South Dakota: Black Hills and Badlands {Untamed Wilderness, Spectacular Vistas and Amusing Tourist Traps}

There is something about driving through great expanses of wilderness that puts joy in the heart, renews the soul and makes one feel fully alive. One should take just such a trip on a regular basis.

Recently, the boys and I were reminiscing about our trip to the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota last May. It was an Amazing, Beautiful, Educational, Fascinating trip! Even my ever pessimistic 11 year-old agreed it was one of his all-time favorite trips! Wow! That's really something coming from him.

I think this trip is so amazing because there is something for everyone whether the "something" you're looking for is nature, science, history, quirky tourist traps or just good old fashioned fun on a family road trip.

I've been to this area of South Dakota twice, both times it was the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. The first time was pre-kids, way back in 2002. The second time was with kids, ages 8 and 10, in 2017.

The reason we have gone on the weekend before Memorial Day Weekend is that the prices are significantly lower on activities and lodging. The downside of this is that some restaurants and attractions are not yet open for the summer season and a chilly cold front can blow through, but we have not found this to be too problematic.

As per our usual, we packed in a lot of fun and driving and learning and exploring in a few long days! We left home on a Friday evening (staying that night with a friend in Sioux City, IA, to shorten our drive on Saturday morning) and arrived home on a Tuesday evening. Though we could have filled another week with activities and drives, four days was a good start at this gorgeous and diverse part of the country.

Just as in 2002, we stayed at the Holy Smokes Resort; a small group of tidy cabins on a hillside in a copse of thick pine trees just outside of Keystone. The cabins are perfectly situated for easy access to Keystone for activities and meals and just 15 minutes from Mount Rushmore and not far from Custer State Park or Rapid City either. The cabins are equipped with just a small fridge and microwave, but we brought our electric kettle, French Press and toaster and managed just fine, making breakfasts and some lunches there.

The boys and I tried to whittle down our list of must-dos when exploring this area to a Top 5 List. The easy part was that we all agreed on our favorite things. The hard part was that there were a whole lot more than five favorite things. So, we created our list of Top 5 Areas to explore with a list within each area.

1. Mount Rushmore National Monument (of course)
   1. Monument of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln: The monument itself is truly awe-inspiring to observe. There are a number of angles to view these massive visages as one traverses the grounds below.
   2. Presidential Trail: Do walk the various paths and wooden stairs down and around the mount. It's beautiful and serene. And each vantage point will give you different perspective of this giant undertaking of creating these huge likenesses.
      
      
   3. Museums: There are two museums onsite. One is the Sculptor's Studio and the other is the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center. The information presented at both of these is quite interesting and enlightening explaining the how, why, when, where and who of the whole process. Also, there is a Junior Ranger program here. So, if your child is interested (we love this program), grab your Jr. Ranger booklet from a Park Ranger as soon as you get there so that your kid can earn his or her Jr. Ranger badge from this National Park Site. There are questions and activities for every part of this site.
   4. Ice Cream: Do stop in at the ice cream parlor on site for a taste of Thomas Jefferson's vanilla ice cream. Apparently, they are using his original recipe for this ice cream.
   5. Note: There is a fee for this National Park Site. If you are visiting the Badlands too or other National Park Sites requiring fees, you might consider purchasing an America the Beautiful annual park pass for $80 (not all National Park Sites have fees, but some do). Additional parking fees are also charged here. We got there a few minutes after the park opened and stayed between 3 and 4 hours, including souvenir shopping and getting ice cream. It was significantly busier when we were leaving than when we arrived.
      
2. Badlands (otherworldly)
   1. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site: This is a relatively new National Park Site. There is a museum and a tour of the actual missile site (now de-commissioned). You MUST make a reservation for the tour as soon as you start planning this trip. It is very inexpensive and SO worth it. The tour groups are quite small and fill up quickly. The Museum is free and also very informative and fascinating. We did the tour and then visited the museum and found it to be very helpful to have just come from the tour. There is a Jr. Ranger badge to be earned here too.
      
