First of all, it wasn't my first time on a hot air balloon. The excursion starts at 5-15am in Custer, SD at the meeting point. That means, if you are staying in Rapid City (as we were) you have to wake up at 3-45am to get there on time. They're trying to catch the calmest time of the day, that's why they do it that early. It was a little challenging for us, but doable. Especially when you expect a nice scenic flight over the gorgeous Black Hills. After we had met with the pilots, we hopped into their van and were brought to a field near Stockade lake (about 10 min. drive from Custer). The weather was calm. I must say, that the crew seemed very professional and got the balloons up and running very fast. Our pilot, Damien, was very friendly and nice guy as well. Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment for me was the flight itself. Instead of a scenic flight through the Black Hills, we ascended to an altitude of about 1000 feet (yes, you get gorgeous views of surroundings, but you can get comparable views from many lookout spots in Black Hills), and then basically stayed in the same area for the next 45-50min. The whole excursion was within roughly 1 mile radius from the departure spot. Maybe the winds were not cooperative that day, but again, it was very calm and from what I can see from the other people's pictures, it's pretty much their routine to stay around Stockade area lake. So don't expect flying for miles over the peaks, lakes and cliffs. Upon landing, we were served mimosas with crackers, cheese and muffins, which was nice. But I'd rather had a longer flight. So overall my kids (10 and 6 y.o.) enjoyed the experience since it was their first time, but I was not very satisfied. They definitely need to work on a better flight routs in different wind conditions, so that people can really enjoy the Black Hills.
Réponse de l'hôte
Jun 2018
Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. We remember that flight well because Mother Nature just didn't cooperate. We were forced to stay in the area (when you are at the mercy of the winds, it happens sometimes) but she did provide views of the beautiful Custer Needles, which is very rare. The Black Hills can be unpredictable at times, but flying here is definitely worth it, we hope it made your stay here memorable.