South Dakota

[Cinderelley]

Started planning a trip to South Dakota for a week next September. Has anyone been there or live there that can critique my plans?

Day 1
Fly in and drive to Wall, SD
Stay in Ann's Motel

Day 2
Badlands National Park
Wall Drug
Ann's Motel

Day 3
Drive to Deadwood with stops at
Chapel in the Hills
Cosmos Mystery Area
Sleep at the Historic Bullock Hotel

Day 4
Deadwood
Mt Moriah Cemetery
Drive to Bluebell Lodge (we will be staying at Bluebell Lodge for the rest of the trip)

Day 5
Sunrise Buffalo Safari
1-hour trail ride
Hayride & Cookout
Custer State Park

Day 6
Jewel Cave
Black Hills

Day 7
Mt Rushmore
Crazy Horse
Big Thunder mining (Yes, I'm doing this just because of the name)

Day 8
Wind Cave
Mammoth Site, Hot springs

Day 9
Drive back to Rapid City
Stop at Mt Rushmore Black Hills Gold Factory Tour
Fly out

[Jeff]

Great plan. I love that area of America!

[bleen3162]

I did a trip several years ago with a similar itinerary. Was a great trip. In Rapid City area there is a church like the Stave Church in the Norway pavilion. I can't remember exactly where it is located, we were on a bus trip, but it is on a hill, overlooking a beautiful valley. The church was gorgeous!! If you have time Devil's Tower is out there. Enjoy.

[bleen3162]

So I went on Google. The church is called Chapel in the Hills, 3788 Chapel Ln, Rapid City. I hope you have time to visit coz it is beautiful!

[bleen3162]

Sorry that I missed Chapel in your itinerary! I was just so excited for you! But if you like the Stave Church in the Norway pavilion you will absolutely love the Chapel in the Hills! I love reading your posts and can't wait to read your notes from this trip.

[texas211]

Mt. Rushmore and Crazy won't take that much time to see. FYI, you can drive by the infamous Sturgis.

FYI, pretty decent hospital out in Rapid City.

One of the windiest places by far.

[Cinderelley]

Sorry that I missed Chapel in your itinerary! I was just so excited for you! But if you like the Stave Church in the Norway pavilion you will absolutely love the Chapel in the Hills! I love reading your posts and can't wait to read your notes from this trip.


I thought of the Norway pavilion too when I saw it. :)

[Cinderelley]

Great plan. I love that area of America!

Any other must-dos that you know of?

[Cinderelley]

Mt. Rushmore and Crazy won't take that much time to see. FYI, you can drive by the infamous Sturgis.

FYI, pretty decent hospital out in Rapid City.

One of the windiest places by far.

Good to know about the wind. I get cold easily.

I saw Sturgis, but I don't ride a motorcycle. Is it worth going there still?

[Altair]

Crazy Horse is very expensive, you can see it just fine from outside in a small parking lot.

As mentioned, Devil's Tower is a highlight, but will take a half a day from the Black Hills area to see properly. Mark sure to do the Joiner trail.

Custer State Park wildlife loop.

If you arrive a half hour before official opening, you can park at Mt. Rushmore for free in the garage. The only fee there is the parking fee and it is not covered by any National Park Pass.

[texas211]

I think Sturgis is worth seeing, just to say you been there.

[Simba's Mom]

Don't forget to have your 5 cent coffee at Wall Drug (unless they've raised the price in the last 10 years). That was a last minute stop for us, and it turned out we loved it. Custer State Park was gorgeous-we stayed in a resort inside the park. Loved Wind Cave NP also.

[Cinderelley]

Don't forget to have your 5 cent coffee at Wall Drug (unless they've raised the price in the last 10 years). That was a last minute stop for us, and it turned out we loved it. Custer State Park was gorgeous-we stayed in a resort inside the park. Loved Wind Cave NP also.

Was it the Blue Bell Lodge by chance?

[Simba's Mom]

Was it the Blue Bell Lodge by chance?

Yes, actually that's the one! We loved it.

[Cinderelley]

Yes, actually that's the one! We loved it.

Sweet! That's where I am planning on staying. :)

[TheVBs]

Oh! You are going to love that area! You're doing a lot more than we did there, but I'll share a few things from our visit.

The Badlands are gorgeous!! Give yourself plenty of time for pullovers and to walk the trails. There's a Prairie Dog Town right at the entrance that's worth stopping at. No charge, unless you want to buy peanuts to feed the prairie dogs. There's also a giant prairie dog statue (I get a kick out of weird things like that).

Wall Drug is weird and funky. Walk through the whole thing. There are fun things to discover.

Custer State Park is also gorgeous. We took the short loop drive. Wish we'd had time for the longer one. Again, give yourself lots of time for pullovers. There's one spot where you can see Mt. Rushmore through one of the rock tunnels. It's a great photo op.

Mt. Rushmore was one of my favorite stops on this trip! There's actually a beautiful hike around the monument. You can see it from different angles. There's a small museum there, a great gift shop and some really good ice cream.

The Mammoth Site was AWESOME! Really interesting to see. I think you'll be glad you stopped.

We haven't been to anything else on your itinerary, so I'm really excited to hear your report on them. Have a wonderful trip!

[Cinderelley]

Oh! You are going to love that area! You're doing a lot more than we did there, but I'll share a few things from our visit.

The Badlands are gorgeous!! Give yourself plenty of time for pullovers and to walk the trails. There's a Prairie Dog Town right at the entrance that's worth stopping at. No charge, unless you want to buy peanuts to feed the prairie dogs. There's also a giant prairie dog statue (I get a kick out of weird things like that).

Wall Drug is weird and funky. Walk through the whole thing. There are fun things to discover.

Custer State Park is also gorgeous. We took the short loop drive. Wish we'd had time for the longer one. Again, give yourself lots of time for pullovers. There's one spot where you can see Mt. Rushmore through one of the rock tunnels. It's a great photo op.

Mt. Rushmore was one of my favorite stops on this trip! There's actually a beautiful hike around the monument. You can see it from different angles. There's a small museum there, a great gift shop and some really good ice cream.

The Mammoth Site was AWESOME! Really interesting to see. I think you'll be glad you stopped.

We haven't been to anything else on your itinerary, so I'm really excited to hear your report on them. Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks for all the tips. I'll definitely get the peanuts. :) I love taking photos, so I'll be sure to add in extra time for the parks. Definitely going to look for the spot with Mt. Rushmore through the tunnels.