The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down and cancelled most our travel last year, but as our state (Utah) opened up, along with other states nearby, we decided to dip our toes back into traveling and take a road trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We picked South Dakota because we wanted to go somewhere we knew wouldn’t be very crowded (we went in May, which is still off-season in South Dakota) and we wanted to go somewhere with a lot of outdoor activities. We knew that South Dakota has a lot of state and national parks that were open for visitors, so it seemed like the perfect spot. We thought we’d share our general itinerary for anyone planning spring or summer travel to South Dakota, particularly the Black Hills and Badlands.
We found a cabin on Airbnb in the Black Hills on 21 acres and from the cabin we took day trips around the Black Hills. When we booked our cabin it was $250 per night, but the price fluctuates over the summer season. Our overall trip, including driving there, lasted 7 days (3 days were travel days). To start off, we drove from Salt Lake City, UT to Rawlins, WY (4 hours) and stayed the night at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Rawlins ($117 per night). The next day we drove from Rawlins, WY to Custer, SD (4.5 hours) and our cabin was located near Custer in the Black Hills. We settled into our cabin and explored the local area when we arrived. Below is a detailed look at what we managed to fit into four days in the Black Hills. There is a lot to see, and we could’ve definitely stayed longer. Also, keep in mind, because of COVID-19 closures a lot of things were limited or closed during our visit but many things have since opened.
Day 1: Custer and Hot Springs Area
During our visit, the first day was rainy and cold, so we didn’t fit in as many things as we had planned. Also, we were still trying to figure out what was open and not open with the COVID-19 closures and Google didn’t have everything updated. However, we still managed to have a lot of fun! Here are some of the places we visited:
Wind Cave National Park (hiking trails and animal watching). It rained for our visit to Wind Cave, but we planned to check out the Elk Mountain trail (1 mile), Prairie Vista trail (1 mile), and Rankin Ridge trails (1 mile). Utah Adventure Family has some good tips for hiking and exploring in Wind Cave National Park that we thought were helpful. The visitor center and cave were closed but we hiked in the grasslands and forest.
Hot Springs, SD. We drove around the town of Hot Springs (it was pretty quaint) and got lunch (it’s near Wind Cave National Park) at Red Shed Smokehouse. Not a lot was open when we were there, but some things we want to visit next time are the Mammoth Site (world’s largest mammoth research site) and Evans Plunge (oldest tourist attraction in the Black Hills, hot springs).
Crazy Horse Memorial (near Custer, SD). Crazy Horse is the world’s largest mountain carving and considered the 8th wonder of the world. At the memorial there is a well-done Native American art museum and a hands-on educational/cultural center and a Legends Light Show in the evenings. This is a fun place for kids to learn more about South Dakota’s Native American History. This memorial was closed when we visited, so we just drove by and watched some YouTube videos on our own about the memorial. It has since reopened for visitors.
Custer, SD. We finished off our day wandering around town, getting ice cream (we tried both Horatio’s Homemade Ice Cream and Bobkat’s Old Fashion Purple Pie Place, we liked Horatio’s ice cream better). There were souvenir shops open, murals to look at, and colorful bison around town. We mostly just stretched our legs and explored town. If you are looking for somewhere to eat in Custer, we’d recommend the Black Hills Burger & Bun, Co. for dinner.
Day 2: Mount Rushmore, Keystone, and Custer State Park
Our second day was jam packed with fun activities. We could’ve stretched these activities into several days. In fact, we’d definitely suggest your use a whole day (or more) to explore Custer State Park. Here are some of the places we visited:
Mount Rushmore. This iconic site is a must-see in the Black Hills! The visitor center was closed, and some construction was going on at the site, but we could still get a glimpse of Mount Rushmore from several areas at the site. There is also an easy hike along the Presidential Trail where you can read about the four presidents and get closer to the monument. We spent about an hour at the monument exploring and walking around.
Keystone, SD. We wandered around the town of Keystone and looked in souvenir shops, looked at wood carvings, and ate lunch at Cruizzer’s Pizza. We also got ice cream at Turtle Town and taffy at Rushmore Mountain Taffy. There were other fun activities in Keystone – mini golf, zip lines, tramway adventure, gold mine tours, National Presidential Wax Museum, Borglum Story.
Bear Country USA. This drive-thru experience to visit bears, bison, elk, etc. was probably one of the highlights for our kids. They love animals, especially bears! At Bear Country there are a lot of animals to see and you are able to drive slowly and take it at your own pace and stop and take pictures. We especially loved the baby bears! Some areas were closed when we went because of COVID-19, but mostly everything was accessible. Entrance fees per car were $40 or less if you had a smaller group with you. We loved this place!
