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There aren't that many good online travelogues about South Dakota so I am going to try and write the definitive one here. With that humble agenda, here goes...
South Dakota is not the very first place that would come to mind if you were planning to go for a trip. Our primary reason for visiting South Dakota was to see Mt Rushmore. Now, imagine SD without Mt Rushmore... In the early part of the century, wise South Dakotans invited Gutzon Borglum to drop his parochial idea of a confederate memorial in Georgia and come and build a National Memorial in South Dakota which was to be the Gateway to the West. To obtain funding, the locals invited President Calvin Coolidge to spend a little time and fish a little bit in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Great care was taken to ensure that he caught tons of fish with the result that the happy president committed federal funds to this effort. The monument took a paltry $1 million to build but this was through the depression years where the money was very difficult to come by. In 1999, almost 2 million people visited Mt Rushmore.
First Impressions
The majority of the touristy spots in SD are tucked away in a small area towards the South Western part of the state called the Black Hills Area. The largest city in that region is Rapid City. South Dakota is one of the most sparsely populated states in the US. Mt Rushmore itself is in the city of
Keystone which is about a half-hour's drive from Rapid City. Keystone is one of the smallest towns in the US that we have seen. It has a population of 200-odd people. By merely turning up, we had increased the population by 1%! The day we landed in Rapid City, the temparature was 0 degrees F. They had even had a snow storm that day. We asked the good lady at the
Super 8 Motel (highly recommended, by the way) what the prognosis was for the next two days :
"Oh! Tomorrow is going to be so much nicer. The temperature is going to be 36 degrees"
"And what about Sunday?"
"Sunday will be even better. They are predicting high 40s and even 50. We are going to have ourselves a heat wave"
Winter is serious out here. Back home, I've read boards on stores that say 'Open from 10am to 6pm daily'. Some say daily except Sunday. But in Keystone, most of the stores were closed and some had boards that said 'Closed. See you in May!'.
Mt Rushmore
The best time to see the monument is early in the morning when the rising sun casts a reddish glow on the faces of the mountains. The monument itself is open everyday. At night, the faces are lit up for about an hour or two. It has the usual accoutrements like a cafeteria (if you remember Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest where Eva Marie Saint 'shoots' Cary Grant) and a gift shop. Post Sept 11, there were many patriotic t-shirts and the like. The ironic part of all this was almost all the merchandise was 'Made in China'. 'Proud to be an American' magnets and miniature Mt Rushmore carvings and t-shirts with the Bald Eagle - all made in China. We truly live in a global economy, it seems.
Custer State Park
This is a highly recommended state park - even above the National Parks by some sources. The primary attraction is wildlife with the tantalizing probablility of wild bison and elk right off the road and burros approaching visitor's cars. Unfortunately, our drive was considerably less exciting and the park was largely recovering from an ice-out but we did see some herd of bison a long way off the road. On the whole, it is quite scenic and it is probably a good place to spend time in.
There are two national parks in the area - Wind Cave NP and Badlands NP.
Wind Cave NP
This is south of Mt Rushmore. Bison and elk are common sights on the park grounds. Bison can, in general, be viewed throughout the Black Hills area, often right off the highways. At Wind Cave NP, There is a scenic tour which takes vistors on an hour long walk through the caves beneath the surface. The tour was not the most exciting thing we ever did in our lives but the guide was so passionate about water seeping through from the surface and leaving calcium deposits behind and everything else that it was difficult to be completely uninterested. Not all National Parks are created the same.
Badlands NP
NOW, we are talking National Park. Visitation was so low that the ticket booth on SD-240 was unmanned and the prairie all around was white with snow and I had uncomfortable memories of the movie Fargo. Yosemite has the
massive mountains and the waterfalls and Grand Canyon has the geological riches but exactly what Badlands NP has is not easy to describe and I will make a few attempts at doing it.
The best way to see the NP is to drive along the Loop Road which extends from the northern tip of the park to the western tip. There are several lookout points on the way and the views from some are eerie. Once you put the Loop Road out of your mind, it is very easy to imagine that you have landed on the surface of another planet. This was especially true because the snow formed a white sheet over most of the hills and valleys. There were a total of less than a dozen cars in the entire National Park and we really had the place to ourselves. As someone who has waited an hour for a parking spot in Yosemite, this was a new experience. At times, driving the Loop road was like driving along the bottom of the Grand Canyon with the hills rising high above. In a third way, it was like driving through giant anthills except that any ants would be the size of cats or dogs. Geologically, the Badlands are a treasure but even for the completely ignorant yuppie, this is an amazing National Park. Perhaps not as photogenic as Yosemite or Grand Canyon but equally amazing and beautiful.
Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse was a Native American warrior who refused to sign treaties with the white settlers (who, in any case, egregiously broke their word) and fought to the finish. The full story is here In addition to the massive mountain carving there are several things to see here like a musuem, a short documentary and many native american handicrafts and is worth the visit. There is a $9/head fee to see the monument and the museums. This project is entirely funded by donations from the visiting public and has no government funding whatsover. In the first weekend of June, everyone is allowed to climb the mountain and get right next to the face.
Wall Drug Store
I suppose mention has to be made of this gift store in the town of Wall, off I-90. It is impossible to miss the advertising signs on the highway as you approach Wall. The place itself is a bunch of gift stores and restaurants and, unless you are particularly the trinket shopping kind, can be bypassed altogether.
You bet!
This appears to be the approved means of agreeing with someone. For example :
"Hi. Is your store open yet?"
"You bet!"
At a gas station asking after getting some driving directions :
"Thanks."
"You bet!"
At Ben Reifel Visitor Center :
"Is Badlands NP more full of tourists outside of Winter?"
"You bet!"
If you have more time than we did...
The town of Sturgis has an annual motorcyle congregation every fall when thousands of bikers turn up and have races and the like. From Sturgis, Devils Tower in Wyoming is only a short drive away. Jewel Cave NM which did not seem entirely different from Wind Cave but is probably worth a look.
How to get there and when to go
If you can drive, Rapid City is on Interstate 90. Only three airlines fly into Rapid City : United from Denver, Northwest from Minneapolis and Delta from Salt Lake City so you will need to fly into one of these cities and catch a connecting flight to RAP. Often, this leg is on a tiny 30 passenger plane which rocks along with turbulence and might not be the best idea of flying isn't your favourite pastime. The official web site is TravelSD.com where you can get more detailed information.
Comments from others who've read this article
1. on Friday, 26-Oct-2007 John & Pat said:
We travelled for 3 weeks with 3 couples in a van. When I first got to see Mt. Rushmore it was at night and lit up. We were in awe of it's enormous size. I'd recomend ALL to see this. For me coming from a non travelling family, it was as if a school book had come to life. Our trip was all through the west ending with the Arch in St. Louis, Mi. went up to the top. Thankful to be born in America. However, we met people from many places aroung the world and they were just as glad to see the national monument as we were. How blessed we are.
2. on Monday, 22-Oct-2007 brianna said:
When me and my husband and my children went to see Mt Rushmore it was very exciting for us because we wanted to go visit her since i was a young teen but I could not go because my mom didnt have enough money for me an her to go so thats why i took my family and I to go see Mt Rushmore
3. on Monday, 22-Oct-2007 brianna said:
When me and my husband and my children went to see Mt Rushmore it was very exciting for us because we wanted to go visit her since i was a young teen but I could not go because my mom didnt have enough money for me an her to go so thats why i took my family and I to go see Mt Rushmore
4. on Tuesday, 03-Jul-2007 Teesa said:
I have seen Mt Rushmore and I think it is a complete slap in the face to our Native Anericans. First we steal their land and then we carve our dead President's heads into their mountain (their Mother Earth). Just who's freedom does Mt Rushmore stand for?
5. on Friday, 18-May-2007 Adrew White said:
I thought that crazy horse too much money for what was available, you had to pay either $10 a person or either $25 a car. But there was nothing there. Plus an additional $4.00 to ride a bus to go to the base of the monument. TOO expensive, I will recommend this to anyone who is planning on going to get a thrill of a sight. IT IS INCOMPLETE AND NOT WORTH THE MONEY.
6. on Monday, 26-Mar-2007 Protector of the Badlands said:
When visiting the Southwestern South Dakota, stop by the Pine Ridge reservation to observe the Indian life around you. Most are in poverty and conditions are hard for these people too, so a little tourist money goes along way. Thank you and don't steal.
