Any info on Black Hills, Badlands SD?

[Simba's Mom]

Has anyone been to the Black Hills or Badlands in SD? We're in the preliminary stages of planning a trip there next summer. Besides seeing Mount Rushmore (our nod to history), we really want to focus on nature, wildlife, and birds. Any suggestions of places to go/things to do?

 

[Simba's Mom]

No one's been?

 

[kmwek]

We went there on our way back from Yellowstone/Tetons last summer. We went to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse (a must see), took the kids to a Day Out with Thomas on the Railway in Hill City (I think that was where it was), and drove through the Badlands. That was about it, we only spent about 2 days in the area. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I will try my best to answer.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Have you looked in to the caves in the area. Wind cave and Jewel cave are supposed to be pretty cool stops.

 

[Cameo]

We live in North Dakota and spend most of our vacations in Orlando, but we finally took the kids to the Black Hills last summer. Nice things to do: Mt. Rushmore, one of the caves (Wind Cave National Park also has an extensive wildlife area, where you are sure to see bison), President's Slide at Keystone (fun for the kids), gold mine (we did a tour in Keystone), 1800's Railway (can get on in Keystone or Hill City), Cosmos (near Keystone - this is an area where little "houses" are built on the side of a hill and they "claim" that weird things happen with gravity here. I think it is all an optical illusion since you are standing on a hillside. But the kids thought it was fun and it's definitely a silly experience. Beware if you have motion sickness - it made me really dizzy, but I just closed my eyes), a bit of a drive but the Mammoth Site south of Mt. Rushmore is interesting - my 9-y-o son did a dig for "bones." We did not stop at Crazy Horse. It looks the same as it did 30 years ago when I was a kid. They aren't making much progress on it, but it is very big and ambitious. You can see it from the road too.

We also stayed in a cabin just outside of Keystone. This was actually the most fun. We would all love to go back. They had a dining room, outdoor movies and trail rides right there. We did do the trail ride, which was great. The cabin had a fire pit and we did a fire each night with hot dogs and smores.

Have fun!!

 

[MrsPete]

We were there just last week! The BEST THING we did in this area was Custer State park. It's wonderful. In addition to seeing all the lovely scenery, we took a Buffalo Safari. It was very informative and loads of fun. You MUST have a reservation; they were turning people away. Our tour guide was Ken -- if you're lucky enough to be in his Jeep, you will not be disappointed!

You can see Crazy Horse from the road. Not much to see there.
Mt. Rushmore, of course, is a must-see.
Wind Cave was wonderful. If my youngest hadn't been a little scared, we would've also gone to Jewel Cave (just down the road).

We stayed in Custer, and that was a bit of a disappointment. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which is new and very nice, and it includes a good breakfast bar. However, there's really nothing much to eat in the town. The WORST was the restaurant in the old bank; the prices weren't bad, but the portions were tiny and the quality was, I'd say, below Applebees' quality.

 

[Simba's Mom]

What was wildlife Loop road like? Did you consider staying at any of the 4 lodges in the park and any comments on them would be really appreciated. And we'd love to see photos from your trip.

 

[MrsPete]

What was wildlife Loop road like? Did you consider staying at any of the 4 lodges in the park and any comments on them would be really appreciated. And we'd love to see photos from your trip.

The wildlife loop was WONDERFUL -- you must drive that road! Be sure to take a bag of carrots for the begging burros. They were first brought into the park to cart vacationers up to the top of Harney Peak, but the park stopped that years ago, and now the burros just run wild. They're very tame and will come right up to your car. They most definitely expect you to give them something!

We saw wild turkey, loads of prong horn (people call them antelopes, but they're really prong horn), moose, coyote, prairie dogs, and the most impressive of all: bison.

We took the Buffalo Safari, and I thought that was well worth it. The guide told us lots of things about the park history and the animals -- things we wouldn't have known otherwise -- for example, he told us about how they round up the buffalo every September (in a certain pasture, which is kept empty for them all year long) and they brand the calves with the year of their birth; they sell off all the 10-year olds every year because the park can only support 1000 buffalo, yet after the births every year they tend to have about 1500. And he took us to places where visitors aren't allowed to drive. They have customized four-wheel drive jeeps in which you sit up high and have no windows between you and the countryside. Also, he had a radio and was in contact with the other jeep drivers; they kept each other informed about where the various herds were, so we saw more than you would just driving along on your own.

