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Black Hills South Dakota in October

Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:40 am
Posted by Donkus
Shreveport
Member since Feb 2013
826 posts
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:40 am
I will be traveling to the Black Hills for the first time this fall. My favorite TV show of all time is Deadwood so I'm definitely visiting and maybe staying there. The hotel prices aren't too bad in Deadwood, but are slightly better in Rapid City. We have plans to visit Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore, and time permitting Devil's Tower. Any recommendations for things to do and places to eat?
Posted by cubbynole
Member since Mar 2024
48 posts
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:43 am to
don't skip Badlands National Park
Posted by GetCocky11
Calgary, AB
Member since Oct 2012
52116 posts
Posted on 7/29/24 at 9:11 am to
The Minuteman Missile NHS is pretty cool too
Posted by Don Quixote
Member since May 2023
2410 posts
Posted on 7/29/24 at 10:55 am to
Although the park itself is free (pay for parking), the best views of Rushmore are from Hwy 16A.

Agree on Badlands, and another "don't skip" is Custer State Park to drive the Needles Eye scenic road as well as the Wildlife Loop where you're likely to have herds of Bison blocking the road.
Posted by DoctorWorm
Member since Jul 2021
1049 posts
Posted on 7/29/24 at 10:57 am to
Custer State Park: Needles Hwy, Sylvan Lake, Drive the wildlife loop road

Wind Cave Natl Park: Check out the small natural entrance to Wind Cave that blows cool air out

Reptile Gardens is really good
Posted by GetCocky11
Calgary, AB
Member since Oct 2012
52116 posts
Posted on 7/29/24 at 1:22 pm to
quote:

another "don't skip" is Custer State Park


Custer State Park is the best park in the area, better than the national parks.
Posted by TigerRoyale
Zwolle
Member since Oct 2023
418 posts
Posted on 7/29/24 at 10:27 pm to
I've been twice this year. Deadwood was a disappointment to tell the truth. The town is full of not so good hotels and associated restaurants. Definitely go to the old mine museum in town and a few more sites but we stayed in Spearfish this last time and enjoyed it. Definitely do the steam train. It's awesome.
There's a lot to see within a couple of hours drive.
Posted by Donkus
Shreveport
Member since Feb 2013
826 posts
Posted on 7/30/24 at 8:38 am to
quote:

Deadwood was a disappointment to tell the truth


I keep seeing this. Still have to visit though, if anything to walk Mt. Moriah Cemetery.

One of the reasons for making this trip is because there are so many things to see in a relatively close area. Thanks for all the responses so far.
Posted by GetCocky11
Calgary, AB
Member since Oct 2012
52116 posts
Posted on 7/30/24 at 8:46 am to
Another thought. I love Rapid City and wish I could live there.

If you're in Rapid and don't feel like driving out to anywhere, you can go walk up M Hill right there in town. Great views from the top.

You can't miss it if looking, there's a giant "SMD" at the top (representing the South Dakota School of Mines).
Posted by Gotabyte
Slidell
Member since Feb 2020
211 posts
Posted on 7/30/24 at 9:11 am to
Definitely try Black Hills Burger and Bun in Custer City, best bison burger and one of the best overall for me. There can be a wait unless you order to go and take to a nearby park.

I stayed in the DoubleTree in Deadwood which is in a small casino resort and a short walk to downtown. There are 3 hotels in the same complex and several restaurants. The steak house has good food and a great breakfast.

Definitely go to Needles Highway, Badlands(near Wall Drug), Keystone train ride, Devils Tower, and hike the trails to waterfalls. The trails are not difficult. Mt Rushmore was nice to see but don't plan for an entire day unless you want to hike around it.

There are a lot of places to rent slingshots(3-wheelers) and side-by-sides which are legal on the highways there. It's a nice way to see everything in the open.

Be prepared to drive a lot but every destination is scenic along the way.

Plenty YouTube videos out there which guided us well for the trip. Look for Black Hills, Badlands and Deadwood for good results.
Posted by iwantacooler
Member since Aug 2017
2333 posts
Posted on 7/30/24 at 10:59 am to
quote:

Definitely try Black Hills Burger and Bun in Custer City, best bison burger and one of the best overall for me. There can be a wait unless you order to go and take to a nearby park.


This was always a go-to for me and a suggestion I made to everyone traveling in the area, but I believe they closed down in 2023 and changed it to a pizza place now. I’m sure it will be just as good though.

