Etta Ghost Town

Pennington County, South Dakota43.8808, -103.4185

Can you visit?

Public land, open access

Black Hills National Forest · Open to visitors

Nearest town
11 miColonial Pine Hills, SD
Mild months
May–Oct6 of 12
Elevation
4,580 ft1,395 m
Illustration of a plains landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Etta. No free-licensed photo yet.

Etta is a ghost town in Pennington County, South Dakota. It lies at about 4,580 feet above sea level.

On the map

20 mi40 miRapid CityBox ElderSturgisHot SpringsSummersetBlackhawkEtta
  • BLM
  • National Forest
  • State
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Etta. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Colonial Pine Hills, SD, about 11 miles northeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 17 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Bismuth2.4 mi southeast
  2. Spokane3.3 mi southeast
  3. Addie Camp6 mi northwest
  4. Rockerville6.1 mi northeast
  5. Teddy Bear6.5 mi northwest
  6. Sheridan7.1 mi north
  7. Tigerville13 mi northwest
  8. Pactola14 mi north

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

National Forest: Black Hills National Forest

PAD-US places this spot on Black Hills National Forest, land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. PAD-US marks it as open to the public. Park rules, fees and seasonal closures can still apply.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°3719Jan3618Feb4425Mar5032Apr6042May7152Jun7959Jul7858Aug6950Sep5537Oct4427Nov3720DecJan: 0.5 inFeb: 0.8 inMar: 1.4 inApr: 2.6 inMay: 4.8 inJun: 3.6 inJul: 3.6 inAug: 2.3 inSep: 1.8 inOct: 1.8 inNov: 0.6 inDec: 0.5 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run May to October, judging by NOAA normals from Mt Rushmore Nmem. Snow is normal from October to May.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Mt Rushmore Nmem station (USC00395870), 2 miles away. About 24.3 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationPennington County, South Dakota
Coordinates43.88082, -103.41852
Elevation4,580 ft (1,395 m)
Also known asEtta Camp, Etta Mine, Etta, SD
SourcesWikidata Q14946703 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Etta ghost town?

In Pennington County, South Dakota, at 43.8808, -103.4185. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Colonial Pine Hills, SD, about 11 miles northeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 17 miles away.

Can you visit Etta?

Public land, open access. PAD-US places this spot on Black Hills National Forest, land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. PAD-US marks it as open to the public. Park rules, fees and seasonal closures can still apply.

When is the best time to visit Etta?

Mild months here run May to October, judging by NOAA normals from Mt Rushmore Nmem. Snow is normal from October to May.

Are there other ghost towns near Etta?

Yes. Bismuth (2.4 mi), Spokane (3.3 mi), Addie Camp (6 mi), Rockerville (6.1 mi).

More ghost towns in South Dakota

All 70 ghost towns in South Dakota · Ghost towns near Rapid City