Little Elk Canyon
Ten parcels along Little Elk Creek Road, from one acre to a hundred, four of them still bare.
- Typical Lot
- About 19.7 acres at the median in county parcel records. Tracts run from 1.15 acres to roughly 100 acres.
Facts checked August 2026
Little Elk Creek Road follows the creek back into the canyon and the addresses climb as you go, 12061, 12123, 12211, 12266. Ten parcels, one road in, and the last two tracts are large enough that the county classes them as agricultural.
This is acreage, not a lot
The median parcel measures close to 19.7 acres in county parcel records. Tracts 1, 2 and 3 sit near 20 acres each, Tract 4R runs about 23.5, and Tract 5 was split into Lot A at roughly 100 acres and Lot B at about 60. The small end is Lot 1R at 1.15 acres and Lot 2R at 3.26.
Buying twenty acres in a canyon is a different job than buying two on a hillside. Fencing, weed control, a road that has to be plowed and hauled gravel are all yours.
What is on the ground
Four of the ten parcels carry a structure in the county class code, and two of those records show a manufactured home on real estate, including a 1985 Windsor 28 by 60 on Tract 2. Four parcels show as bare. The two large Tract 5 lots carry an agricultural class, which affects how they are taxed and what a lender will want to see.
Nothing here is a subdivision in the suburban sense. There is no curb, no streetlight and no HOA amenity to inherit.
The canyon is the due diligence
Water and wastewater are individual to each tract in this plat and nothing subdivision wide appears in the public record. Get the well log, the flow record and the onsite wastewater permit, and if the parcel is bare, get a percolation answer before you fall in love with a building site.
Then look up. Canyon ground brings a real wildfire conversation, a single road out, and creek proximity that a flood determination has to settle rather than a guess. Ask how the road gets plowed and whether that duty is recorded anywhere or just understood.
Where Little Elk Canyon sits
The outlines below are reference geometry from county records, not a survey. The recorded plat and a current survey control the exact lines for any one lot.
Subdivision map
- Little Elk Canyon, recorded as Little Elk Canyon
Outline dissolved from parcels in the public Meade County parcel layer. Reference geometry, not a recorded plat or survey. Verify the legal description, the recorded plat and utility service by address.
Recorded plat names
- Little Elk Canyon: Little Elk Canyon
Where it is
The large pin marks the approximate center of Little Elk Canyon. The smaller pins are the Ellsworth Air Force Base main gate, downtown Rapid City, Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and Rapid City Regional Airport. Approximate locations only, not a boundary or a survey.
What homes cost here
Ten parcels ranging from one acre to a hundred cannot produce a price range, and Meade County does not publish sale prices. Value here comes down to usable ground, access, water and whether the structure is a house or a manufactured home on real estate.
How these figures are calculated
How far to things
- Nearest hospital
- Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Typical driving time with clear roads.
Why buyers choose Little Elk Canyon
- Twenty acre tracts within a short drive of Piedmont and the interstate.
- Four parcels still bare, including large ones, if you want to build.
- Creek bottom and timber on the same deed.
At a glance
- Typical Lot
- About 19.7 acres at the median in county parcel records. Tracts run from 1.15 acres to roughly 100 acres.
- New Construction
- Limited
Last verified August 2026. How these figures are calculated
What to check at this address
- Jurisdiction
- Unincorporated Meade County. The plat sits in Section 5, Township 3 North, Range 6 East.
- Water
- Individual to each tract. Get the well log and flow record for the parcel.
- Sewer
- Individual to each tract. Buyers should verify the onsite wastewater permit, or a percolation answer on bare ground.
- Manufactured homes on real estate appear in two of the records, which affects financing.
- Well, wastewater and road duty are all individual questions here.
- Wildfire exposure and one route out of the canyon.
Open the ones that apply to the address you are looking at.
Private well
If the home is on a well, ask for the well log, test flow rate and water quality, and find out the age of the pump and pressure tank before you remove inspection.
Read the full guideSeptic system
Get the tank pumped and inspected, ask the county for the permit and as-built drawing, and confirm the drainfield location so you know what you cannot build over.
Read the full guideWho maintains the road
Find out whether the last stretch to the house is a county road, a road district, a shared easement or your own responsibility, and get the answer in writing. Ask what the district assesses and what that assessment covers.
Snow removal on this street
Ask which priority tier the street is on, or whether anybody plows it at all. On a grade or a cul de sac it changes how you get out on the third morning of a storm, so ask a neighbor rather than the seller.
