I'll be honest with you, I'm a tough critic when it comes to "accessible" tourism experiences. I was born and raised in the Black Hills, lived nearly my entire life as a wheelchair user, and my husband Trevor and I have traveled all over the country and beyond. We've seen the full spectrum of what "accessible" can mean. The kind that genuinely opens a door, and the kind that's nothing more than a checkbox. So when something actually delivers, I feel obligated to shout it from the top of Dinosaur Park.
The Rapid City City View Trolley is the real deal.
A Hometown Gem I Almost Overlooked
Here's the irony of growing up somewhere beautiful: you sometimes take it for granted. I've driven past that cheerful trolley more times than I can count, always assuming it was just a tourist thing. After my experience riding the Trolley, I can genuinely say I was reminded just how beautiful and accessible Rapid City is.
The trolley is run by Visit Rapid City and is one of the best ways to get oriented in our city. It's a two-hour narrated tour winding through Downtown Rapid City, the West Boulevard Historic District, past the quirky green dinosaurs of Dinosaur Park, Main Street Square, and more, all with GPS-triggered audio narration that brings each landmark to life right as you're looking at it. Even as someone who's known this city my whole life, I learned things I didn't know.
The Accessibility That Impressed Me
Trevor and I have been turned away, squeezed in awkwardly, or given the apologetic shrug at so many tour experiences across this country. Historic tours come with historically inaccessible aspects, and after being prepared for the “Sorry, no…” we were pleasantly surprised to find that the City View Trolley offers a dedicated wheelchair accessible seat with a lift, tie-downs, and a seatbelt. I was cautiously optimistic. When I actually experienced it, I was genuinely moved.
After a smooth lift onto the City View Trolley, my chair was properly secured with tie-downs, and I was buckled in with a seatbelt for the ride. The lift accommodates wheelchairs and electric scooters up to 800 pounds total weight when occupied, and you have the choice to transfer to a seat or stay in your mobility device. That choice matters more than people realize. This is the kind of thoughtful design that makes travel feel like travel, not like an obstacle course.
A few practical notes: there is one wheelchair-accessible seat per trolley, so booking ahead is essential. Tours run daily at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. from mid-May through early October, rain or shine, departing from The Rushmore Hotel. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children ages 3 to 12, with a 10% discount for military members and seniors. Book online at visitrapidcity.com/city-view-trolley-tour or call (605) 718-8484.
The One Stop: Chapel in the Hills
The tour's single stop is one of the most unexpected and quietly spectacular places in all of the Black Hills. And I can say that confidently as a local (also as someone who held their wedding ceremony here!).
The Chapel in the Hills is a stunning replica of the Borgund Stavkirke, a stave church in Laerdal, Norway built around the year 1150. The Norwegian Department of Antiquities provided the original blueprints, and the intricate woodcarvings inside and out, including dragons on the roofline and carved door surrounds, were a collaboration between a Norwegian master woodcarver and a Rapid City artist. It was dedicated in 1969 as the home of a Lutheran radio ministry, a nod to the deep Scandinavian heritage of so many who settled the Dakotas.
Tucked among the ponderosa pines on the western edge of Rapid City, the chapel grounds feel like stepping briefly into Scandinavia. We had 30 minutes to explore, and I used every one of them. There's a meditation trail winding up the hillside if you are able to walk, a grass-roofed Norwegian stabbur that serves as the visitor center and gift shop, and a log cabin museum originally built by a Norwegian immigrant and gold digger. Pausing to take in the sights in front of that chapel, surrounded by pines and quiet, I felt that particular pride you get when you see the beauty of your hometown.
The Bottom Line
Trevor and I have traveled far and wide, and our experience with The City View Trolley gave us what we hope for with any travel scenario: A smooth experience that lets us focus on why we travel in the first place. To see new sites, experience new things, and to feel a part of the magic of each new place we visit. The lift worked. The tie-downs were done properly. The seatbelt gave me confidence on the curves. And the tour itself was genuinely wonderful. It was full of history, humor, stunning scenery, and that beautiful stop at the Chapel in the Hills.
If you're visiting Rapid City, book this tour. If you're a local like me who's driven past that trolley a hundred times, book this tour! See our beautiful city from a new perspective.
Life, as they say, really is jolly when you ride the trolley.
Kelsey is a lifelong Black Hills native, wheelchair user, and avid traveler who explores accessible experiences near and far with her husband, Trevor. This post is part of her ongoing Accessible Adventures blog series.
Book your City View Trolley tickets at visitrapidcity.com/city-view-trolley-tour or call (605) 718-8484.