If you drive on your own, DO NOT take chances with getting out of your car near the buffalo! We saw BUNCHES of people doing this, and our guide told us that it's very common for people to be injured. He told us about one man -- an elderly man who should've lived enough years to have some common sense -- who wanted his picture made with the buffalo. He went and stood near the animal, who took offense and threw him up into the air with his horns . . . then caught him as he came back down. The man was dead before he hit the ground. We saw entire families standing next to buffalo herds. We saw what appeared to be a church group standing outside its vans. The animals are usually docile, but there's no need to take foolish chances.

Yes, we considered staying at one of the lodges, but we ended up staying in the town of Custer instead. If I had it to do again, I'd stay inside the park. Custer is really a one-horse town.

 

[iadis58]

Spearfish Canyon Lodge is a great place to stay, and don't miss having a a meal at the Latchstring Inn, make sure you sit out on the patio. what views!!!!

 

[Simba's Mom]

The wildlife loop was WONDERFUL -- you must drive that road! Be sure to take a bag of carrots for the begging burros. They were first brought into the park to cart vacationers up to the top of Harney Peak, but the park stopped that years ago, and now the burros just run wild. They're very tame and will come right up to your car. They most definitely expect you to give them something!

We saw wild turkey, loads of prong horn (people call them antelopes, but they're really prong horn), moose, coyote, prairie dogs, and the most impressive of all: bison.

We took the Buffalo Safari, and I thought that was well worth it. The guide told us lots of things about the park history and the animals -- things we wouldn't have known otherwise -- for example, he told us about how they round up the buffalo every September (in a certain pasture, which is kept empty for them all year long) and they brand the calves with the year of their birth; they sell off all the 10-year olds every year because the park can only support 1000 buffalo, yet after the births every year they tend to have about 1500. And he took us to places where visitors aren't allowed to drive. They have customized four-wheel drive jeeps in which you sit up high and have no windows between you and the countryside. Also, he had a radio and was in contact with the other jeep drivers; they kept each other informed about where the various herds were, so we saw more than you would just driving along on your own.

If you drive on your own, DO NOT take chances with getting out of your car near the buffalo! We saw BUNCHES of people doing this, and our guide told us that it's very common for people to be injured. He told us about one man -- an elderly man who should've lived enough years to have some common sense -- who wanted his picture made with the buffalo. He went and stood near the animal, who took offense and threw him up into the air with his horns . . . then caught him as he came back down. The man was dead before he hit the ground. We saw entire families standing next to buffalo herds. We saw what appeared to be a church group standing outside its vans. The animals are usually docile, but there's no need to take foolish chances.

Yes, we considered staying at one of the lodges, but we ended up staying in the town of Custer instead. If I had it to do again, I'd stay inside the park. Custer is really a one-horse town.

I'll have to look into the Buffalo Safari. I know to respect buffalo, much as I love to see them. When we were at Yellowstone last month, I remember seeing this herd of buffalo heading towards our car and I started screaming at DH, "Back Up! Back Up!"

 

[malibuconlee]

Not sure of the ages in your party, but you can rent bikes and bike part of the Mickelson Trail.

There is a gift shop in Deadwood that you can take a shuttle from there to the Presidents Park. Get the bikes there and follow the trail back into Deadwood. I did that with some girlfriends a few years ago. Nice way to spend the afternoon.

Not sure when you plan to go, but they do two night blasts at Crazy Horse each year. It's over fast, but a very cool thing to see. They have a website.

We lived in Pierre, SD for a year and a half. I loved the Hills and will definitely be going back some day.

