The Bluffs and Carriage Hills
Big houses on more than an acre each, under mature trees, at the top of the Rapid City market.
- Typical Lot
- 1.34 acres at the median. The middle half runs 0.94 to 2.14 acres, which is what makes the septic work on lots this size inside city limits.
Facts checked August 2026
Rapid City has almost no acreage left inside its own limits. Carriage Hills has it. Trees and space are what buyers remember, mature trees planted since the eighties and lots running 1.34 acres at the median, some over two. The houses are spacious ranches and two stories from the eighties and nineties, walkout basements normal because of the terrain, three stall garages a feature rather than a splurge. A lot of them have been renovated by owners who stayed twenty years, so a 1988 house with a 2019 kitchen and a 1988 furnace is a common shape out here. Twenty minutes to Pactola and Sheridan Lake, with Canyon Lake Park and the Skyline Wilderness trails between you and town, which is the real case for this side of Rapid City. The trade is septic. Every home here is on its own system, no city sewer main and no sanitary district, even inside city limits, so budget the inspection and ask when the tank was last pumped.
Why people buy here
This is an older neighborhood with mature trees everywhere, large lots and large homes. When I walk buyers through here, the trees are what they remember, and the lot sizes are what makes the price make sense.
Before you fall for it
There is no recorded plat called The Bluffs anywhere in Pennington County. The county has CARRIAGE HILLS SUBD at 108 parcels and CARRIAGE HILLS WEST at 6. The Bluffs is a marketing name, so ask which recorded plat an address sits in, because that is the name your title work will carry.
And every home here is on septic. No city sewer main, no sanitary district, on an acre and a third inside Rapid City limits. That is what the lot size is doing. Budget a septic inspection and ask when the tank was last pumped.
Read the permit history too. Owners who stayed twenty years renovated a lot of these, and the work ranges from excellent to whatever was cheapest that summer. Look at the quality rather than the date.
Where The Bluffs and Carriage Hills 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
- Carriage Hills, recorded as CARRIAGE HILLS SUBD
- Carriage Hills West, recorded as CARRIAGE HILLS WEST
Recorded subdivision boundaries from Rapid City and Pennington County GIS. Individual parcel and service details should still be verified by address.
Recorded plat names
- Carriage Hills: CARRIAGE HILLS SUBD
- Carriage Hills West: CARRIAGE HILLS WEST
What homes cost here
Eight recorded sales in the two years to October 2025, at a $969,500 median, from $558,000 to $1,460,000.
Eight sales is not a market average. An offer here gets built from the individual house, the view and the acreage. If you see a figure well below this range under either name, check which recorded plat and what lot size it is drawn from before you rely on it.
Small sample. 8 sales is enough to show the level and not enough to call a trend.
Pennington County recorded sales. November 2023 to October 2025. improved residential parcels. 8 sales. builder direct transfers included.
How these figures are calculated
How far to things
- Downtown Rapid City
- 14 min, 5.4 mi
- Nearest hospital
- 16 min, 7.6 mi
- Rapid City Regional Airport
- 30 min, 16.8 mi
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Typical driving time with clear roads.
Why buyers choose The Bluffs and Carriage Hills
- More than an acre a lot, with the middle half from 0.94 to 2.14 acres, under mature trees.
- Inside Rapid City limits at 14 minutes from downtown.
At a glance
- Median Sold Price
- $969,500
Pennington County recorded sales, 8 closed sales, small sample
- Typical Lot
- 1.34 acres at the median. The middle half runs 0.94 to 2.14 acres, which is what makes the septic work on lots this size inside city limits.
- Housing Styles
- Spacious ranches and two stories, roughly 2,000 to over 4,000 square feet, with walkout basements normal on this terrain
- New Construction
- Limited
Last verified August 2026. How these figures are calculated
What to check at this address
- Jurisdiction
- City of Rapid City
- Sewer
- Septic. There is no city sewer main and no sanitary district in this subdivision, so every home here is on its own system. Budget for a septic inspection and ask when it was last pumped.
- Streets and snow
- City plows. Most streets here are Level C, the last tier cleared.
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4
- Fire district
- Rapid City Fire Department
- Every home here is on septic. There is no city sewer main and no sanitary district, so budget for an inspection and ask when the tank was last pumped.
- Most streets are Level C, the last tier the city clears.
- Only 109 homes and eight recorded sales, so pricing rests on a thin sample.
- Assessed values run well below recorded sales here, so do not read the tax figure as a price.
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.
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 guideSnow 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.
Schools
Sources for these neighborhoods list Pinedale Elementary, Southwest Middle School and Stevens High School.
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.
Homes for sale in The Bluffs and Carriage Hills
Nothing of mine is listed in The Bluffs and Carriage Hills today. This search is set for The Bluffs and Carriage Hills 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 The Bluffs and Carriage Hills.
What has sold here
The county recorded 8 home sales in The Bluffs and Carriage Hills over the two years to October 2025, at a median of $969,500.
- Recorded Sales
- 8
- Median Sale Price
- $969,500
- Range
- $558,000 to $1,460,000
- Middle Half Of Sales
- $740,000 to $1,200,000
Eight recorded sales in two years, from $558,000 to $1,460,000. At this volume there is no reliable median to price against, so an offer here gets built from the individual house, the view and the acreage rather than from a neighborhood average.
Pennington County recorded sales, November 2023 to October 2025. Ask me for anything more current.
109 homes stand in The Bluffs today, on 114 platted parcels, which leaves 5 open lots. There are five lots left. If you want to build in this specific plat, it is a matter of whether one of the five is available when you are ready, not which one you prefer.
Pennington County parcel records via Rapid City and Pennington County RapidMap GIS, August 2026.
County records confirm two real plats here: CARRIAGE HILLS SUBD at 108 parcels and CARRIAGE HILLS WEST at 6. They also confirm there is no plat called "The Bluffs" anywhere in Pennington County records, so treat it as a marketing name and ask which recorded plat a property sits in. At a $969,500 median in recorded county sales, this sits at the top of the Rapid City market alongside Red Rock Estates.
What the county assessment shows
The county carries 109 homes here at a $730,200 median, with the middle half between $577,300 and $919,300.
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 The Bluffs and Carriage Hills. The numbers here are the tax basis the county uses.
County assessment roll for The Bluffs and Carriage Hills. 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 The Bluffs and Carriage Hills
Is Carriage Hills on city sewer or septic?
Septic. Every home here is on its own system. There is no city sewer main and no sanitary district in this subdivision, even though it sits inside Rapid City limits. Budget for a septic inspection and ask when the tank was last pumped.
Is there a plat called The Bluffs?
No. Pennington County records show CARRIAGE HILLS SUBD at 108 parcels and CARRIAGE HILLS WEST at 6, and no recorded plat named The Bluffs anywhere in the county. Treat it as a marketing name and ask which recorded plat a property sits in.
How big are the lots in Carriage Hills?
1.34 acres at the median, with the middle half between 0.94 and 2.14 acres. That lot size is what makes the septic systems work at this density inside city limits.
What do homes cost in Carriage Hills?
Pennington County recorded 8 sales in the two years to October 2025 at a $969,500 median, from $558,000 to $1,460,000. Eight sales is not a market average, so an offer gets built from the house, the view and the acreage.
When does the city plow here?
Late. Most streets in Carriage Hills are Level C, the last priority tier Rapid City clears.
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.
The Bluffs and Carriage Hills also turns up in Acreage and canyon.
Which plat a house sits in comes from the county record, and the septic pumping history comes from the seller. Get both before you write.
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 The Bluffs and Carriage Hills 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.