Black Hills Sauce and Dough
Posted by texas tortilla
houston
Member since Dec 2015
2437 posts
Posted on 7/30/24 at 4:34 pm to
If you are driving to rapid city from denver/Cheyenne, then stop by fort laramie. Interesting frontier army post on the banks of the Laramie river. Nearby is an iron Suspension bridge over the platte river. Built after gold was found in the black hills for people coming up from denver.
This post was edited on 7/30/24 at 4:35 pm
Posted by Donkus
Shreveport
Member since Feb 2013
826 posts
Posted on 7/31/24 at 7:43 am to
quote:

If you are driving to rapid city from denver/Cheyenne


We haven't decided on a path from Shreveport. My BIL lives in the Denver area so we have a free place to crash, and I've never been north of Ft. Collins. But it adds about 5 hours of extra driving to go that route as opposed to going through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Leaning towards Denver way, might be a longer trip but I'd rather that scenery than the flat states.
Posted by sstig
Houston
Member since Oct 2003
2812 posts
Posted on 7/31/24 at 8:55 am to
The Denver route will be more scenic. Going thru Nebraska/Kansas/Oklahoma is nice but lots of farm land. I have been both ways on a motorcycle going to Sturgis. The old saying is true..."why does the wind always blow in Nebraska? Because Kansas sucks"

Also, add Spearfish Canyon to your list of drives to make while in South Dakota. Beautiful views and waterfalls.
This post was edited on 7/31/24 at 8:58 am
Posted by tilco
Spanish Fort, AL
Member since Nov 2013
13740 posts
Posted on 8/1/24 at 6:44 am to
We just made this trip a few weeks back. We flew into rapid city and picked up a rental. It served as home base. We did a lot of driving but the scenery is so beautiful I didn’t mind.

Roosevelt National Park - an absolutely beautiful Park. Had a great time there. We stayed a night at the Rough Rider Midora which was a really nice little town. Dinner in the hotel was nice. We tried to go see the musical but it was rained out.






Wind Cave - unless something has changed you can’t actually go in the cave right now. It’s a beautiful park and you can tour the visitor center and see the natural opening. Lots of Buffalo here also.

Mammoth Site: really cool ongoing excavation of an ancient sinkhole with a lot of mammoth fossils.



Jewel Cave - here you can actually go inside a cave. The area they let you into isn’t very large but it is stunning nonetheless.


Spearfish Canyon - this is a must in my opinion. Try to make it here if you can. In the future we would consider staying in spearfish instead of rapid city.




Mount Rushmore - really is an amazing sight to see. Plan to get there early and like someone else said it’s not necessary to stay all day.


Badlands - I could have stayed here a couple days. It was breathtaking. The back side of the park is covered up with buffalo. We did stop at Wall Drugs and to be honest it was a waist of time. Sort of like a huge souvenir city with a western theme.



We regret not going to Devils Tower but we will be returning to the area again and its number one on my list of places to see. Enjoy your trip!!


Posted by Donkus
Shreveport
Member since Feb 2013
826 posts
Posted on 8/1/24 at 8:09 am to
Those pics got me ready to go.

Spearfish Canyon and the caves along the way have been recommended by quite a few. I had never heard of it. Another place mentioned often is Black Elk Peak. We were planning on doing Needles and the Wildlife Loop, it's all right there too.
Posted by RichJ
The Land of the CoonAss
Member since Nov 2016
3542 posts
Posted on 8/1/24 at 7:32 pm to
Sturgis motorcycle rally is in August…
Posted by r3lay3r
EBR
Member since Oct 2016
1982 posts
Posted on 8/1/24 at 8:11 pm to
Just checked and the Custer SP Buffalo Roundup & Festival is Sept 26-28. So, you'll be there after that weekend. We happened to be there several years ago that weekend. If you're into craft breweries, Rapid City has a surprising number of good breweries.
Posted by TomRollTideRitter
Member since Aug 2016
12812 posts
Posted on 8/1/24 at 11:07 pm to
quote:

Another thought. I love Rapid City and wish I could live there.


Have you been in the winter? Don’t get me wrong it’s a fun trip, but when I had to travel there for work in January it was bitterly cold.
Posted by Floyd Dawg
Silver Creek, GA
Member since Jul 2018
4302 posts
Posted on 8/2/24 at 8:44 am to
Chadron State Park just across the border in Nebraska is very nice also.
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