 

[Quilter007]

OK -- we're a little weird & we are into space alien stuff -- so here's our recommendation:

Stay at a KOA campground near Devil's Tower in Wyoming -- NorthEast corner --try to stay on the 4th of July. They launch awesome Disney-like fireworks for FREE at the campground. The fireworks echo off the base of the canyon -- it's crazy spectaculor. You can do a 1 or 5 mile hike around the tower. You can try to scale the tower -- it's larger than you imagine. On nights other than the 4th, they show Close Encounters of the Third Kind on a screen outside. There's a golf course nearby & a dude ranch. There's also a dinosaur dig site. It's about 90 minutes from the Black Hills area. There's also fishing, boating, etc about half an hour away. The Tower area itself is a National Monument.

Black Hills/Rapid City Area - There's a Marriott hotel we like which has an indoor water park -- Wa-Tiki - I think? which we like a lot. We go & do stuff during the day, then come back in the later afternoon & do the water park until everyone is completely wiped out.

Bear Country -- overpriced

Reptile Gardens -- way worth it (have boys)

Needles & Pigtail Bridges drives -- must do -- not good for people who get carsick...

Wind Caves -- good time -- not good for the claustrophobic -- kind of a drive

Wall Drug -- not worth the drive (it's a ginormous gas station with a decorator!)

Mount Rushmore -- must do it once (must do it every time if you are DH!)

Crazy Horse -- must do it once (again, must do it every time if you are DH!)

Caves -- Not good for small kids & old folks -- lots of steps -- you need to be in good shape -- it's high altitude & the stairs are steep!!

Chuckwagon Dinner -- good family activity -- there are also horse rides & play areas.

Stay in Rapid City -- it's really close & cheaper -- really, really recommend the water park thing -- then you can eat in Rapid City as well. Food is expensive in the little cities in the hills.

 

[malibuconlee]

Just wanted to add that you should avoid the first two weeks of August so your family trip doesn't coincide with the Sturgis bike rally. It's hard to find lodging in the area that time of year. (The rally is lots of fun for adults tho, we've been twice. )

 

[minniebeth]

We live in North Dakota and spend most of our vacations in Orlando, but we finally took the kids to the Black Hills last summer. Nice things to do: Mt. Rushmore, one of the caves (Wind Cave National Park also has an extensive wildlife area, where you are sure to see bison), President's Slide at Keystone (fun for the kids), gold mine (we did a tour in Keystone), 1800's Railway (can get on in Keystone or Hill City), Cosmos (near Keystone - this is an area where little "houses" are built on the side of a hill and they "claim" that weird things happen with gravity here. I think it is all an optical illusion since you are standing on a hillside. But the kids thought it was fun and it's definitely a silly experience. Beware if you have motion sickness - it made me really dizzy, but I just closed my eyes), a bit of a drive but the Mammoth Site south of Mt. Rushmore is interesting - my 9-y-o son did a dig for "bones." We did not stop at Crazy Horse. It looks the same as it did 30 years ago when I was a kid. They aren't making much progress on it, but it is very big and ambitious. You can see it from the road too.

We also stayed in a cabin just outside of Keystone. This was actually the most fun. We would all love to go back. They had a dining room, outdoor movies and trail rides right there. We did do the trail ride, which was great. The cabin had a fire pit and we did a fire each night with hot dogs and smores.

Have fun!!

The cabins sound great, can you post the name of the company that owns/runs them?

Thanks for the info. everyone, these are great posts!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well, we've decided on a few more things about the trip. First, we're definitely going to go in early June. Also, we'll try to stay in Custer State Park, probably at Blue Bell Lodge. We'll probably also stay a night or two in the cabins at Badlands. They look pretty basic, but no more so than Yellowstone. As far as renting bikes is concerned, there's just the two of us, both in our late 50s. And I learned something a few years ago-you DO so forget how to ride a bike! Everytime I fell, I didn't know whether to laugh at myself or cry.

 

[lvt]

I like the area. I live in Iowa and like any rocks or high areas for vacationing.
1. The Monumenent
2. 2 different caves
3. Horse back ride
4. Air craft museum in Rapid City
5. Steam train ride.
6. Custer State park (lots of animals)
7. Badlands has some neat stuff. However it gets hot.
8. Devils Tower is neat.
9. Mammoth dig/museum was kind of fun.