Stocked with a wide variety of vehicles for off-road adventures or cruising along a scenic highway , Adventure Rentals has everything a person needs to embark on a memorable joy ride through the Black Hills . After opening in Custer in 2018 , they are now open in Hill City , providing two convenient locations to start your next adventure .
It offers full day and half day rentals of Slingshots , Broncos , two-seat UTVs and up to 6-seat UTVs . For the Broncos a 23-hour rental option is also available for short-term visits to the area or those looking for a longer rental . Each store also has a boutique of clothing available to shop from .
Adventure Rentals is owned by Alex and Holly Niemann . Alex grew up dirt biking and four-wheeling in the Black Hills but eventually ended up East River , South Dakota , until moving back to the Black Hills with his wife Holly when they wanted to “ branch out and do something for ourselves ,” said Holly .
She said a business like they have now in Adventure Rentals would be a “ good addition to the town and to the local tourism industry .” “ We kind of just did it . We jumped in ,” said Holly . When they started with the location in Custer in 2018 , they had just 10 vehicles but now have grown to two locations and 100 vehicles in total .
That ’ s because they ’ ve seen year over year growth since they opened , which has enabled them to keep expanding , also keeping them ever busier . They say they that after the COVID pandemic , the business saw a big increase in popularity with many taking advantage of the fact that the business allowed them to have fun in a way that gets them off into the remote beauty of nature .
“ I would say that from 2018-2020 we saw humongous growth , and now we ’ re just seeing it pick up or stay the same ,” said Holly .
She said that a lot of visitors to the area don ’ t even know what ’ s beyond the point of the highway and that the desire to explore beyond the usual off-highway destinations has been growing and growing . Now more than ever , visitors are seeking out new and unique experiences , especially repeat visitors .
Adventure Rentals wants its renters to have a fun and unforgettable experience and a safe and hassle-free one too . The staff is knowledgeable about all the best rides and destinations in the area and are full of useful advice and tips for the both the novice rider and the experienced rider .
“ We want it to be as easy and seamless as possible ,” said Holly . “ We want to send them out with everything they need to do everything they want .”
Once you get set up with your rental vehicle , you ’ ll be supplied with helmets for each rider in the party , tablets with maps , emergency beacons , and the machines also come with in-dash displays with all the maps of trails and roads you might need to find your way through the unique terrain and landscapes of the Black Hills .
“ We want them to be able to explore with confidence and feel safe out there ,” said Holly .
Adventure Rentals is open from April 15 to Oct . 15 each year , and the most popular rental options depend on the time of year says Holly , but “ even in the cold weather they have fun .”
“ We ’ ve already been seeing our fair share of renters lately ,” she said , just a week into the 2024 season . In the spring and fall shoulder seasons , they are busy with couples and rent more of the two-seat vehicles . In the summer when families come in , they rent more of the four and six-seater vehicles .
During the week of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally , the slingshots become the most popular option . In fact , all 12 of the Slingshots are already fully booked for Rally week .
Holly says that they have repeat customers that fly into Rapid City for the week and Uber down Custer to rent Slinghots for the entire week .
Their new fleet of Broncos is popular with people who are traveling in large RVs and can ’ t go on windy roads with small tunnels like Needles Highway or Iron Mountain Road .
Across the entire Black Hills , sometimes the challenge is in figuring out where to even start your off-road trip . Adventure Rentals comes in handy with that too as they always have a recommendation for whatever kind of experience you might be looking for .
“ Bear Mountain is really popular because its the highest point you can drive to out here . It ’ s a nice leisurely drive , and you can see for miles up there ,” said Holly . She said the Ditch Creek recreational riding area is also worth a trip as there are lots of historic mines to visit .
With 4000 miles of trail riding in the area , “ there ’ s something out there for everyone ,” said Holly . And Adventure Rentals has what you need to get you there .
50 Black Hills Adventure Guide 2024