Elks Country Estates
Golf themed streets, big lots, and lawns and exteriors maintained for you in the golf course sections.
- Typical Lot
- 0.25 acres at the median, about 10,900 sq ft. The middle half runs 0.21 to 0.31 acres.
Facts checked August 2026
You know you are in Elks Country Estates when the street names turn to golf. Ping, Augusta, Padre, Willowbend, on the southeast side of Rapid City. What people like about living here is small and daily. In the golf course sections the outside work belongs to somebody else: the lawn mowed and watered, the snow cleared, the garbage handled, the exterior stained. You leave for work in February and the driveway is already open. Thirteen minutes later you are downtown. A lot on Willowbend is not a country estate. The typical lot is about a quarter acre, close enough that you hear the neighbor's garage door, which surprises buyers who read the name first. Next door, Elks Crossing switched to wine themed streets and is still building at the upper end, so know which of the two plats an address sits in before you read anything into a price.
Why people buy here
The golf themed streets here, Ping, Augusta, Padre and Willowbend, are what people picture when they say the Elks neighborhood. Elks Country Estates is the plat on the course, 322 parcels of it. Rapid City Elks Golf Course is semi private, run on membership and season pass tiers, so ask me about access before you make the course part of your reason to buy. Elks Crossing is a separate plat with wine themed streets, recorded by the city as single family lots, and the upper end of it is still seeing a lot of new construction.
Many of the homes in the golf course portion come with an association that does the outside work for you: the lawn mowed and watered, snow removal, garbage, and the exterior of the house stained. Get the current documents for the specific address, because coverage and dues are set by the association the house belongs to.
What a quarter acre next to a fairway is like to own
Custom ranches and two stories, plus townhomes carrying the same finish on a smaller footprint. Mow strips are short, and on the course side you are not the one mowing them. Coverage and dues are set by the association a specific house belongs to, so read those documents rather than assuming the arrangement runs across the whole area.
Course frontage has a cost nobody raises at a showing. Stray balls land in back yards on the holes that bend, and screens, windows and patio furniture take the hits. Ask which lots sit under a landing zone before you pick one for the view.
You can still build here, which is rare this close to town
Chad Zandstra Construction builds in both plats and lots do change hands, so buying finished and building are both live options. Price them against each other before you commit either direction.
The other side of that is noise. On a custom plat, building next to you runs in stretches over years rather than a single season.
The Highway 44 side is the short run to the base, twenty five minutes to the Ellsworth gate and eighteen to the airport.
Where Elks Country Estates 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
- Elks Country Estates, recorded as ELKS COUNTRY ESTATES
- Elks Crossing, recorded as ELKS CROSSING
- Elks Golf Course, recorded as ELKS GOLF COURSE SUBD
Recorded subdivision boundaries from Rapid City and Pennington County GIS. Individual parcel and service details should still be verified by address.
Recorded plat names
- Elks Country Estates: ELKS COUNTRY ESTATES
- Elks Crossing: ELKS CROSSING
- Elks Golf Course: ELKS GOLF COURSE SUBD
What homes cost here
Twenty nine recorded sales in the two years to October 2025, at a $555,000 median. The $208,931 low end is a lot sale rather than a house, so for a finished home work from the middle half, $405,000 to $605,000, up to a $760,000 top sale.
Pennington County recorded sales. November 2023 to October 2025. improved residential parcels. 29 sales. builder direct transfers included.
How these figures are calculated
Who builds here
- Chad Zandstra ConstructionHomebuilder
Builds in both Elks Country Estates and Elks Crossing. Ask for current lot availability, because it moves.
Builder pricing and plan availability change constantly. These are starting points, not quotes.
What your budget buys here
Around $405,000
The bottom of the middle half of recorded sales. A townhome carrying the same finish as the houses, or a smaller ranch on a lot at the 0.21 acre end of the range.
Around $555,000
The median recorded sale. A custom ranch or two story, quarter acre give or take, and on the golf course side the association mows, waters, plows and stains the exterior.
Around $605,000
The top of the recorded middle half. More house on a lot toward 0.31 acres, most of it on the Elks Country Estates side.
See Luxury Homes for SaleWant to know what your budget buys here? Ask Henry.
How far to things
- Ellsworth AFB main gate
- 25 min, 12.5 mi
- Downtown Rapid City
- 13 min, 6.1 mi
- Nearest hospital
- 12 min, 5.4 mi
- Rapid City Regional Airport
- 18 min, 7.9 mi
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Typical driving time with clear roads. The Ellsworth gate can back up at shift change.
Why buyers choose Elks Country Estates
- City water and sewer, and in the golf course sections an association that mows and waters the lawn, clears snow, takes the garbage and stains the house exterior.
- Thirteen minutes to downtown and 25 to the Ellsworth gate, which is a rare pairing.
At a glance
- Median Sold Price
- $555,000
Pennington County recorded sales, 29 closed sales
- Typical Lot
- 0.25 acres at the median, about 10,900 sq ft. The middle half runs 0.21 to 0.31 acres.
- Housing Styles
- Custom ranches and two stories, with townhomes that carry the same finish on a smaller lot
- New Construction
- Active
Last verified August 2026. How these figures are calculated
What to check at this address
- Jurisdiction
- City of Rapid City
- Water
- City of Rapid City municipal water.
- Sewer
- City of Rapid City sewer.
- Streets and snow
- City plows, across all three priority levels.
