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Has anyone been to the Black Hills in SD? We're in the preliminary stages of planning a trip there next summer. Besides seeing Mount Rushmore (our nod to history), we really want to focus on nature, wildlife, and birds. Any suggestions of places to go/things to do?
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Don't underestimate Mt Rushmore. I expected to be underwhelmed, walk in, see it and leave. DH and I were awed -- DD was barely 5 and she wanted to go back every day. I suggest you see it during the day and again at night.
Stay at Custer State Park if you can swing it. Lots of lodge options, nature/ranger programs. We went really early in the season, but did the buffalo jeep safari.
Wind Cave is also in the area -- probably worth the trip. (I got clsustrophobic and left the tour so don't know anything more than the pictures).
And if time/driving directions allow it, I suggest a swing into WY to see Devils Tower.
Don't underestimate Mt Rushmore. I expected to be underwhelmed, walk in, see it and leave. DH and I were awed -- DD was barely 5 and she wanted to go back every day. I suggest you see it during the day and again at night.
Stay at Custer State Park if you can swing it. Lots of lodge options, nature/ranger programs. We went really early in the season, but did the buffalo jeep safari.
Wind Cave is also in the area -- probably worth the trip. (I got clsustrophobic and left the tour so don't know anything more than the pictures).
And if time/driving directions allow it, I suggest a swing into WY to see Devils Tower.
How far ahead of time do I have to book lodging in Custer State Park? We just went to Yellowstone and had to book our lodging almost a year ahead of time. Do you recommend lodging in Custer SP for the whole trip? I was really interested in your comments about Mt Rushmore. We're only going there because DH is interested. I expected to walk in, then be able to say "Been there, done that", like Chevy Chase at the Grand Canyon (remember that?), then leave.
We had the same expectation about Mt Rushmore -- and were really unprepared for how we reacted.
There's a museum in Rapid City about Borglum -- the sculptor. It was interesting and helped up appeciate the park as art, too.
I don't know how early you need to book Custer in the high season. I'm pretty certain we didn't book a year in advance because we hadn't lived here all that long. We went at Memorial Day and things were just opening up. (I'm pretty certain it was the first weekend for the cabins in the Badlands. ) We stayed at the State Game Lodge, but we did a long weekend trip and only 2 nights in CSP so we stayed put. There's just something about buffalo in the front yard at breakfast that's hard to beat! But the other lodges have their own personality. I think it would be fun to try the other lodges for better/closer access to the lakes, trail riding, etc.
Will it be grown ups only or will you have kids with you?
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Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 06-25-2009 at 01:54 PM..
We had the same expectation about Mt Rushmore -- and were really unprepared for how we reacted.
There's a museum in Rapid City about Borglum -- the sculptor. It was interesting and helped up appeciate the park as art, too.
I don't know how early you need to book Custer in the high season. I'm pretty certain we didn't book a year in advance because we hadn't lived here all that long. We went at Memorial Day and things were just opening up. (I'm pretty certain it was the first weekend for the cabins in the Badlands. ) We stayed at the State Game Lodge, but we did a long weekend trip and only 2 nights in CSP so we stayed put. There's just something about buffalo in the front yard at breakfast that's hard to beat! But the other lodges have their own personality. I think it would be fun to try the other lodges for better/closer access to the lakes, trail riding, etc.
Will it be grown ups only or will you have kids with you?
It will be an adults only trip-just DH and myself. I agree-I'd love to wake up to Buffalo in the front yard. I think we'll definitely look into staying in Custer SP. From what I've seen on the internet of Custer, it looks like there's plently there to keep us busy for several days. Do you agree? And I was interested in the time of year you went, sonce we'd probably be going around Memorial Day or early June. What's this Wildlife Loop/Drive? Do you pay admission or is it just a road you drive?
The wildlife loop is just their name for the road -- because of hte terrain it cuts through there's the potential to see lots of animals. We sat for a while waiting for a bunch of goats to decide to leave us a driving lane.
We didn't do any hiking because DD was barely 5 -- short legs and all. And she wasn't old enough for the naturalist programs at Custer. But you probably could spend a few days there.
Drive the Needles Higway -- great vistas and rock formation.
There's also a trail at Mt. Rushmore that takes you down closer to the mountain. Some great pictures of the faces through the trees -- but it means your stop won't be a short stop at the viewing plaza and back to the car. Your admission there is good for a few days (I think a week) so you can go back easily. We thought it was most beautiful after the rain, so if the weather is lousy...
Our vacation last summer was 8 days in the Black Hills area.
Carousel96 has given you some great advice. I can't add anything to lodging because we were camping at a beautiful RV park.
We did visit Custer and it is a great location. Talk to the park rangers, they will give you good advice on where to find the wildlife. We followed their directions and found ourselves caught in a traffic jam, not of cars but of bison. We were surrounded by hundreds of buffalo, passing by our car so closely we could have reached out and touched them. They also gave us advice on where to find the larger prairie dog communities, pronghorns, etc.
Do drive the needles highway. It is amazing. Do a ranger led walk at Rushmore and go to the evenig lighting ceremony. They are so informative and moving.
Visit one of the area caves, we loved Wind Cave, but neighbors did Jewel Cave and said it was great too.
We took a day to drive through Spearfish canyon and visit some of the waterfalls there. This is an amazing drive, with lots a short to medium legnth hikes to the various falls. You may recognize the scenery there because it is where they filmed the winter scenes at the end of the movie "Dances With Wolves." After our morning in Spearfish Canyon, we drove further and spent the afternoon in Deadwood and visited Mt. Moriah Cemetery (Boot Hill.) We did not get the time to visit the DC Booth historic fish hatchery in Spearfish but it it sounds great.
Another day we drove just past the border of SD into Wyoming to visit Devils Tower, well worth the trip.
Drive south one day to visit Hot Springs SD and visit the Mammoth Site, an active dig in the summer. The air conditioned structure contains the pit where hundreds of mammoth as well as camels, short faced bears and many others ancient creatures fell into a muddy pit and were trapped. Also in the town is an indoor/outdoor natural hot springs fed pool with waterslide called Evans Plunge.
The Badlands are a day trip away and again take a ranger led tour if you can. The Ranger talks were all free (except the tours of the caves) and were all well worth while.
There are so many things to do in that area for little or no cost you just have to decide which ones you want to focus on. We also loved the Sturgis motorcycle museum, the Miniuteman Missle site just across the road from the Badlands (run by the National Parks, free but reservations needed.) Wall Drug is a hoot and a great place for lunch when touring the Badlands. Crazy Horse was good, the evening program excellent.Wright-Patterson AFB has an indoor museum with many planes outdoors too. They also offer tours of a missle silo.
Good luck with your planning, its a beautiful area with lots to do and see!
__________________
Katydid
10/96 - All Star Sports, 11/03 - CBR
9/05 - Wonder Cruise, 7/06 - Disneyland
11/08-All Star Sports - 7/09 Ft. Wilderness
11/14- AKL Jambo House
I was thinking the Crazy Horse memorial was out there, too, like Katydid said. I haven't been out there since I was a kid. I think we saw the Black Hills Passion Play... that was pretty neat. I know my mom likes the Black Hills gold jewelry.
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