Wildfire risk and insurance
One road in and out of a timbered canyon. Ask your insurer for a quote before your inspection deadline rather than after, and look at defensible space around any structure.
Read the full guideFlood mapping
The creek runs through the plat. Get a flood determination for the parcel instead of assuming the building site is high enough.
Radon
The Black Hills sit on granite and radon levels here run high, so test during the inspection period and price mitigation into your offer if the number comes back elevated.
Read the full guideProperty taxes
Look up the actual assessed value and the current levy for the parcel instead of trusting the listing figure, which is often a year or more behind.
Read the full guideCovenants and HOA documents
Read the covenants before you write, especially on outbuildings, RV and trailer parking, fencing, rentals and exterior materials.
Which school this address feeds
A district line can run through a single subdivision, so confirm the assignment for the specific address with the district office rather than the plat or the listing. Boundaries also change between years.
Schools
Confirm the assigned district and building for the exact parcel before you rely on it.
Verify current boundaries with the district for any specific address.
I provide objective school information consistently and do not personally rate or recommend schools. Attendance boundaries can cross city and county lines, and the district's current assignment for the exact address controls. Verify directly with the district before making a school-driven decision.
Search near Little Elk Canyon
Nothing of mine is listed in Little Elk Canyon today. This wider search covers Piedmont, so it takes in more ground than this one subdivision.
EvidenceThe county record, in detailParcel counts, recorded prices and what each figure comes from for Little Elk Canyon.
Four of the ten parcels carry a structure, two of them a manufactured home on real estate. Four are bare and two carry an agricultural class at roughly 60 and 100 acres. Mostly raw canyon acreage, with a small number of improved tracts.
Meade County parcel records via the county parcel service, August 2026.
Common questions about Little Elk Canyon
How large are the tracts?
About 19.7 acres at the median in county parcel records. The smallest is 1.15 acres and the largest is close to 100.
How many homes are in Little Elk Canyon?
Four of the ten parcels carry a structure in the county class code, and two of those records show a manufactured home on real estate.
What to check before you write an offer
On any address you are serious about, buyer due diligence should include the school assignment from the district, the water quality report from the utility that serves it, and the assessed value and levy from the county. Here are the sources for each one.
The sources, by category
Schools
Confirm the assigned school for a specific address with the district, because boundaries change and they change more often than people expect. Rapid City Area Schools boundary maps · Douglas School District 51-1 · Meade School District 46-1 · Spearfish School District 40-2 · School and district profiles on GreatSchools · Preschools and private schools in the Black Hills
Crime data
Drinking water
Every public water system publishes an annual water quality report. Read the one for the system that serves the address you are considering, not the one for the town next door. Rapid City water quality reports · City of Box Elder Water Division · City of Spearfish water · EPA drinking water lookup
Property taxes and assessed value
Meade County Equalization · Pennington County Equalization · Lawrence County Equalization
The county record, the plat and the recorded covenants are the three documents to read on any address here. I do not rate schools and I do not characterize neighborhoods as safe or unsafe. Those readings are yours to make from the sources above.
Also compare
Keep reading on Piedmont
A small foothills city on I-90 where much of my current listing inventory sits, about 26 minutes north of downtown Rapid City.
Newer one-to-two-acre building sites near Elk Creek Road with centralized water, an HOA and utilities ready for a custom build.
A fourteen parcel plat off Creekside Place and 141st Place, platted in 2011 and still only half built.
Wooded acreage near Piedmont with an HOA and association water, where the specific lot and access matter more than a subdivision average.
Fifty two parcels on Eastridge Road between Piedmont and Black Hawk, mostly around an acre, with a few that run to seven.
My free buyer's guide, written for wells, septic, hail history and PCS timelines in this region.
Price, down payment, rate, taxes, insurance and HOA in one number.
New to the Black Hills? Start with the questions people ask.
If a tract in here comes up, the first call is to the insurer and the second is to whoever has been maintaining Little Elk Creek Road. Both calls belong made before you drive out.
Considering a home here?
Send the address and we can talk it through. The details that change from one property to the next are jurisdiction, water and sewer, the school the district assigns, covenants, road maintenance and the rest of what never shows up on a listing.
Talk to Henry
Call or text 605-490-2040 and we can talk through what is realistic in Little Elk Canyon right now, including what has closed nearby.
Last updated August 2026
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, lending or financial advice. Facts and figures are cited from public sources as of August 2026 and change over time. Henry Roy is a licensed real estate professional with Ascend Realty in South Dakota. Equal Housing Opportunity.