SouthDakota
5
Day Itinerary •
USA
Five days in South Dakota lets you explore the full extraordinary breadth of the Mount Rushmore State, from the granite peaks and presidential monuments of the Black Hills to the extraordinary moonscape of Badlands National Park, the Wild West gold rush streets of Deadwood and the vast Missouri River reservoirs of central South Dakota. This route covers the complete South Dakota experience. Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, the extraordinary Needles Highway and Custer bison herds, the magnificent Badlands Loop Road at dawn, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave, the extraordinary Deadwood saloons and the remarkable Lakota Sioux heritage of the Wounded Knee Memorial.
Best Time To Visit
May to September. Avoid August Sturgis Rally if not a biker.
Getting There
Fly into Rapid City Regional (RAP)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout South Dakota
Budget Per Day
Approx $100 to $170 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, some Black Hills and Badlands hiking
DAY 1
BLACK HILLS MONUMENTS
MORNING
MOUNT RUSHMORE AND CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL
Mount Rushmore National Memorial gives the most extraordinary presidential monument in America, its 60-foot carved faces of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln in Black Hills granite the most recognizable landmark in the Great Plains. The Crazy Horse Memorial nearby is the most extraordinary ongoing sculpture project in the world, its 563-foot carving of the Lakota warrior on Thunderhead Mountain larger than all four presidents combined. Rushmore free, parking $10. Crazy Horse entry $15. Drive: 25 min drive
MIDDAY
NEEDLES HIGHWAY, IRON MOUNTAIN ROAD AND CATHEDRAL SPIRES
The Needles Highway is the most extraordinary scenic drive in South Dakota, its extraordinary 14-mile route through eroded granite pillars and spires passing through three one-lane tunnels cut through living rock. The Iron Mountain Road gives equally extraordinary pigtail bridges and tunnels framing Mount Rushmore in the distance. The Cathedral Spires viewpoint gives the finest elevated view of the Black Hills granite landscape. Entry with Custer State Park pass $20. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
SYLVAN LAKE AND THE BLACK HILLS GRANITE LANDSCAPE
Sylvan Lake is the most extraordinary lake in the Black Hills, its extraordinary granite boulder shoreline and crystal-clear water surrounded by ponderosa pine giving the finest swimming and hiking lake in South Dakota. The Harney Peak Trail to the highest point east of the Rockies at 7,244 feet gives the most extraordinary panoramic view of the Black Hills. The extraordinary short Sylvan Lake loop trail is the finest 30-minute walk in the park. Free with park pass.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Flintstone Bedrock City near Custer is the finest hidden quirky attraction in the Black Hills, its extraordinary abandoned Flintstones theme park now a free-to-view roadside ruin of fiberglass prehistoric buildings giving the most extraordinarily surreal roadside experience in South Dakota. Free from the road. The most extraordinary hidden oddity in the Black Hills.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Keystone Cafe, Keystone The finest breakfast near Mount Rushmore. Extraordinary local eggs and strong South Dakota coffee. | Lunch: Laughing Water Restaurant, Crazy Horse Outstanding Native American-inspired cuisine at the Crazy Horse Memorial complex. | Dinner: State Game Lodge, Custer State Park The most extraordinary dining in the Black Hills. Local bison and trout in the 1920 historic lodge.
DAY 2
CUSTER STATE PARK AND CAVES
MORNING
CUSTER STATE PARK WILDLIFE LOOP AND BISON ROUNDUP COUNTRY
Custer State Park is the most extraordinary state park in South Dakota, its extraordinary 71,000 acres sheltering one of the largest free-roaming bison herds in the world at over 1,400 animals. The Wildlife Loop Road at dawn gives the most extraordinary bison encounter in the Great Plains, the herds frequently blocking the road. Wild burros, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and coyotes are also extraordinary. The annual September Buffalo Roundup is the most spectacular free event in South Dakota. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, THE MOST COMPLEX CAVE IN AMERICA
Wind Cave National Park has the most complex cave system in America, its extraordinary 95 miles of mapped passages containing more boxwork cave formations than any other cave on earth. The Natural Entrance Tour gives the finest introduction to the cave's extraordinary geology. Above ground the park shelters a magnificent bison herd visible from the roadway. The extraordinary barometric winds that blow in or out of the cave entrance depending on air pressure give it its name. Cave tours approx $12. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT, THE THIRD LONGEST CAVE IN THE WORLD
Jewel Cave National Monument near Custer is the third longest cave in the world at over 200 miles of mapped passages, its extraordinary hydromagnesite balloons, moonmilk deposits and nailhead spar formations entirely different from the nearby Wind Cave and giving the most extraordinary cave diversity in the Black Hills. The Scenic Tour gives the finest 80-minute introduction to the cave's jewel-like calcite crystals. Entry approx $8.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Black Elk Peak trail in Custer State Park gives the finest summit view in the Black Hills, its extraordinary 7,244-foot summit the highest point east of the Rockies giving a 360-degree panorama of five states on a clear day. The old stone lookout tower at the summit is extraordinary. 7.2-mile round trip. Free with park pass.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Custer State Park Resort dining room Extraordinary Black Hills breakfast before the Wildlife Loop. Local eggs and strong coffee at dawn. | Lunch: Bavarian Inn, Custer Outstanding Black Hills lunch. Extraordinary local bison burger and South Dakota craft beer. | Dinner: Creekside Restaurant, Hill City The finest restaurant in Hill City. Extraordinary local Black Hills cuisine and outstanding wine.
