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Black Hills South Dakota in October
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:40 am
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?
15
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:43 am to Donkus
don't skip Badlands National Park
Posted on 7/29/24 at 9:11 am to cubbynole
The Minuteman Missile NHS is pretty cool too
Posted on 7/29/24 at 10:55 am to Donkus
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.
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 on 7/29/24 at 10:57 am to Donkus
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
Wind Cave Natl Park: Check out the small natural entrance to Wind Cave that blows cool air out
Reptile Gardens is really good
Posted on 7/29/24 at 1:22 pm to Don Quixote
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 on 7/29/24 at 10:27 pm to Donkus
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.
There's a lot to see within a couple of hours drive.
Posted on 7/30/24 at 8:38 am to TigerRoyale
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 on 7/30/24 at 8:46 am to Donkus
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).
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 on 7/30/24 at 9:11 am to Donkus
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.
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 on 7/30/24 at 10:59 am to Gotabyte
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 on 7/30/24 at 4:34 pm to iwantacooler
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 on 7/31/24 at 7:43 am to texas tortilla
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 on 7/31/24 at 8:55 am to Donkus
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.
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 on 8/1/24 at 6:44 am to Donkus
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!!
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 on 8/1/24 at 8:09 am to tilco
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.
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 on 8/1/24 at 7:32 pm to Donkus
Sturgis motorcycle rally is in August…
Posted on 8/1/24 at 8:11 pm to Donkus
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 on 8/1/24 at 11:07 pm to GetCocky11
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 on 8/2/24 at 8:44 am to GetCocky11
Chadron State Park just across the border in Nebraska is very nice also.
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