   2. Prairie Dog Feeding: This is a HUGE hit with all four of us. It's just a simple and inexpensive experience, but it was just lots of fun and right on our way. When you leave the Minuteman Missile Site take SD 20 south and you'll find The Ranch Store and Prairie Dog Field. You can't miss it…just look for the giant prairie dog statue on your right. You can buy a bag of peanuts in the store and then go feed the prairie dogs. They are so cute and will come right up to you and take the peanuts out of your hands. Keep driving south of SD 240 and you'll drive right into the Badlands National Park.
   3. Drive through the Badlands: You can drive right through, but I suggest you stop and pull off for views and short treks on boardwalks and trails as often as you can. Until you have seen the Badlands with your own eyes, you cannot imagine this otherworldly land formed by water erosion thousands of years ago. It is amazingly beautiful and awe-inspiring. Do be sure to take water with you on any treks through this area. It's a short drive through, but there are MANY places to stop and gaze at the interesting formations, fantastic colors and gorgeous vistas. Take your time!
   4. Ben Reifel Visitor Center (in the Badlands): This is a great place to stop, get some information, pick up a Jr. Ranger Booklet (the kids can work on it now and return on the way back home for the badge or even send it in once home and still collect the badge) and fill up your water bottles.
   5. Wall Drug Store: For yummy, warm donuts, nickel coffee, free ice cold water, tons of souvenirs, fun photo ops and a super cool and historic tourist trap keep driving on SD 240 for the long way through the Badlands (Believe me, the views alone are worth this drive. We even stopped two huge rams hanging out right next to the road on this leg of the journey.) It's worth a stop for the fun and kitschy complete tourist trap. There is a lot of history here, cheap eats and coffee, any kind of souvenir you can imagine and a number of wooden cut-out photo props representing all the sites in South Dakota. The boys loved it.
      
3. Keystone
   1. Big Thunder Mine Tour and Panning for Gold: I really thought this would probably be a tourist trap, but the kids really wanted to do this and I added it to our schedule. I was wrong. This was an awesome stop! I found a great deal on Groupon for a tour for 4, plus panning for gold for 2. The tour guide was terrific, involving the kids with questions and discussions. We learned a lot about the mine, the history of Keystone and more. At the end of the tour she taught us how to pan for gold. The boys each got a little bottle and everyone is guaranteed at least a few specs of gold. Our tour guide was very helpful, making sure we were spotting the gold and garnets in our pans. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this stop in Keystone.
      
   2. Dahl's Chainsaw Art: You'll find this gem on Iron Mountain Road in Keystone (if you drive through Keystone, you can't miss it). It was a quick, fun stop. The boys enjoyed it immensely. We took lots of silly pictures here. There are beautiful, odd, funny and amazing hunks of wood art here. You can even climb up on a number of pieces here for a fun picture (donation boxes are available, but not required)
      
   3. Ruby House Restaurant: This old-fashioned, home-cookin' restaurant is a throw-back to nice restaurants I recall from my childhood. The servers were very friendly (even when we walked in 15 minutes before closing time). The food was so-so in my opinion, but the servers and rich, old décor and our hunger made up for what was lacking in the food (think bottled salad dressing, instant mashed potatoes, iceberg lettuce – nothing terrible, but nothing amazing either). The boys loved it, and they wanted to be sure I was including it here.
      