DAY 3
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK
MORNING
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK LOOP ROAD AT DAWN
The Badlands at dawn is the most extraordinary light experience in South Dakota, the rising sun illuminating the banded sedimentary spires and buttes in extraordinary shades of orange, red, purple and gold that shift minute by minute as the sun rises above the prairie. The 40-mile Badlands Loop Road from the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to the Pinnacles gives the finest succession of overlooks. The Big Badlands Overlook gives the most extraordinary panoramic view of the formation. Entry $35 per vehicle. Drive: 1 hr drive
MIDDAY
DOOR AND WINDOW TRAILS, PRAIRIE DOGS AND FOSSIL EXHIBIT
The Door and Window trails give the most extraordinary access to the inner Badlands basin, their combined 0.75-mile route through a gap in the Wall giving formations visible from nowhere else. The Roberts Prairie Dog Town is the most extraordinary black-tailed prairie dog colony in any national park. The Fossil Exhibit Trail gives the finest introduction to the extraordinary Oligocene fossil record preserved in the Badlands sediments. All free with park entry. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
WALL DRUG AND THE SAGE CREEK WILDERNESS
Wall Drug is the most extraordinary roadside institution in America, its extraordinary free 5-cent coffee, animatronic dinosaurs and Western art collection in the tiny prairie town of Wall giving the finest quirky stop in the Great Plains. The Sage Creek Wilderness in the western Badlands gives the most extraordinary remote landscape in the park, its vast grassland of free-roaming bison herds and black-footed ferrets entirely unmarked by tourist infrastructure. Both free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Notch Trail in Badlands National Park is the finest hidden hike in the park, its extraordinary log ladder climb through a canyon notch giving access to a ledge with the most extraordinary aerial view of the White River Valley and the Badlands Wall. 1.5-mile round trip. Free with park entry. Far less visited than the Door and Window trails.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cedar Pass Lodge, Badlands Extraordinary Badlands breakfast at the park lodge. Local eggs with views of the morning-lit spires. | Lunch: Wall Drug Restaurant The most legendary roadside lunch in America. Extraordinary buffalo burger and 5-cent coffee. | Dinner: Cedar Pass Lodge dining room The finest restaurant in the Badlands. Local South Dakota bison and trout with extraordinary park views.
