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Drone Rules for Black Hills National Forest
Pennington County, South Dakota (SD)
• United States
Black Hills National Forest, West Pennington, SD 57745, USA
Lat: 43.9166 • Lng: -103.667
Rules Edit History: Black Hills National Forest
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May 30, 2026 5:42 AM
Approved
• Added USFS drone advisory for Black Hills NF with Mount Rushmore/Jewel Cave NPS boundary and Ellsworth AFB military airspace context.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit detailing drone regulations in Black Hills National Forest has been approved. This aligns with the U.S. Forest Service's guidelines that prohibit drone operations near sensitive areas, such as adjacent National Park Service units like Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Jewel Cave National Monument, and within military airspace associated with Ellsworth Air Force Base. The added context about the forest's proximity to these restricted areas enhances the understanding of the area's drone flight considerations. The outline has been updated to accurately represent the restricted area.
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | — | USFS Black Hills NF has no Wilderness designation but surrounds Mount Rushmore NMS and Jewel Cave NM. NPS drone bans apply at both monuments; forest airspace also overlaps Ellsworth AFB MOAs. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 6cfc5859-1843-4c28-a465-7a1f1b8b50d8 |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Black Hills NF, South Dakota **No Wilderness prohibition in the national forest**, but adjacent NPS units ban drones, and military airspace is a major factor. ### Airspace / Site Context - Mount Rushmore NMS and Jewel Cave NM are entirely within or immediately adjacent to the forest; NPS 36 CFR 1.5 no-fly applies at both - Ellsworth AFB (RCA) Class D is ~25 NM east; MOA airspace (Warning Areas, Restricted Areas) overlaps portions of the forest -- check sectional carefully - Rapid City Regional (RAP) Class C is ~8 NM east of Keystone; active commercial traffic to Mount Rushmore area ### Key Rules - Confirm you are not over NPS land at Mount Rushmore or Jewel Cave before launching - Check Ellsworth AFB active military schedule; R-4501 activation means no civilian UAS - USFS Special Use Permit required for commercial work within the national forest ### Source - USFS Black Hills: https://www.fs.usda.gov/bhf
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+ ## Drone Rules - Black Hills NF, South Dakota + + **No Wilderness prohibition in the national forest**, but adjacent NPS units ban drones, and military airspace is a major factor. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - Mount Rushmore NMS and Jewel Cave NM are entirely within or immediately adjacent to the forest; NPS 36 CFR 1.5 no-fly applies at both + - Ellsworth AFB (RCA) Class D is ~25 NM east; MOA airspace (Warning Areas, Restricted Areas) overlaps portions of the forest -- check sectional carefully + - Rapid City Regional (RAP) Class C is ~8 NM east of Keystone; active commercial traffic to Mount Rushmore area + + ### Key Rules + - Confirm you are not over NPS land at Mount Rushmore or Jewel Cave before launching + - Check Ellsworth AFB active military schedule; R-4501 activation means no civilian UAS + - USFS Special Use Permit required for commercial work within the national forest + + ### Source + - USFS Black Hills: https://www.fs.usda.gov/bhf +