31st Stop - Hot Springs (SD)

Blog Post #41 - Written November 18, 2025

Stay: July 21, 2025


We only stayed in Hot Springs, SD for one night, but it was one of our favorite stays! When we arrived at the Harvest Host farm (Black Hills Farm Life / TuTara Farm and Ranch), their electrical connection was showing as "not grounded" on our surge protector / analyzer, so we didn't connect to power, which means no AC. It was over 90 degrees, so we had zero desire to stay cooped up in the trailer for the afternoon. I looked on Google Maps for nearby water and found Cascade Springs and Cascade Falls just a couple miles up the road! We threw our swimsuits in the truck and booked it up the mountain. 

We love finding hidden gems that usually only locals go enjoy, and these were definitely sweet little hidden gems!



We had the springs all to ourselves when we arrived. Then another family arrived and the kids all enjoyed catching the little fish with our nets.  It was interesting to hear from this other couple that they had lived here originally, then moved away to Washington, travelled around a bunch, and then decided they wanted to move back and raise their family here in Hot Springs, SD!

After we enjoyed the springs (not hot, btw-very cool and refreshing), we drove another mile or two up the road to see the Cascade Falls. This one seemed much more popular with the locals. It was very busy with people relaxing in the water, swimming, and jumping off the rocks. We chatted with another lady who doesn't even live here, she lives in Wyoming, but she owns some rental properties here and loves coming over to Hot Springs. 


I love this video of Z jumping into the river. Love his big "running" start haha 😂 


Back at the farm, our host Debbie had just returned home rom a trip, but was kind enough to tour us around the farm, meeting and feeding/watering the animals.

The bull, Dozer, loves people and gets very excited when he sees you. His "I'm excited" noise is pretty hilarious. Especially when you wake up during the night because you can hear him walking around outside your trailer, and so you open the curtains to peer out and there he is, about 15 feet away. And when he sees you, he starts heaving and panting, or whatever that noise it haha.




I was very proud of Q for feeding [bull]Dozer. He's probably huge and terrifying for a little 5-yo even if he acts like Ferdinand haha. Debbie warned us to never try this with any other bull, but that Dozer was a unique softie, and he especially loves carrots.
Z also fed Dozer and even tried to give him a kiss!

The kids also carded some sheep wool.


The kids had an absolute blast feeding all the animals. Here D fed the little miniature horses. 

All the kids fed some of the chickens' eggs to the pigs. Again, those pig mouths/teeth are terrifying even for me, so I was super impressed that they did it!


Debbie even let the boys "help" her muck out the horse stalls in her excavator! Videos: Q playing with the excavator.  Z mucking out the horse pen.


Debbie used to live in Colorado working as a real estate investor and developer. She said she conducted a thorough search a few years ago across the country for the perfect place to live and decided that Hot Springs, SD was it! I can't say I blame her. Her farm was so fun, the springs were great, and we wish we had had more time there.




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