South Dakota whitewater, Rapid Creek Pennington county, Heisga to Dark Canyon section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS III     8 miles   The starting location is a reasonable drive from Rapid City. If you've been out of state whitewater rafting and kayaking you might find the rivers here more forgiving, so don't forget that many of the rivers in this state are not very demanding. This is not the only paddling section in this river system, there are others too. Getting your paddling muscles activated and just being out on the river for a while are sure to keep you coming back     for more. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking around here you won't find a large number of other spots. The Heisga to Dark Canyon stretch of Rapid Creek is 8 miles long and is according to American Whitewater a class III section of whitewater. This is a pretty decent length section, you can easily run it on an afternoon. No need to look hard for hotels, but do book a room before you come because it is a very popular destination. The wonderful South Dakota scenery and the water flowing gracefully down Rapid Creek are reasons enough to come here and paddle. And of course, there are campgrounds nearby. Briefly about the general area: The   fine folks of Rapid City like to hang out close by. Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial is just something you need to do if you haven't yet. Summer at Rapid Creek arrives with high temperatures in the 80's. All through the moonlight hours it's ordinarily in the 50's. Daytime highs through the winter are in the 30's while the cold winter nights at Rapid Creek are in the 10's. Rapid Creek gets very little precipitation. The wettest month of the year is generally June, that's the one that rains the most, and January is the month with the least moisture.     Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Rapid Creek.   Whitewater Near Rapid Creek: Rapid Creek, Pennington County, 0 miles away       Class II - -blank- miles long (Pactola spillway to Johnson Siding) Rapid Creek, Pennington County, 0 miles away       Class II+ - 3 miles long (Johnson Siding to Big Bend) Rapid Creek, Pennington County, 0 miles away       Class II(III) - 3 miles long (Big Bend to Hiesga) Battle Creek, Pennington County, 15 miles away       Class III-IV(V) - 4 miles long (Harney to Hayward)   Ski Areas Near Rapid Creek: Terry Peak, South Dakota , 48 miles away, 1100 foot drop, 6 lifts, 24 runs   Hotels Near Rapid Creek: MainStay Suites Rapid City, Rapid City , 1 miles away Cambria Hotel & Suites Rapid City, Rapid City , 2 miles away Comfort Suites Rapid City, Rapid City , 2 miles away Fairfield Inn & Suites Rapid City, Rapid City , 2 miles away Sleep Inn & Suites Rapid City, Rapid City , 2 miles away   Campgrounds Near Rapid Creek: Berry Patch RV Campground, Rapid City, 1 miles away Pactola and Sheridan Lake, Rapid City, 3 miles away Lazy J RV Park and Kampground, Rapid City, 5 miles away   Trails Near Rapid Creek: Flume Trail, Pennington , 17 miles away   Public Lands Near Rapid Creek: Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone - SD , 15 miles away Jewel Cave National Monument, Custer - SD , 33 miles away Custer State Park, South Dakota , 17 miles away Bear Butte State Park, South Dakota , 26 miles away Angostura Recreation Area, South Dakota , 38 miles away   Golf Courses Near Rapid Creek: Lacroix Links YMCA Golf Course, Rapid City , 3 miles away Arrowhead Country club, Rapid City , 3 miles away Executive Golf Course, Rapid City , 4 miles away   Lakes Near Rapid Creek Sheridan Lake, Pennington , 20 miles away