Custer State Park. You could spend an entire day here or more. We just were in the park for a few hours. There are lots of places to hike, animals roaming (bison, elk, mountain goats, etc), lots of campgrounds and cool spots to see. We would’ve loved to spend more time at Sylvan Lake (it was beautiful). We just stopped the car anywhere that looked cool and got out and hiked around. Also, we’ve heard you can usually rent water toys in Custer State Park and there are four lakes, some with sandy beaches and playgrounds. We’ve heard Center Lake is fun for kids (it was too cold when we were there to swim). There are also a ton of great hikes in Custer State Park. There is an easy trail around Sylvan Lake (1 mile). Definitely spend some time at Sylvan Lake. Our favorite part of the park was the number of animals we saw!
Needles Highway. We drove the Needles Highway at sunset and it was beautiful. Usually we might not recommend a scenic drive with kids, but this drive was worth it for us. The Needles Eye Tunnel was exciting (and very tight). The drive along the highway takes about an hour and there are scenic places to stop and take pictures.
Day 3: Deadwood and Sturgis
Some of the fun of South Dakota is its gold rush history, so we headed out to Deadwood to check out this western town. We had been there about 12 years ago and thought it was cool, and wanted to take our kids back.
Deadwood. This is a city known to have a gold rush history. It still wasn’t very open when we were there, but we still had fun. A few restaurants were open and some shops. The drive out to Deadwood is pretty and there is a big reservoir on the way that is popular for fishing and boating (Pactola Lake). We got ice cream in town and lunch at Eagle Bar on Main Street. Usually in Deadwood there are old west gunfights on Main Street, re-creation of the shooting of Wild Billy Hickok, gold mine tours, and a fun park.
Hill City. We drove through this town on the way to Deadwood. It is a charming town with a busy Main Street. Teddy Bear Town there has the world’s largest collection of Teddy Bears. There is also a popular beef jerky outlet. We didn’t stop, but this might be a fun place to get out an explore if you have extra time.
Sturgis. We stopped by Sturgis because my husband is a big motorcycle fan and wanted to go. Not much was open. It has a cute little main street. There is a motorcycle museum, but it wasn’t open yet. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is in August, so it is extra crowded then (you might want to avoid it in August). Sturgis was relatively close to Deadwood and was a fun, curvy drive from Deadwood.
Day 4: The Badlands and Wall Drug
Our last day was a trip out to the Badlands. We accidentally drove the wrong way to the Badlands from Hot Springs (thanks Google) and ended up on closed roads on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (oops). We found a great spot to see the Badlands from within the Indian Reservation, but then left through the COVID-19 reservation checkpoints and drove the regular way to the Badlands out to Wall and to the main entrance.
Badlands. Our kids loved the Badlands. There were bison and bighorn sheep and baby goats to see on the sides of the road. We got out and climbed around in different areas where the topography looked cool. There are some good scenic overlooks to take in the views. The visitor center wasn’t open when we were, but it has a theater and is newly remodeled with some good exhibits. The Badlands is also a hotbed for dinosaur fossils and a great place for hiking with kids. The Fossil Exhibit trail wasn’t open when we were there, but that would be a good place to start if it is open. The Door Trail is an easy 0.75 mile trail with a boardwalk. Window Trail is an easy 0.25 mile trail. There are progressively harder trails for older kids. You can check out this blog post from Big Brave Nomad about some hikes for kids in the Badlands.
Wall Drug. We stopped for an obligatory picture at Wall Drug and to wander around to the few stores that were open. Wall Drug is a fun cowboy-themed drug store, gift shop, and roadside attraction near the Badlands. It wasn’t open when we were there, but we’ve been before a loved exploring it! You will want to stop because you’ll see so many signs about it. It’s probably overrated, but we liked walking around. It opened during the Great Depression. People like to take pictures riding the Jackalope in front. It’s a great place to stop for food or a treat before or after you visit the Badlands.
So that was our South Dakota itinerary! We obviously didn’t fit in everything we could’ve, and things were closed because of COVID-19, but we still had a great time just getting outside and exploring. Here is a list of some other activities that we were told might be fun in this area of South Dakota if you are looking for more ideas:
Black Hills Central Railroad - 1880 Train
Black Hills Caverns
We hope you enjoy this extra info about our visit to the Black Hills of South Dakota. For more information, videos, and photos from our trip visit our @3KidsTravel page on Instagram and our “South Dakota” Instagram highlights.
You can also download and buy our full itinerary here!