It takes a bit to get here but the Chapel and gift shop are awesome buildings. This is an exact remake of one from Norway and the designs are way intricate and beautiful.The surrounding park was an excellent place to have lunch. The bathrooms were clean and the people were nice. The gift shop building had an awesome green roof. Ive included all my pics of the place.

This is definitely a hidden gem and worth a visit. It is a beautiful Scandinavian chapel on a perfect hill; small and quaint but rather interesting.The carving on the wood was impressive and the calmness of the place was incredible. I really enjoyed this visit and strongly recommend it to anyone driving around Rapid City.Free entrance too.

Today was a really nice day to take a drive to the chapel in the hills, glad I did weather was good. Its always refreshing to go see it once in awhile and marvel and all the work that was put into it, it is a very peaceful place for someone to reflect I would highly recommend if you need a quiet moment because itll be the place.

Attended a beautiful wedding ceremony at this Chapel in October on a snow day. The view was gorgeous with snow covered pine trees. While it was a fun experience be warned and prepared when planning events at the chapel in the winter, there’s is no lighting inside the church and no heating system.

The Chapel in the Hills was built in 1969 and is a replica of the Borgund Stavkirke of Laerdal, Norway, which was built in 1150. The stabbur just beside the chapel is a grass-roofed building and was built in Norway and brought over and assembled in Rapid City.

Very serene. Amazing work. A very nice place to visit. Such a blessing.

I loved seeing what a Norwegian church looks like. The museum is tiny, but nice to see. The gift shop is quaint with Norwegian gifts and candy. The prayer walk is quiet, not long, and nicely done. I am glad we stopped to see this.

Worth the stop, peaceful, short hidden trail, educational, and dosnt take long to experiance everything!

This is a beautiful spot - we arrived at 8, when it opens in the morning, and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Because of COVID, the inside of the church and the museum weren’t open, but we could poke our heads in and look around. Very cool. The prayer walk was a nice experience as well

Educational. Beautiful. Spiritual. A little bit of Scandinavian history for us in Rapid.

Sadly COVID limited some access, but beautiful grounds...visited over 20 years ago...they have added a bit. Prayer walk is quite beautiful. Staff is very friendly, building is amazing and unique.

Even though we couldn’t go inside the chapel or see the museum because of COVID-19, I’m still glad we stopped. It was a cute little place with a nice short trail in the back that they call a prayer walk. The chapel itself has a recording playing that told you about the chapel, and the door was open to take pictures, but blocked off to keep you from going in. Worth a stop if you want to see something that’s a little different!

Beautifully built little chapel! Prayer walk back behind it. A wedding was starting just as we were leaving. Very friendly staff! A must see. Great historyAsk about the rooster on the weathervane.

Cool church built as an exact replica of a church in Norway . It has a cute prayer garden with small statues and holds services in the evenings.

Very interesting stop. Beautiful church - unique history!

What an amazing place. We were on a tour bus and did not have a lot of time. It is differently a place you could spend a lot of time. We will go back on our own.

I gave this four stars instead of five simply because you couldnt get in any of the buildings, except the gift shop. The volunteers were very informative and the buildings themselves just incredible.

A beautiful local treasure. Rich with history and a peaceful prayer walk.

I think for what they are aiming for it can’t get much better. It’s definitely more of a quick stop and something to see as it’s quick with a car and free. It won’t make or break your trip. It’s a beautiful park with ample parking. Maintained perfectly with very kind hearted volunteers. Things in the shop are over priced but if you want to remember the experience go for it. Beautiful architecture with a great story and the prayer walk is a good place to reflect. We very much enjoyed it on our drive home from Rushmore.

Interesting but sound on narration is very hard to hear. Lovely grounds, nature walk and the building is stunning.A wedding was taking place when we visited. Festival too. Small museum on the grounds is a must see. Outlander style!

What a beautiful chapel! Its definitely worth the stop and was one of the highlights of my visit to Rapid City and surrounding area. The small museum has lots of interesting items coupled with albums that describe their origin, use, etc. The gift shop has lots of great Scandinavian items, and the volunteers were friendly, knowledgeable, and absolutely delightful. Id highly recommend spending an hour for a visit!

Absolutely beautiful and serene. The folks running the chapel and the gift shop were so kind.

My husband and I were married there on September 2nd 1997. We are planning to renew our vows there on our 25th Anniversary. Hoping it is open then.

