Mining & Explosives Camp

The Mining & Explosives Camp at South Dakota Mines is a free summer day camp for high school students heading into their junior or senior year, along with recent high school graduates, who want to explore mining engineering. Over one week, campers learn the science of detonations through hands-on blasting, rock-breaking experiments, and mine safety training. They also see how engineers use controlled blasts to recover minerals, reshape terrain, and carve landmarks such as Crazy Horse out of solid mountainsides. The 2026 camp ran June 8 to 11, Monday through Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Lunch is provided, and parents are invited to a campus reception on the final afternoon. The camp takes place in person on the South Dakota Mines campus in Rapid City, South Dakota. There is no cost to attend. It is a day program, so overnight housing is not included.

Open to students entering their junior or senior year of high school and to recent high school graduates; both local and out-of-state students may take part. To apply, students complete an online registration, write a student statement, get a teacher letter of recommendation, and submit the required waivers. South Dakota Mines says registration for its 2027 summer camps begins in January.