7. on Sunday, 25-Mar-2007 HES said:
I really enjoyed your web site but I think you should put more on Mt.Rushmore
8. on Sunday, 11-Mar-2007 jhonny said:
Mt. Rushmore stinks. Please, take my advice and don't bother to waste your time and money on it.
9. on Wednesday, 07-Feb-2007 Crystal said:
I am so thankful that you have pictures and history about Mt. Rushmore. This is by far the best page to see when looking for info and pics about Mt. Rushmore. Thankyou for sharing.
10. on Saturday, 03-Feb-2007 David said:
South Dakota like all the tates has many beautiful sites. Starting with the Corn Palace in Mitchell, the car museum in Murdo, badlands, ghosttown of Deadwood, I have a picture show of south dakota on my web site, http://www.geocities.com/davmar40484/SouthDakota
go to our home page for photoshows of all the states
11. on Sunday, 28-Jan-2007 Ashlyn Gregory said:
I was wondering if these were just South Dakota. There was one site that was under South Dakota and there was other places.
12. on Thursday, 04-Jan-2007 Marion said:
This is a very very good site.
I enjoyed reading it all!!!!.
I would very much like to get in contact with the person who made the first commet on the 5th of november, I plan to visit Wounded Knee and the Badlands, if possible, let her know my mail and my interest to contact them.
best regards
Marion
13. on Tuesday, 28-Nov-2006 Bill Scholl said:
My husband and I visited Mt Rushmore a few years ago and was totally in awe over it. It is magnificent. We were just totally taken with it--didn't want to leave so we are going back this year. Can't wait.
14. on Sunday, 05-Nov-2006 JJM said:
My husband and I grew up in Sturgis. I just wanted to let you know, Native Americans get in to see their history at Crazy Horse free. (We always leave a sizable donation in the "blasting fragments box".) Also, you may have missed Spearfish Canyon. It is beautiful year round and absolutely brilliant in the fall! Bridal Veil Falls is there along with great fishing in Spearfish Creek. Nice hiking trails with pull-outs and "out-door biffies" are located along the drive. It's about a twenty minute drive and worth your time. An out-of-state fishing license is less than $50 for 3 days and it is definitely worth it for the serenity it affords if you are willing to get off the beaten path. Speaking of the "Beaten Path," try to remember that some of the lesser known roads up there will hardly accomodate two passing cars, let alone an RV. Most are fabulous though! Roubaix Lake has great trout fishing and at the General Store you can get fishing tips, great chili, and various snack items. Sheridan Lake is a nice place to camp, quiet and rustic...no flush tiolets or showers. Deer come right to the edge of the campsites. We travel with our dogs and that was new to them, (please keep them on a leash, deer hooves can really hurt your pet if they are quick enough and get too close) so we took extra precautions. Take your time through Custer State Park when the weather is good, we spend a day there admiring the scenery, buffalo, mountain goats, antelope, whitetail and mule deer, and so much more! I hate to see people getting out of their vehicles there, though, it is so dangerous, the buffalo are not tame and when there are calves, they will do whatever they need to protect them if they feel in ANY way threatened. There are signs warning of this danger, but just this past summer we saw a family with 6 kids get out of a mini-van right in the middle of a herd on the roadway! Enjoy the drive, just do it sensibly. There are safe places to pull over and get good and close, wait for one of those! If you have any more questions about the area, please e-mail me, there is so much more to tell and experience in the Black HIlls than just motorcycles and Mt. Rushmore!
15. on Monday, 28-Aug-2006 Bonnie said:
My son and daughter-in-law are traveling from Washington State. I enjoyed reading your account of the location they are now seeing. By-the-way...nice job on the travel log!
16. on Wednesday, 23-Aug-2006 N Chow said:
Hi, love your site and your story. We Drove from KSM on highway 29 North to 90 West to Sioux City. The sceneries were just fantastic. Until we hit Rapid City SD from there we visited Mt. Rushmore I was so impressed by the work that Mr. Gutzon Borglum had done not just for the Americans but for the entire world the meaning of FREEDOM. Simply Amazing. ! Thanks for sharing your story...
17. on Thursday, 09-Jun-2005 Marlene Dunford said:
My husband and I visited Mt Rushmore a few years ago and was totally in awe over it. It is magnificent. We were just totally taken with it--didn't want to leave so we are going back this year. Can't wait.
