Moon Ghost Town

Pennington County, South Dakota43.9464, -104.0083

Can you visit?

Public land, open access

Black Hills National Forest · Open to visitors

Nearest town
11 miNewcastle, WY
Mild months
Apr–Oct7 of 12
Next ghost town
9.9 miCambria
Illustration of a plains landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Moon. No free-licensed photo yet.

Moon is a former settlement in Pennington County, South Dakota, listed among the ghost towns of South Dakota.

On the map

20 mi40 miRapid CitySpearfishNewcastleLeadSummersetBlackhawkColonial Pine HillsMoon
  • BLM
  • National Forest
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Moon. 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 Newcastle, WY, about 11 miles southwest in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 40 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Cambria9.9 mi west
  2. Deerfield9.9 mi northeast
  3. Tubb Town11 mi southwest
  4. Myers City17 mi northeast
  5. Tigerville18 mi east
  6. Rochford19 mi northeast
  7. Nahant20 mi northeast
  8. Mystic20 mi northeast

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°3514Jan3816Feb4826Mar5733Apr6643May7853Jun8760Jul8658Aug7549Sep5936Oct4524Nov3515DecJan: 0.5 inFeb: 0.7 inMar: 0.8 inApr: 1.7 inMay: 2.9 inJun: 2.7 inJul: 2.5 inAug: 1.8 inSep: 1.2 inOct: 1.2 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 April to October, judging by NOAA normals from Newcastle. July to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up; snow is normal from October to April.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Newcastle station (USC00486660), 11 miles away. About 17.1 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationPennington County, South Dakota
Coordinates43.94639, -104.00833
SourcesWikidata Q24061545 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Moon ghost town?

In Pennington County, South Dakota, at 43.9464, -104.0083. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Newcastle, WY, about 11 miles southwest in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 40 miles away.

Can you visit Moon?

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 Moon?

Mild months here run April to October, judging by NOAA normals from Newcastle. July to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up; snow is normal from October to April.

Are there other ghost towns near Moon?

Yes. Cambria (9.9 mi), Deerfield (9.9 mi), Tubb Town (11 mi), Myers City (17 mi).

More ghost towns in South Dakota

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