Where:  Spearfish/Black Hills KOA
When: June 23, 2021
Cost:  $56.75/night with KOA rewards discount
Beer:  Spearfish Brewing

We planned a two-day drive from Rapid City from Yellowstone National Park in June 2021, and did not make any reservations until just the week before our drive.  We spent our second night at the KOA in Spearfish, South Dakota.  As we’ve noted before, we are not usually big fans of KOA since they are usually pricy and have amenities we don’t use, but you cannot beat them for last-minute reservations and convenient locations. 

It turns out that we really liked this KOA (except for the price). For a commercial campground, our site was quite large, and we had ready access to the swimming pool and shower area. There’s a designated pet walking area, but the campground also connects up to a nature trail where we saw a few dogs being walked as well (more on the trail below).

As for beer, boy, did Spearfish deliver.

Crow Peak Brewing is literally right next door to the KOA.  Yes, you can walk there in 2-3 minutes.  For RVers, what an amazing location!   We had not been to a craft brewery during our 8-day stay in Yellowstone so we were definitely ready for some brewskies!  The taproom has a rustic vibe with huge fireplace, vaulted ceilings, and both indoor and outdoor seating.  Two groups of motorcycle bikers were at the tables next to us, and it definitely had a local feel as well.  I had the 11th Hour IPA, and Kasie had the Black Currant Gose.  It’s the oldest craft brewery in the area, going back to 2010, and the brewery definitely knows what it’s doing.

Sawyer Brewing is about a mile from the KOA as well.  The KOA has a nature trail that runs south, and Google Maps may suggest that you can walk to brewery from there, by crossing the Spearfish Creek at some point.  We tried to take that path, only to find that there is way to cross the water.  As such, you will need to drive to Sawyer Brewing if you are staying at the KOA.   The very short drive is worth it.  We shared a flight of the (1) Cold Creek Cream Ale (2) Raspberry Kolsch, (3) Strawberry Whip sour, and (4) Key Lime Tart IPA.   Talk about flavors.  Sawyer also serves pizza, and we always appreciate places where we can both drink and eat!

Spearfish Brewing was not on our itinerary that day, but we ended up visiting the brewery a few days later.  Our flight included the (1) Tickled Pink Belgian-Style Wit with Hibiscus and Blood Orange, (2) Lemon Bar Pastry Sour, (3) Thə Schwa Pink Guava blonde, (4) Bobcat Logic Kettle sour, and (5) Device igniter IPA.    I had not thought about a schwa since grade school, which made perhaps made that beer name thə bəst.    The Spearfish Brewing Company recently took home two gold medals at the 2021 U.S. Beer Open Championship in Ohio, making the brewery one of the top ten in the nation at the competition.   Of the three, this place was probably my favorite. 

The beer scene in Spearfish is definitely happening. I am so glad that we stopped and spend some time in the area.