South Dakota, July 2020

[rvshrinker]

Hello,

We’ve decided to do South Dakota and E Wyoming in July, 2020. Sturgis is 2nd week of August so that shouldn’t be a factor. We are going to delay Canada for another year.

We are driving from PDX so 22 hours one way. First question is whether this is a worthwhile trip by RV? We always have the option of doing it lite in a Prius and moteling it. Lot of fuel each way for the trailer.

That said, if worth it, we would do 14-16 days total.

Figure 3 days of driving each way so that is 6 days. That leaves 8-10 for sightseeting.

We want to see:

The Badlands
Wall, SD - Wounded Knee Museum
Custer SP
Mt Rushmore
Hike harney peak
Crazy Horse
Devil’s Tower
Deadwood
Wind cave
Minuteman missile
Air and space museum
Spearfish Canyon

I can already see that is a lot of things to see and it could mean a lot of setting up and breaking down camp.

Thoughts, suggestions on overall plans, itineraries, must-see sights, places to camp? We don’t have a generator (I guess we could get one) so if AC is a must we’ll need hookups. Otherwise we are happy to boondock for several days in a row.

[melandme]

2x Fort Welikit in Custer. Stayed there the first of October with the daughter and granddaughters. The girls loved the fort and the deer and turkeys wandering the campground. Staff and facilities were great. I would stop at Devils Tower on the way to SD. If you have kids, 2 things I would recommend are the Mammoth Dig in Hot Springs and the fish hatchery in Spearfish. The Spearfish City campground is next to the fish hatchery and is a nice campground we have stayed at before. Wall Drug is a couple hour stop. If you not hiking, the Badlands is a half day visit. We enjoyed the trip so much we want to go back in the summer with better weather.

[one_strange_tex]

rvshrinker wrote:
At Rushmore I understand there is some hiking you can do just out of the memorial itself which gives unique views and is very uncrowded.

The main viewing area at Mt. Rushmore is indeed crowded, at least when we were there in August, due to construction. I do not know the expected duration of the construction job.
I would not take a RV in there during the tourist season due to parking availability (lack of availability)

[dedmiston]

Devil's Tower is a great stop. Our family loved it more than Rushmore.

The SD Black Hills are gorgeous too.

My wife and I just came through there last month on our way home from an eight week trip. We were coming the other way back from Minnesota. We drove through North Dakota and then came south to get to the Black Hills. What a gorgeous drive.

Wyoming is amazing, but she's a tough lover. (Two of our kids went to college at the University in Laramie, so we've spent plenty of time there.) Don't underestimate the distances and the weather. We got caught on a windy day (even by WY standards) and the wind somehow cut through one of our slide-outs and blew out the bedroom window on the opposite side. I've never seen anything like that before. And that wasn't the first time Wyoming took a swing at us. The rest of the trip was crazy cold with just plastic duct-taped across where the window should have been.

Everyplace in WY is awe inspiring except for the drive across the 80 in the south. The 80 is bleak and windy. Avoid it if you can. The rest of the state is mind blowing.

Your time frame and distances are very reasonable. You'll love your trip.

[cross21114]

We did this earlier this month. I suggest you defintely do this with your RV and not hotel it. Try to drive the Needles Highway (w/o the trailer of course). The way the tunnels line up with Mt. Rushmore is amazing. Spend some time in Deadwood. Couple of great museums.

[Thom02099]

rvshrinker wrote:
Driving from the PNW we'll make Devil's Tower and Deadwood a 1-2 day stop one way or the other, eh? Yes we'd enjoy hiking around base of the Tower. So maybe the rest we can base out of Custer SP or similar? At Rushmore I understand there is some hiking you can do just out of the memorial itself which gives unique views and is very uncrowded.

