Key Hole State Park with kids
Once you leave the Black Hills area of South Dakota and head west, the lodging and restaurants get a bit sparse. Since I’m traveling with three kids, I’m always looking for cabins instead of roadside motel rooms. After road tripping across the U.S. one thing I’ve learned, kids love cabins. I found Key Hole State Park with kids worked great.
Key Hole State Park fits the bill, I got a cabin for the kids and it’s 41 miles away from Devils Tower National Monumentwith easy access off Interstate 90. This location provides a quick 50-minute drive in the morning before the crowds really swarm the popular National Park Service site.
Key Hole State Park features a 14,000-acre reservoir for water recreation with a marina and fishing. I also found 170 camping sites with tables and grills. Theplayground for the kids offers anotherfeature for families.
What’s in our Cabin
Key Hole State Park surrounds theKeyhole Reservoirand our cabin sits right on the water. The view from the front porch offers Moms a moment to savor the morning sun dancing off the water before the kids wake up.
We stayed in Cabin #1, right on the reservoir.
- One pair of bunk beds
- One full-sized bed
- One small table
- One bench
- Full electricity with plugs
- Window unit
The interior features pine paneling and all the furnishing are made from peeled pine timber. The beds are outfitted with mattresses only so the kids used their sleeping bags and I brought a fitted sheet and topped with my sleeping bag along with pillows for everyone.
The cabins feature full electricity, so I plugged in all the electronics at once. I found a window unit in the cabins though I didn’t turn it on during our stay in July.
The cabins don’t features indoor plumbing but a potable water spigot was located next to our parking spot.
Restroom Facilities at Key Hole State Park
Let’s talk about the bathrooms for a moment–kids don’t care on vacation but Moms do. And I’ll be honest, the restroom situation wasn’t the best.
We stayed for one night so I just dealt with it since the kids loved the cabin and bunk beds. For families staying longer than a night might want to consider this before booking.
I failed to find a modern restroom next to our cabin (site #1) and we walked to a primitive vault toilet nearby. Meaning a composting toilet without running water and electricity instead of a flush toilet with a sink with running hot water.
I prefer modern restrooms with showers and hot water for campgrounds with cabins. I didn’t find a shower in the entire campground.
Without lights in the restrooms, meant I had to load the kids up in the SUV so I could leave the headlights on so we could have light. Luckily, my kids didn’t have to go to the restroom during the middle of the night.
The carful of kids brushed their teeth at the outside water spigot and I put my hair up in a ponytail and washed my face with cold water. I’ll take a hot shower at the next place.
To sum it up, I love the cozy cabin with its amazing view of the Key Hole Reservoir. But the restroom situation could be an issue for some Moms.
Key Hole State Parkis located at 22 Marina Road, 16 miles from Moorcroft, Wyoming. A quick 20-mile drive to Devils Tower National Monument offering families a national park service site along with a lake view.
The cabins cost $57 a night but I paid an additional $50 refundable deposit. I reserved my cabin in advance and cabins are reservable from May 15 to September 15. No minimum night stay required for the cabins, a convenient feature.
Comments are closed.