A nice little chapel with a different architecture than you typically see in the states. They had a small gift shop/welcome center, the Chapel (of course) and at least one other building that was a museum I think?They gave one of my sons a scavenger hunt (my other son is too young) but we had to cut the trip short as a thunderstorm arrived. They still have both boys a small gift (little plastic bug and my other son selected a small rubber ball).Wish we had more time to wonder around but we arrived later in the evening and then with the thunderstorm, it cut our visit a bit shorter than we initially had planned.

Beautiful Hidden Gem in Rapid City, South Dakota. Have been there for many years so figured Id check it out and it always so beautiful to see.

Beautiful example of a stave church. The museum has some interesting artifacts from the every day life of Scandinavian settlers. Loved the gift shop! (I am not a very good photographer but the site is truly beautiful!)

Chapel closed, museum closed, gift shop open...Covid has had an interesting impact on making places lazy but still able to make money. Cool looking place to come when operating like normal.

Beautiful replica of a 12 century, Nordic Church in a serine setting. Saw wild turkey, a doe and fawn on the walk behind the church. What a nice change of pace for many of the other places in the hills.

Lovely church with nice people inside. The exact replica of a Norwegian stavkirka

If you’ve never seen a real Stave Church in Europe (Pronounced “Stav,” but Americans usually say “Stave” because of the spelling), the chapel is definitely worth a stop! Beautifully maintained property. Even with Covid restrictions, they’re doing a really really great job at making the property accessible, while also safe. The prayer walk in the woods behind the chapel is short but worth checking out if it’s not too busy.

This building is beautiful. So detailed. Just wish the trail was longer

Incredible architecture, beautiful location.

Great place. It was very unique. Great wedding place.

Absolutely beautiful. The setting, the church, the music, and the prayer path. Go see it!!

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Attended an outdoor wedding here, very nice.

Beautiful chapel set in a serene location. The inside is closed right now due to covid-19, but just the outside was worth the stop!

Really pretty. The doors were open today with audio commentary.

What a beautiful chapel. Very relaxing looking at the quality and ingenious of the past. If you feel like meditation go there and spend couple of hours. There is even a prayer walk. I wish there are more chapels like this. Love it.

Architecture is amazing, a feeling of being in a sacred place. In a perfect world I would love to get married in this chapel.

It was cool, but it didnt have much in the gift shop. It didnt have much to offer. Now it was mainly due to COVID but, I wouldnt return. It wasnt that cool.

Very beautiful. Volunteers very sweet, helpful, and knowledgeable.

Beautiful. The gift shop attendant was lovely as well.

Really interesting building and architectural design. Wont see anything like it anywhere else nearby.

Beautiful and amazing. Second time being there and love it!

Beautiful church. Great place for a wedding.

This was a ver interesting find . There is just something about this church that when you are there you feel so at peace. It is the most beautiful little chapel I have ever seen! Well worth the visit!

Funny finding in the middle of rapid city, weird wooden chapel in a thai style.

Very cool place. However I was expecting to see this in the hills and not in a neighborhood. Go see this place though it is worth the drive.

The gift shop is closed, but this is a must see!

The chapel itself and the surround grounds/landscaping are amazing. There are two reasons for the low mark: 1) Based on the online photos and descriptions I saw, I got the impression that this place was very secluded in a forest; there are actually quite a few suburban residences within a few hundred feet 2) the groundskeeper was incredibly rude and condescending

Nice little chapel tucked into a neighborhood at rapid city. The workmanship is a work of art. Beautiful.

Norwegian chapel in South Dakota. Whats not to love!

Pretty cool building. Short walk. Free!

This is a beautiful chapel. I visited it in the winter when it was closed to visitors, but I was able to walk the grounds and tour the outside. All if the carvings on the outside were stunning to look at. I cant wait to come back in the spring when it is open to the public.

Got a chance to run up and check out Chapel in the Hills. If youre into churches, architecture and/or wood work, this place is a special treat! This was very cool and impressive!

The church looks good and is a great replica of the real 800 year old church. You can see the inside of the church with the photo provided below. This replica church also holds summer church services at 7:30 pm mountain time.

Such a beautiful and serene vista nestled in the hills in Rapid City. The history of the Norwegian/ Scandinavian built chapel is told by informative plaques and actual people, volunteers who eagerly answered questions and set us off on our tour.

Beautiful and peaceful free replica Norwegian Chapel and gardens

It was a neat little stop, some girls where doing a photoshoot there and I can see why. It looks something you see in a movie. Its 50 years old, but looks like it came from a different time and place altogether.

Absolutely beautiful ceremony.Thank you for hosting this wonderful event.

