South Dakota

This semi off the beaten path national park has some of the beauty you might see in Arizona’s Painted Desert or Grand Canyon. There are multi-layered, multi-colored rock formations, sweeping views of the plains, and several rocky hikes. There are many short hikes you can do easily in a full day, but if you want to pace yourself maybe take an extra half or full day.

See & Do

• Badlands Loop Rd. Main road through the park.
• Sage Creek Campground. Go even if you don’t camp there for wildlife spotting. Off the main loop down a dirt road. Best place to spot bison and prairie dogs which you can see from the road. Tons of each. I also saw bighorn sheep on the way.
• Notch Trail. Hike 1.5 miles, you walk cliffside, wooden ladder to get to the rim (not too steep).
• Door Trail. Hike 0.75 miles roundtrip.
• Window Trail. Hike 0.25 miles roundtrip.
• Cliff Shelf. Hike 0.5 miles roundtrip.
• Saddle Pass. Hike 0.25 miles roundtrip. Follow the upright poles for the path. I went the hard way up through the middle of the chasm. Was certainly fun, but maybe too challenging for some. Make sure you climb all the way up to the peak.
• Fossil Exhibit Trail. Hike 0.24 miles roundtrip.
• Stargazing. No light pollution so very clear skies.

Tips

• Weather. Check the weather before you go, especially if camping. I drove through a crazy thunderstorm with 70+ MPH winds and torrential downpour and lightning. Depending on the time of year, the weather can be a bit harsh, but most of the time it’s pretty temperate.
• Sage Creek Campground. If you do camp, be aware there are only pit toilets and no other facilities. Cost is free though.

Cliff Trail

Door Trail

Notch Trail

Notch Trail

Notch Trail

Saddle Pass Trail

Saddle Pass Trail

Window Trail

Bighorn Sheep

Prairie Dogs

Prairie Dog

Bison

Bison At Sage Creek

Pronghorn Antelope

Known for its legendary bison herds and picturesque lakes, this spot rivals some national parks. I’ve visited twice, since I quickly realized after the first time there is lots to see and do in the park and surrounding areas beyond just an afternoon. Winding through the Black Hills, the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway springs up in spectacular fashion just the other side of the Midwestern plains. It’s a 70-mile loop that captures several of South Dakota’s most iconic places. You can stay directly in the park or nearby towns like Deadwood, Hot Springs, Keystone, or Custer. In the park itself, there are several nice campgrounds, a beautiful lake, and nice mountain drives with lovely forest scenery. Well worth it and suggest making the time to check this place out. I’d recommend 2-3 days.

See & Do

• Sylvan Lake. Beautiful. Nestled at the top of the hills in the rocks. Great area for relaxing, canoeing, driving, or hiking. My favorite place in the park. Light 1-mile loop around the lake. There’s also a more involved hike off this loop Sunday Gulch trail.
• Wildlife Loop Road. Chance to see bison and other wildlife. Takes some time to do. Early morning or early evening offers the best chance to see wildlife activity.
• Needles Highway. Those who seek tunnels and towering granite rock formations will get there fill along this road that was once thought impossible to build.
• Iron Mountain Road. Pigtail bridges and tunnels mark this route that frames Mount Rushmore in the distance. Driving north gets you a view of the faces framed by one of the tunnels.
• Cathedral Spires. Spectacular views of granite rock formations and is a beautiful, relatively moderate hike with rock scrambles.

Nearby

• Hot Springs. A few nice restaurants like Wandering Bison Coffee, meditative hot springs, and a mineral springs plunge pool. The Mammoth Site is very cool if you have time to see real, well preserved fossils.
• Spearfish. The drive along Spearfish Canyon (Hwy 14a) is very nice, especially the stop at Roughlock Falls. There are a few waterfalls and hiking trails along the way as well. I left this to my last day since I had some extra time as it’s a bit more out of the way than other places.

Tips

• Getting Around. The park map will show you the roads and best driving route based on your time and interests.
• Tunnels. There are several tunnels and a narrow slot through the rock walls along the main road. So if you’re driving an RV, check the roads and tunnel situation to ensure you have the clearance to get through. The narrow slot, Needles Eye Tunnel, just about allowed for my convertible to fit through.

Bison

Prairie Dog

Cathedral Spires

Roughlock Falls

Mammoth Site

Offers some of the most unique and well preserved cave formations I’ve seen in the U.S. Take a $12 1.5 hour tour that takes you 0.5 miles through this enchanting cave.

If you have time, I would also recommend Wind Cave National Park, which is the first cave to be designated a national park, and was so very early on in the park system as well as one of the most complex cave systems in the world. There are also free activities to do outside the cave like viewpoints, hiking, and prairie dogs. If you want a cave tour, be sure to reserve in advance, it fills up in the busy season especially.

Tips

• Guided Tour. Check the schedule to plan your visit, as you can only see the cave by guided tour.
• White Nose Syndrome (WNS) (Important!). This terrible fungal disease is killing off bats at an alarming rate across America. WNS doesn’t affect humans, but bats catch it and effectively can’t breathe, freak out, use up all their energy and die. Millions of bats have died as a result, so do your part to avoid spreading it! Bats are critical to our survival, they kill disease carrying insects like mosquitoes. Plus they are super cool animals. If you have been in a cave within the last 10 years that has WNS, or if you’re not sure, mention this to the rangers and be sure not to wear the same clothes, shoes, or pack.

Coral

Ice Cream

Bacon

This always seemed like a boring touristy monument judging solely from the pictures. However, after visiting, it’s pretty impressive in person. The sheer size, detail, and likeness is really incredible. Take the trail up to the base of the mountain. You also have a couple nearby towns, Custer State Park, Jewel Cave, and Wind Cave as well.

Tips

• Logistics. If Mount Rushmore is your main destination, use Keystone as your basecamp and spend 1-3 days exploring the sites in the area beyond just the monument. They are close and awesome.
• Fees. The monument itself is actually free, but you have to pay $11 for parking. After 5pm is free.
• Timing. If you get there an hour or so before sunset, you get some really cool lighting. Any later and the heads will be in the shadows. Also less crowded going a bit later.

The story and scope of this memorial is pretty remarkable. When finished, the size will dwarf Mount Rushmore. It started as one man with a hammer. Eventually the entire family contributed and took over when he died. The project has been going on for over 70 years and is intended to represent all Native Americans. Since the Lakota, and all Native Americans for that matter, were offered many broken promises, this project continues to be privately funded. No government grant money, just admission and donations, which is a big reason why the project has been ongoing for so long. Learn more about it here. The visitor’s center has some interesting exhibits and stories to learn more about the culture and Crazy Horse himself.

Tips

• Tour. While you can see the memorial from the bottom at the visitor’s center, you can pay extra to get an up close tour. They don’t let the majority of people up there because they’re constantly working on it.