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4
- Fire district
- Rapid City Fire Department
- Lots run about 0.25 acres at the median, smaller than the golf course setting suggests.
- Recorded sales range from $208,931 to $760,000, so the name covers a wide spread of houses.
- An association means covenants and a fee, so read what it covers and what it prohibits.
- Golf course frontage carries stray ball exposure on some lots.
Open the ones that apply to the address you are looking at.
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 guideHail and roof age
Hail season here runs from late May through August, so ask for the roof age, the last claim history and any impact-resistant rating before you write.
Covenants and HOA documents
Read the covenants before you write, especially on outbuildings, RV and trailer parking, fencing, rentals and exterior materials.
New construction terms
On a build, read the builder contract for the allowance schedule, change order pricing, completion timeline and warranty, because the purchase agreement is the builder's, not the standard state form.
Property 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 guideHomes for sale in Elks Country Estates
Nothing of mine is listed in Elks Country Estates today. This search is set for Elks Country Estates and shows whatever is active there right now. The recorded sales further down the page are the honest read on a price point here.
EvidenceThe county record, in detailParcel counts, recorded prices and what each figure comes from for Elks Country Estates.
What has sold here
The county recorded 29 home sales in Elks Country Estates over the two years to October 2025, at a median of $555,000.
- Recorded Sales
- 29
- Median Sale Price
- $555,000
- Range
- $208,931 to $760,000
- Middle Half Of Sales
- $405,000 to $605,000
The $208,931 low end is a lot sale rather than a house. For a finished home, work from the middle half, $405,000 to $605,000.
The upper end of Elks Crossing is still actively building, so that is where to look if you want a new house rather than a resale.
Pennington County recorded sales, November 2023 to October 2025. Ask me for anything more current.
How far along it is
504 of the 615 platted parcels across Elks Country Estates, Elks Crossing and the golf course plats carry a house. Ninety three are bare lots, ten are slivers and common ground, three are assessed like improved property, and five are exempt or commercial.
- Platted Parcels
- 615
- Parcels With A House
- 504 (82%)
- Bare Lots
- 93
- Slivers And Common Ground
- 10
- Assessed As Improved
- 3
- Other Structures
- 5
A bare lot is a lot with no house on it. It is not a listing. Most are owned by somebody who is not selling.
Parcels assessed like improved property but not yet flagged as built. Treat the built count as a floor.
Slivers, drainage and common ground under a twentieth of an acre. Counted because the county plats them, but nothing can be built there.
Ninety three bare lots is real ground, so expect intermittent building on your street for a few years. It also means lots do change hands here, which is unusual this close to town.
Pennington County parcel records via Rapid City and Pennington County RapidMap GIS, August 2026.
What the county assessment shows
The county carries 504 homes across Elks Country Estates, Elks Crossing and the golf course plats at a $474,700 median, with the middle half between $411,400 and $565,700.
The two plats are assessed differently. The 259 homes in Elks Country Estates, the golf course side, sit at a $541,800 median against $450,100 for the 245 homes in Elks Crossing.
These are county assessed values used for property tax purposes. They are not sale prices and not asking prices.
The sale figures higher on this page are the transaction evidence for Elks Country Estates. The numbers here are the tax basis the county uses.
County assessment roll for Elks Country Estates. South Dakota aims to equalize assessments at 85 percent of market value. That is a statewide target rather than a promise about any one property, and it does not turn an assessment into a comparable sale. Assessments are set in November for the following year, so recent sales are not in them. Current comparable closings on the specific street are the honest read here.
Common questions about Elks Country Estates
Can I still build in Elks Country Estates?
Yes. Across Elks Country Estates, Elks Crossing and the golf course plats there are 615 parcels and 93 of them are bare lots. Chad Zandstra Construction builds in both Elks Country Estates and Elks Crossing. Lot availability moves, so ask for a current list.
What do homes cost in Elks Country Estates?
Pennington County recorded 29 sales in the two years to October 2025 at a $555,000 median. For a finished home work from the middle half, $405,000 to $605,000, because the $208,931 low end is a lot sale rather than a house.
Is Elks Country Estates on city sewer?
Yes. City of Rapid City water and sewer, inside the city limits, covered by Rapid City Fire Department.
How big are the lots?
0.25 acres at the median, about 10,900 square feet, with the middle half between 0.21 and 0.31 acres.
How far is it to the Ellsworth gate?
25 minutes and 12.5 miles. It is one of the closer southeast side neighborhoods to the base, and 18 minutes to the airport.
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 · School and district profiles on GreatSchools · Preschools and private schools in the Black Hills
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
Pennington County Equalization · Meade 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
See what's for sale now
These open my search site, where the listings update from the MLS through the day. This page is the background; that one is the inventory.
Keep reading on Rapid City
The region's hub for jobs, medicine, dining and flights, within an easy commute of Ellsworth Air Force Base.
An actively building Rapid Valley subdivision where the school district line runs through the middle.
A newer established subdivision on the north side, finished building, ten minutes from downtown.
An established west Rapid City neighborhood around Summerset Drive and Winterset Drive, with grown in yards and rolling streets.
Older homes on the west side with the Hills standing up in every direction.
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.
Elks Country Estates also turns up in Golf course living, Closest to Ellsworth Air Force Base and Low maintenance living.
Two plats, one name, and about $90,000 between them at the assessed median. The recorded plat tells you which one you are standing in, and the closings on that street tell you the rest.
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 Elks Country Estates 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.