Since you are in to hiking, a must do would be Black Elk Peak, formerly Harney Peak, which is the highest point (at 7244ft) in South Dakota. It's not a difficult hike and well worth it for the vistas when you get to the summit. This could consume a goodly portion of a day. There are various accesses, so a query of Black Elk Peak will give you several choices. One of the hikes starts at about 6200ft with an elevation gain of about 1100 feet in 3.5 miles. There's also a loop trail hike.

[rvshrinker]

Driving from the PNW we'll make Devil's Tower and Deadwood a 1-2 day stop one way or the other, eh? Yes we'd enjoy hiking around base of the Tower. So maybe the rest we can base out of Custer SP or similar? At Rushmore I understand there is some hiking you can do just out of the memorial itself which gives unique views and is very uncrowded.

[one_strange_tex]

rvshrinker wrote:

We want to see:

The Badlands
Wall, SD - Wounded Knee Museum
Custer SP
Mt Rushmore
Crazy Horse
Devil’s Tower
Deadwood

We went to SD this August and saw all these things except Wounded Knee (though we went by Wall since it is right by the west entrance to Badlands NP). We stayed in Custer (the town, not the SP) at an RV park and did day trips for all. I am not sure Devil's Tower is worth an overnight stay, unless you are hiking around the base. We stayed 6 nights at Custer. All of these are easily reached by drives from there. Devil's Tower consumed a day since it is about 110 miles from Custer. You might consider one relocation up to the Deadwood/Sturgis area to have a closer base for the Devil's Tower trip.

Mount Rushmore is worth seeing, but does not consume an entire day. We saw it the same day as Crazy Horse.

Given more time, we would have probably spent it at Custer SP or visiting one or more of the caves/caverns in the area. The wildlife loop, the Needles Highway (check tunnel clearances) and Sylvan Lake are the must see items, in my opinion.

I admit my bias may be that I come from Texas where 100-mile each way round trips in a day are not out of the ordinary.

[BarabooBob]

Several of the campgrounds at Custer State Park have electric hookups. Badlands NP has a few electric sites that can be reserved. Look around and get ready to make your reservations soon if you want electric hookups.

[rvshrinker]

Great tips everyone!

We are really into hiking and outdoor stuff. We would also like the kids to see and learn about Native history. I just learned that Custer SP is not where the Little Bighorn site is!

Do I need a generator for AC? Staying in Forest service would obviously save some money and we love the low impact settings, but can do full hookups urban camping if necessary.

[Horsedoc]

Spearfish Canyon, Lead, Deadwood, Ice Box Canyon - need to be added to your list.
City of Spearfish has a very nice CG but it might be a bit far north to use as a base camp for the Black Hills visit

[Busskipper]

rvshrinker wrote:
Hello,

We’ve decided to do South Dakota and E Wyoming in July, 2020. Sturgis is 2nd week of August so that shouldn’t be a factor. We are going to delay Canada for another year.

We are driving from PDX so 22 hours one way. First question is whether this is a worthwhile trip by RV? We always have the option of doing it lite in a Prius and moteling it. Lot of fuel each way for the trailer.

That said, if worth it, we would do 14-16 days total.

Figure 3 days of driving each way so that is 6 days. That leaves 8-10 for sightseeting.

We want to see:

The Badlands
Wall, SD - Wounded Knee Museum
Custer SP
Mt Rushmore
Crazy Horse
Devil’s Tower
Deadwood

I can already see that is a lot of things to see and it could mean a lot of setting up and breaking down camp.

Thoughts, suggestions on overall plans, itineraries, must-see sights, places to camp? We don’t have a generator (I guess we could get one) so if AC is a must we’ll need hookups. Otherwise we are happy to boondock for several days in a row.

Iraqvet05 wrote:
We did a similar trip in June, omitting Deadwood, Wounded Knee museum and Devils Tower (been there before) but adding Mt Rushmore, Wind Cave, Needles Highway and the 1880s train. You will have plenty of time to see all that in 8-10 days. I agree with wing_zealot that Wall Drug is 2-3 hours tops...The Badlands and the museum will add 3 hours too so it would be a day trip at the most. Before my trip, some had suggested we stay near Wall overnight and hit those attractions (Wall, Badlands) but we stayed in Custer the entire time and the drive from Custer wasn't bad.

