfa Court
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 4.6 and 9.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
4.6 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
Catron Boulevard
Turn right onto Catron Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
6.1 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
Sheridan Lake Road
Turn left onto Sheridan Lake Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
9.3 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Clarkson Road
Turn left onto Clarkson Road
Navigation decision point
4
9.5 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
Alfalfa Court
Turn right onto Alfalfa Court
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.50 one way
$3.01 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $1.65 | $3.30 |
| premium | $4.93 | $1.88 | $3.76 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $2.14 | $4.28 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.02 | $0.47 |
| Efficient EV | 2.4 | 0 | $0.85 | $0.39 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.36 | $0.62 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Colonial Pine Hills, SD
Late night in Colonial Pine Hills on Wednesday
Local time
12:13 AM
MDT
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
21 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
16m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This entire 9.7-mile route is on surface roads, with no highway driving involved. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 4.6 miles on Mount Rushmore Road. You'll be cruising on a mix of Mount Rushmore Road, Sheridan Lake Road, and Catron Boulevard. Since there's no highway share, you can anticipate a steady, consistent speed throughout. Drivers will notice the absence of high-speed highway exits, making for a more direct travel experience.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
6 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.6 mi on Mount Rushmore Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 4.6 miles in near Catron Boulevard.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 16m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.6 miles (Catron Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles (Sheridan Lake Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles (Clarkson Road): Navigation decision point.
Elevation Profile
Gently rolling terrain
4,083 ft
3,243 ft
Total Climb
1,148 ft
Total Descent
308 ft
Highest Point
4,083 ft
~9.7 mi in
Elevation Range
840 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Rapid City, SD
Full guide →Founded 1876
Rapid City is the largest city in the Badlands and Black Hills region of South Dakota. It is a convenient base for travel on to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Crazy Horse Memorial, the Badlands, and the Black Hills National Forest.
Top landmarks
- • Hotel Alex Johnson — building in Rapid City, South Dakota
- • Dinosaur Park — sculpture park in Rapid City, South Dakota
- • Pap Madison Cabin — cabin in Rapid City, SD, USA
Arriving in Colonial Pine Hills, SD
Full guide →City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 16m. Total distance: 9.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
16m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.6 miles on Mount Rushmore Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through SD can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 4.6 miles (Catron Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles (Sheridan Lake Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles (Clarkson Road): Navigation decision point.
Yes — Mount Rushmore National Memorial. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Colonial Pine Hills, SD before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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