I live in Utah. Forever I have wondered why I have not been to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We decided we would just “do it” and made plans to visit South Dakota the first week of September. We drove for six hours from Salt Lake the first night and stayed in Casper, Wyoming. We paid $100 for a dingy room at a Super 8. The woman at the Super 8 front desk told us we may have a hard time finding lodging in the Black Hills. We later would learn it was the Mustang Rally at Sturgis! Thankfully, we had a reservation with Edelweiss Mountain Lodging.
From Casper, Wyoming to Black Hills, South Dakota is still a trek. Five hours after leaving Casper, we arrived at Edelweiss Mountain Lodging. We had no idea how perfect the location would be. It is near ALL the attractions we wanted to see, and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Edelweiss Mountain Lodging has twelve rental properties. After searching their website, we felt the Hytta was perfect for us.
We checked in and met Julie and Marshall. They are fantastic. Julie gave me the key, showed me on a map how to find our way to the Hytta and then we talked “vacation”. She was knowledgeable about the sites, the area and I felt as if I had known her forever. Marshall greeted me and then headed out. When I came out to the car with the keys, my husband and Marshall were outside talking about the caves in the area, how the Black Hills are divided into three sections and more.
Check-in complete, we wound our way up three and a half miles on one of the best-maintained gravel roads we have ever been on, climbing the mountain. The views were breathtaking filling our senses with the smells of Ponderosa Pines. There was some excitement when my husband glanced up the hillside and saw our vacation home.
The picture above shows the living room from the dining area. The picture below is the first glimpse of the Hytta as you walk through the front door.
The Hytta Living Room walking through the front door
The home is fully furnished, including dishes, towels, bedding, pots, pans, coffee maker, microwave, trash bags, soap, refrigerator, and stove. It’s real inside, like a home away from home. The living room offered a television–though channels were limited. The kiddos used the television mostly for a quiet time because the views are spectacular–but we’ll get to those in a moment. Let’s finish looking at the home.
The Hytta’s dining area as seen from the kitchen
To the right of the living room is the dining area. It has a large wooden table with comfortable chairs. A leaf can expand the table or reduce its size depending on your preference.
The Hytta Kitchen from the dining room
The kitchen has modern amenities–no dishwasher, but you won’t mind washing dishes while looking out the window above the sink..it is beautiful.
The fireplace in the Hytta
Between the living room and dining room is a stone fireplace. The rocks in it are unusual and my husband and I spent each night looking at them and trying to name them. There is a variety of color and sizes keeping it a central point for the home.
On either side of the fireplace are two very large windows below and two very large windows above.
The view from the deck of the Hytta
The living room and dining area both offer sliding glass doors that open up to a porch that wraps around the front of the house. This is where we spent much of our time. The weather was beautiful. From the porch, we saw a fire tower, the winding road, and rolling hills.
The view from the deck of the Hytta
At night, we watched as the sun set and returned to see the moon rise above the ridge. Early evening brought wildlife close to the house. We saw so many wild turkeys and a few deer.
Sunset from the deck of the Hytta
Behind the living area is a half bathroom. It is long and holds a sink with vanity and toilet.
Half bath on the main floor of Hytta
To the left of the front door, across from the half bath is a spiral staircase. It runs from the very top of the Hytta to the bottom.
The floors of the Hytta are connected by a spiral staircase
Take the spiral staircase upstairs and you are in a loft. It’s open, looking out the upper windows on either side of the fireplace below.
The view from the loft of the Hytta
The loft itself overlooks the living room and dining area.
Looking down from the Hytta Loft from above the kitchen
The loft itself has bookshelves at either end, where my husband found “Black Elk Speaks”, and has a sleeper sofa. My husband spent a great deal of time here, with his feet up reading his book and learning about the Black Hills and its original people.
The loft of the Hytta
Take the spiral staircase downstairs from the main floor to find bedrooms. There are two bedrooms on the lower level.
The first bedroom of the Hytta as my children were moving in!
The first bedroom has a Queen size bed, nightstand, full-size closet and a sliding glass door that opens to a deck. From the deck you look straight across the road below into Ponderosa Pines.
Looking out the sliding glass door from the first bedroom
Down the hall, there is a master bedroom. It, too, has a queen size bed, a large dresser, two-night stands and a full-size closet.
The second bedroom as hubby moves in
There is a sliding glass door that opens out to a deck facing east. This is the best room to watch the moon rise.
The deck off the master bedroom of the Hytta
The views from the decks are truly million dollar memories. The house faced due north. The living room, whether on the deck or on the couch, gave incredible views to the day disappearing in vibrant colors as the sun set. The first bedroom downstairs offered views of both the sunset and the moon rise. The master bedroom deck faced east welcoming the sun in reds and oranges as it crept above the ridge to rest in white beauty high in the sky.
The lower level also offers a full-size bathroom. Plenty of room with a sink, large vanity, bathtub and shower with etched swan sliding glass doors. There is a linen closet, a window that opens to the south. Unfortunately, I failed to capture the bathroom on film.
the basement of the Hytta
Take the spiral staircase down one more level to the basement and it’s kiddos paradise. There is a television where you can watch videos borrowed from the office, they can read or play games.
twin beds in the Hytta basement, closest to the spiral staircase
The basement is actually a unique set up. It has two twin beds on the far side the look out a window to the west. Closer to the spiral staircase is two more twin beds that face the television.
My children spent so much time outside. They climbed rocks, hunted for the wild turkey and spent time playing in the rocks. My husband and I spent quiet time reading and enjoying the quiet and the views. Incredible!
Each morning, we had to tear ourselves away to begin the day seeing the sights. Stepping out the front door, this is the beauty that awaits.
The view from the front porch of the Hytta
We felt the Hytta was budget saving. At $185 per night, it was reasonable. We didn’t have traffic coming and going or people to contend with at any time. We were able to stop at the grocery store and buy food to prepare lunches to go, eat breakfast while admiring the views and have late night snacking just like at home.
Perhaps the Hytta isn’t for you, Edelweiss Mountain Lodging offers cabins in different sizes and a variety of price ranges to suit your vacation needs. Check out the options see other cabin rentals in the Black Hills. If you like vacations more from a camper, they offer RV spots.
Make your visit to the Black Hills one you won’t soon forget, including incredible lodging. It’s the perfect getaway whether you enjoy camping, want to see Sturgis or just get some much-needed rest and relaxation!
Disclosure of Material Connection: We won a one night stay and loved it so much we paid for three more nights. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.