DAY 4
DEADWOOD AND SPEARFISH CANYON
MORNING
DEADWOOD, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY WILD WEST TOWN IN AMERICA
Deadwood is the most extraordinary Wild West heritage town in America, its extraordinary 1876 gold rush Main Street of Victorian saloons, casinos and the legendary Bullock Hotel preserving the legends of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock in a National Historic Landmark district. The Mount Moriah Cemetery above the town where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane are buried gives extraordinary views of the Black Hills. The extraordinary underground tours of historic Deadwood are unmissable. Cemetery entry $3. Drive: 1 hr drive
MIDDAY
SPEARFISH CANYON SCENIC BYWAY AND ROUGHLOCK FALLS
Spearfish Canyon is the most extraordinary canyon drive in South Dakota, its extraordinary 19-mile scenic byway along Spearfish Creek through towering limestone walls past Bridal Veil Falls, Roughlock Falls and the extraordinary Spearfish Canyon Lodge giving the finest autumn drive in the Black Hills when the canyon maple and birch turn gold and red. Roughlock Falls in Little Spearfish Canyon is the finest short waterfall hike in the Black Hills. Entry free. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
LEAD AND THE HOMESTAKE GOLD MINE
Lead is the most extraordinary gold mining town in the Black Hills, its extraordinary Homestake Mine, the largest and deepest gold mine in North America from 1876 to 2002, now repurposed as the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the deepest physics laboratory in the world. The Homestake Visitor Center gives the finest introduction to the extraordinary Black Hills gold rush that brought 100,000 prospectors to Lakota sacred lands after Custer's 1874 expedition. Entry approx $10.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Terry Peak ski area above Lead is the finest hidden viewpoint in the northern Black Hills, its extraordinary summit at 7,064 feet giving the finest panoramic view of the Black Hills and the distant Badlands from any road-accessible point in the region. Chair lift operates in summer approx $15. The most extraordinary hidden view in the Black Hills.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Deadwood Social Club The finest breakfast in Deadwood. Extraordinary local South Dakota ingredients in the most historic saloon. | Lunch: Spearfish Canyon Lodge dining room Outstanding canyon lunch. Local South Dakota trout and craft beer in the finest lodge in the canyon. | Dinner: Sanford's Grub and Pub, Deadwood The finest casual restaurant in Deadwood. Outstanding local bison and Black Hills craft beer.
DAY 5
LAKOTA HERITAGE
MORNING
WOUNDED KNEE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, THE MOST IMPORTANT LAKOTA SITE IN SOUTH DAKOTA
The Wounded Knee National Historic Site on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the most important and sobering historic site in South Dakota, the site of the December 29 1890 massacre in which approximately 300 Lakota Sioux men, women and children were killed by the US 7th Cavalry in the last major armed conflict of the Indian Wars. The mass grave and monument give the most extraordinary and moving historic experience in the Great Plains. Free. Approach with respect. Drive: 1 hr drive
MIDDAY
PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION AND LAKOTA HERITAGE
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the most extraordinary Native American cultural landscape in South Dakota, its extraordinary Oglala Lakota Sioux heritage including the Oglala Lakota College, the Red Cloud Indian School with its extraordinary Native American art gallery and the remarkable Crazy Horse Memorial carved by Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski giving the finest Lakota cultural experience in the state. The Red Cloud Art Gallery is free. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
MINUTEMAN MISSILE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site near Philip is the most extraordinary Cold War historic site in South Dakota, its extraordinary preserved Delta-01 Launch Control Facility and Delta-09 missile silo giving the finest accessible insight into the nuclear deterrent that South Dakota housed throughout the Cold War, with 150 Minuteman II missiles deployed across the prairie. The underground launch facility tour gives the most extraordinary Cold War experience in America. Entry free, tours approx $6.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Badlands Astronomy Festival at Badlands National Park gives the most extraordinary dark sky experience in South Dakota, the park's extraordinary remoteness from any significant light pollution giving a Milky Way view above the extraordinary spire landscape that is the finest in the Great Plains. Free with park entry. Check the park website for festival dates.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Prairie Edge Trading Company cafe, Rapid City Extraordinary breakfast near the Pine Ridge drive. Outstanding local South Dakota produce. | Lunch: Sioux Nation Shopping Center, Pine Ridge Local Lakota fry bread and traditional food near the reservation. Authentic and extraordinary. | Dinner: Dakotah Steakhouse, Rapid City The finest steakhouse in Rapid City. Extraordinary local South Dakota beef and craft beer.
Where To Stay
Rapid City, Night 1 Hotel Alex Johnson or Rushmore Hotel. Approx $110 to $200 per night. Custer or Hill City, Nights 2 to 3 State Game Lodge or Palmer Gulch Lodge. Approx $100 to $180 per night. Deadwood or Spearfish, Nights 4 to 5 Deadwood Mountain Grand or Historic Franklin Hotel. Approx $100 to $180.
Top Tips
1. Mount Rushmore at dawn before 8am is the most extraordinary experience. Parking opens at 5am daily.
2. Crazy Horse Memorial night laser show is extraordinary. The scale dwarfs Rushmore. Buy the combination ticket.
3. Custer State Park Wildlife Loop at dawn for bison herds is the most extraordinary free wildlife drive in America.
4. Badlands at sunset from the Big Badlands Overlook gives the most extraordinary light in South Dakota. Stay late.
5. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway in fall color is the finest autumn drive in the Black Hills. Roughlock Falls extraordinary.
6. Wounded Knee is the most important and sobering historic site in South Dakota. Approach with appropriate respect.
Total Budget
$100 to $170/day