1880 Train - Hill City Depot

Our group of 17 people did this as a family! It was fun and enjoyable for everyone. The views were beautiful! My only complaint. If you riding from hill city to keystone and only doing the 15 min break is that the restrooms are far down from the train. So you have to hustle to make it back. I suggest staying the few hours in keystone, eating and shopping then taking the train back! And same if you get on in keystone to hill city. Stay and shop and EAT!

The 1880 Train was a huge hit with our kids—they loved it. The views from the train are fantastic, you can see the Black Hills and the conductors were friendly and did a great job of explaining the details of the ride and the history. It was a perfect, low-stress activity that everyone in our family enjoyed.

I gave this a 3 because the staff is AMAZING. And they do have someone coming by to offer a snack and drinks. I love the fact that you can flip the seats to face one another or whatever direction you want to face. I was very disappointed in the scenery. No fault of the staff or location but we've been on the Georgetown Loop train in Colorado and that scenery was AMAZING. If you've never ridden a train then you'll probably enjoy the 1880 Train ride but if you've been on the Georgetown Loop train, don't waste your money. You'll be disappointed. You really only see deer, a lot of trees, residential houses and rocks.

Great experience for the whole family! Beautiful views. The train moves slow, 10-15 mph. We choose the enclosed car with the padded seats and the windows can open. Otherwise the open air car has wooden seats. The workers were very friendly and served drinks and snacks on the train. The kids love it.

Way better then most trains I’ve been on! The conductor was very friendly and chatted with us a little too! We got a round trip ticket from Hill City to Keystone in an open air cart. We learned that if you want less crowds, get an open air cart! While on the ride, they also sold drinks such as sprite for $2 which come in a can. They also sold a “guidebook” about the history about the train that you’re on for $4. I personally didn’t get one so I have no idea if it’s worth to purchase or not. Overall, if you’re planning a trip to the Black Hills and picked your stay in Hill City this is definitely an attraction to do that is super fun and won’t have you bored in your hotel! 😂

Beautiful train. Train only runs back and forth between hill city and keystone but it’s scenic enough. Road the Edward Gillette Car. The seats were movable So you could face forward or backward. They were very helpful with my stroller I brought. Worth it for a special occasion or day with the kids.

My kids loved this! It was so cool seeing the restored cars, steam rather than diesel, the locomotive get worked on after the trip in Keystone and learning about the history of the train. The workers made it the best! Dan and Mike were so awesome!! The conductor was great too didn’t have much of an interaction like we did Dan and Mike who made my kids day!! However, I had high expectations of this train ride, thinking it’s so “scenic” and we would get views that people really wouldn’t get to see driving. Hoping we would be right in the thick of the black hills. Unfortunately, it is not this and not very “scenic”. The scenery you will see are homes. I feel the price of the tickets didn’t really justify what we got out. But again it was a really cool experience and the kids loved it.

Peaceful train ride through the beautiful Black Hills. Both Keystone and Hill City are quaint towns for shopping. The food options are better in Hill City if you leave time for lunch in a round trip. This is the oldest continously running steam train. In Hill City take the time to watch them refill the engine with water and get it ready to head to Keystone. Great experience for young and old.