4. Hot Springs: This area is about an hour drive south of Keystone. I'm so glad we included these activities in our trip.
   1. Wind Cave National Park. It's best to get here as early as you can in order to get a ticket for the tour. It's not very expensive, but their tours do sell out, especially in the summer months. We arrived, bought tickets for a tour several hours later, drove into Hot Springs, ate lunch, came back and spent about an hour in the visitor center/museum. It's very informative regarding the cave, the history of the area and plants and animals on this land. The cave tour was wonderful. This was the boys' first cave experience and it was an easy walk and a good length and so fascinating. We even saw a bat fly through while in the cave.
   2. Evan's Plunge. This is a natural spring fed indoor pool. Contrary to the name of the town, the spring is not hot water, but rather lukewarm. The pool floor is covered in smooth river rocks. There's a kiddie pool area, a water volleyball area, several slides and the whole pool is quite large. It was very relaxing and fun to spend our evening here. We arrived just a few hours before closing time and got a big discount on our admission, and still had plenty of time to swim.
   3. Mornin' Sunshine Café. We had lunch and scooped up a jar of local honey at this cute, little, art-covered café and bakery. It's a great stop for quick bite.
   4. Woolly's Grill. We had quite an appetite when we arrived here for dinner after several hours of swimming at Evan's Plunge. We were not disappointed. Everything here, including pies, buns and salad dressings are made from scratch. There were a number of gluten free choices, as well. The salad bar was fresh with lots of options and very tasty. The boys really enjoyed their Chicken Fried Steaks and my burgers was really delicious. Service was superb; even when we arrived 30 minutes before closing time.
5. Custer State Park
   1. Custer State Park Visitor Center: Stop in here and for great information, some hands-on learning, an interactive map, a beautiful movie about the park narrated by Kevin Costner (that part was enough for me) and the volunteers there can tell you where in the park the bison herd and donkeys were last spotted.
      
   2. Feeding Carrots to the Donkeys: DO NOT show up empty handed. These donkeys will not take it well. This is so much fun! The donkeys knew the drill and stuck their whole heads into our open windows in search of the carrots. We had one bag, but two bags would have been a great idea. We got some great pictures and had a lot of laughs with these fellas. And it is permitted by the park officials. We asked at the visit center.
      
   3. Scenic Drives: The Needles Highway, Peter Norbeck Scenic By-Way, Wildlife Loop and Iron Mountain Road are all amazing drives through this state park. If you can pull over to take in the view or walk a short trail to another amazing view, do so! These drives can take hours because of the twisting, turning, curving, up and down and stopping on these narrows routes, but they are totally a must-do. If you can only do one, drive the Needles Highway!
      
   4. Bison, Elk, Deer, Coyotes and Marmots, Oh MY: The Bison herd was a great find. We inched along the road as they crisscrossed the road and pastures all around us. Some stopped to have an argument in the middle of the road and another came over to smell our bumper. In the spring, there were a number of little ones, and that was very fun to see. Additionally, throughout our trip and our drives through Custer State Park, we counted over 100 deer. They were everywhere. We also saw a coyote, a couple of elk, prairie dogs and marmots. Keep your eyes open and see what you can see.

We loved absolutely everything about this trip even though we spent a good bit of time in the car. We stopped when and where we had a fancy and enjoyed each spot to its fullest. This is an iconic family road trip not to be missed. As I mentioned, we could have stayed another week and filled those days with many more activities that we did not have a chance to do. There is no shortage of fun to be had in this Southwest corner of South Dakota.

Note: We did go to the Crazy Horse Monument and museum and to the Mammoth Dig Site in Hot Springs, as well as the things listed above. We did enjoy ourselves at this places, but we all agreed we could have skipped these just as well. Additionally, the weekend we were there, Crazy Horse Monument had free admission with a donation of 3 cans of food per person, which we participated in. Had we paid to get in, rather than donate canned goods, I think I would have been rather disappointed in the place. Its only saving grace was that there happened to be a Native American family there demonstrating and explaining traditional dances and their dresses and ornamentations. That was really wonderful and the family was very personable and got all of the spectators involved in the last song and dance. The Mammoth Dig Site was over-priced and quite small and our tour guide was lacking.

Oh, and dress in layers. The weather and the temperatures can change quickly and drastically in the Black Hills. So, be prepared.

Where are you headed?

Anna