Custer would be My suggestion as for a place to stay. So much to do - easy to stay for Weeks;

Needles
Custer State Park
Sylvan Lake
Jewel Cave
Cathedral Spires
Dinosaurs
Mt Rushmore
Crazy Horse
Buffalo
Wind Cave
Hike
Fish
Maybe even Pan for some Black Hills Gold

Are just a few of the things to see and do while there -

Wall Drug is a stop - but just that - stop - look - Go - Badlands for most, is a drive through on the way to Custer, suggest Sunset or Sunrise as the shadows will make it look great.

Best thing about staying in Custer is that everyday you get to make a different Beautiful Drive into those Black Hills.

No Wrong Choices,

[DutchmenSport]

Did a similar trip from Indiana to Custer, SD. We stayed at Buffalo Ridge, which is a Good Sam campground.

We took 3 days traveling to get there, 2 days to get home. En route, we did overnights at KOA's. But we did have to book all reservations months ahead of time.

We stopped in and saw the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD on our way there.

We took 2 weeks, so basically had 9 days in the area. My daughter and husband and 4 kids also came from Kansas City, Mo and tent camped. We foot the bill and rented one of the Tee-Pees and let everyone sleep in it, which was an experience to say the least.

From Custer, I felt we were pretty centrally located to scurry off and make day trips to all the locations you've mentioned above. We did not go to Wall, no desire to see it, but we did hit the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturges. Saw Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, all that stuff.

Because we had the grandkids with us, we also went to that animal zoo thing, and that candy store not far from Sturges. (don't remember the names now). We also built in a couple days where we just stayed at the campground.

Buffalo Ridge campground has a train you can ride (kind of fun), and a dinner theater (which we simply never had time to do), in addition to swimming pool and play ground for the kids. Being our age, we needed some in-activity every other day. In July it was hot and steamy, never rained, and did I say hot. From what the locals had to say, that was an unusually hot time of year.

We also traveled the Badlands, and got into the Black Hills. We didn't do any ATV rentals, but they are everywhere. I wish we would have had another week there, there is just so much to do.

Personally, I'd take the camper, select one campground near the Custer area, or Custer State park if you can get a site and use it as a home base the time you are there.

FYI, if you want a reservation anywhere in that area, start calling now! Find out when reservations can be made for the anticpated route of travel, and at the end destination point. If it's too early to make reservations now for next year, then find out when the first day is open for reservations at each location you want to overnight at or the final destination. In July, absolutely everything will be 100% booked solid.

[BarabooBob]

I would stop at Devils Tower on the way to the area and spend the night there, it is on the way. I prefer National Forest or state park campgrounds so there are many in the area. I prefer to stay at Horse Thief Lake Campground just south of Rushmore.
I would include either Wind Cave or Jewel Cave, Mt Rushmore, Needles Highway and the wildlife loop in Custer State Park, Highway A from Custer State Park to Keystone (this road has some great scenery and some unique pigtail bridges and tunnels that if traveling north-frame Mt Rushmore as you drive through them, great photo op)
After spending your time in the Black Hills, spend 2 days at the Badlands and do some hiking, sight seeing, climbing carefully in the park. See the Minuteman Missile site, and Wall Drug on the way out. I would also stop at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base just east of Rapid City on the way through.
16 days would be about perfect for this trip.
I do the same type of trip from Wisconsin every couple of years. Next time I go I will be hiking to the top of Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak) and riding my bicycle on the Michelson bike trail. That may add to much for your 16 day time limit.

[Dick_B]

Rushmore and Crazy Horse can be done with one bus tour which includes lunch. Leave the driving to the experts.