The Chapel in the Hills is absolutely beautiful! Ive loved it since the first time I visited, and Ive dreamed of having my wedding at the Chapel. However, I was extremely disappointed to find out that just recently in late 2019, the Chapel changed their policy so couples MUST use their Lutheran pastors to officiate weddings at the chapel. While I understand that they have the freedom to hold this rule, its very disappointing, especially since this is a newly implemented policy. Ill continue to visit and admire the Chapel in the Hills, but am very disappointed in this recent change of policy.

Beautiful and very well preserved peace of history.

It was a dream come true for me!! It was the 50 anniversary - my grandmother came Norway I had heard stories and seen pictures of chapels in Norway. It is something I will carry with me forever. If you have Norwegian heredity it is a must place you must see. The beauty the reverence of what truly God is.

A must see. Amazing woodworking.

Very cool Norwegian structure tucked in the side of the hills

Awesome place for a wedding or photoshoot very nice folks

Some of the most amazing wood work you will see. The property is just as beautiful. Free, but be sure to try to take a small donation to help maintain. You wont regret it

We were married here 20years ago next week.. A lot of new housing that wasnt here back then..

The architecture is breathtaking. It was the day of their closing, we were at a wedding it was so cold inside the chapel, no heat. I will go back in Spring or summer. I didnt get to the gift shop so must go back.

Very nice place. Lots of history and although we didnt stay for the service they did have a sign that says they had a church service and 7:30. Nice little gift shop and employees we very knowledgeable on the buildings and history. I would recommend this place to check out as a stop.

Married here by 32 years ago. Great place for small weddings.

If your into old Christian churches this place is great. Exact replica of an old Norwegian church that was built 800 years ago. You will be blown away by the intricate details in the hand craved trim work throughout the church. They have a 5 min narration of what the church is about and why there are certain features in church. Very interesting.

Absolutely gorgeous and a definite must-see. Religious or not, this architectural wonder is beautiful and has a fascinating history. Knowledgable host and very welcoming!

My wife and I were Married here 25 years ago, this is a very special place to us.

A nice wooden church. Worth the visit? If you like wooden buildings maybe... The garden is nice and the staff is very friendly.

Beautiful - serene, historic, and nestled in the woods. When we arrived deer were munching through the parking lot. The museum is really cool, especially how you can go inside the cottage and flip a book which tells you more about each artifact. The woodwork in and around the church is incredible, and the path behind is a nice stroll. This was such an unexpected but wonderful stop in South Dakota.

Cool and peaceful place to check out. The staff are friendly and welcoming. It really does remind you of Norway in a way. There are a couple of exhibits along with a gift shop to check out. There is also a nature walk behind the church. Do not expect anything fancy in the interior; it is meant to be an exact replica and reflect the simplicity. I would definitely recommend if you have extra time to look somewhere.

Awesome chapel with great Scandinavian architecture

Very cool! The architecture is Amazing!

Beautiful! A must see!

Beautiful and well kept!

Amazing place to visit, the church is so beautiful and the staff are super nice.

Breathe taking chapel and trees and we loved the prayer walk. Friendly staff as well.

Wow this place is amazing! Enjoyed it more than Mount Rushmore honestly!

Beautiful and serene.

Beautiful, Peaceful, Inspiring. And if your really lucky you may experience a wedding of two loving couple coming together. Again a must stop.

Absolutely breathtaking and so well maintained!

Great stop when in the area!

A very nice place. Volunteer staff is always friendly. Love the Chapel in the Hills.

Beautiful church in South DAKOTA

Beautiful chapel with a wonderful view.

Beautiful replica chapel

A truly moving experience. The chapel and the surrounding buildings are a true piece of history. Loved the gift shop!

The Chapel was unbelievably beautiful!! It was not on our list to stop but was something we found on a search of the area for sights. So glad we stopped and was able to experience its beauty and history!

This church is cute. Definitely different. You are welcome to tour the inside and outside of the church and there is a Scandinavian gift shop outside as well.

So lovely! Worth a stop! Truly amazing architecture. Wish I could have stayed for a service. The path behind is beautiful.

Beautiful chapel and friendly staff

Breath taking.. peaceful and beauty thanks to the Masters hand. Will go again

Would lik0e to thank the people who made our wedding renewed vows two years as they were told my beautiful wife and i were married there in 2006 and 11 years later we took our daughters now 9 and 10 to be witness to out vows and for my wife to have a lasting memory with our children. My wife is very ill and we dont know how much time we have left.. The people who run the church made my wife happy and tears were shed by us. My heart felt thanks and prayers to this wonderful people. God bless you all and if we can we will make the drive from new Jersey soon.

Such a neat little gem. Stopped here on a whim and really enjoyed it. The Chapel is beautiful, the staff incredibly kind, and the kids really liked doing their scavenger hunt.