Cell phone service and Internet access?

Could someone help me out with this topic?

We know our cell phone service will get us at least through Chicago with no problems (we have Sprint).

But, having never traveled west of Chicago with this company, we%26#39;re not sure we%26#39;ll have access after that.

Which cell phone providers have coverage between Chicago and Sioux Falls? Between Sioux Falls and the Black Hills? In the Black Hills?

If our phone is in ';roaming mode'; we%26#39;ll still be able to make a call it would just be more expensive correct?

Is there coverage in less populated areas like the Badlands? Custer State Park?

I%26#39;m concerned with three small kids of being stranded even for a little while.

What about internet access? Are there coffee shops with internet access in the Black Hills? How about somewhere along the road from Sioux Falls to the Black Hills?

Cell phone service and Internet access?

Alltel %26amp; Verizon are the major carriers for South Dakota

google national Verizon coverage map (TA isn%26#39;t allowing the link)

national Alltel coverage map:

engadgetmobile.com/2006/…

I%26#39;ll try to answer some of your questions.

There are places on I90, especially between Chamberlain %26amp; Wall that are dead zones. If you have your phone on, the battery will drain faster because it will be searching the whole time. We often keep one on the car charger when traveling across SD.

However, I%26#39;ve read more towers are being added.

Once you are outside of the towns in the Hills, cell phone signal is sporadic. Many parts of Custer State Park do not receive a signal.

Rapid City has internet/wifi cafes Dunn Brothers, Alternative Fuel, Thirstys are 3 I know of for sure.

Cell phone service and Internet access?

In addition to Lorhs%26#39; comments, I%26#39;d add that you%26#39;ll be roaming with Sprint in most of SD west of Sioux Falls. It%26#39;s an ever chaning issue, but in the past the coverage has been pretty bad in western SD with a Sprint phone. A couple of years ago a friend visited and his Sprint phone was pretty much worthless outside of Rapid City. Perhaps that has changed now.

No matter what provider you have, you will be traveling in some areas with no coverage. You should have some basic survival gear. At a minimum in the summer: water, food and a first aid kit. Especially water. You can%26#39;t depend on a cell phone in many areas of the western states.

Are pay phones available in areas that don%26#39;t have cell phone coverage? You%26#39;d be hard pressed to find a pay phone anywhere in my city these days.

Do they have emergency land line phones along the sides of the road from Sioux Falls to the Black Hills? How about in less populated areas like Custer State Park or the scenic drives in the area?

If someone is stranded on a scenic drive road like Needles Hwy, how long might it be before another car came around? How about if your stranded in the Badlands or on the road somewhere between Sioux Falls and the Black Hills?

If you had to walk to the nearest exit, are there wild animals you have to worry about? What kinds? What about if you break down in the Black Hills?

Thanks for humoring me, I just want to be prepared for anything!

Hi Tamsin,

When I went to SD two years ago, I had a Nextel phone (now Sprint). It was absolutely worthless out there. Luckily, my husband had Verizon as his carrier and had no problems. I now have Verizon but was still in contract with Nextel when I went out. I very seldom got any signal in the hills.

Since they are now Sprint, things may have changed. I would go to a Sprint store and see if there are towers in the area. There weren%26#39;t any when I went, and I knew this going in.

We had no problems with Internet access. We had an internet computer in our hotel lobby, and service was good.

If you are travelling during peak tourist season, I don%26#39;t think you will have much problems encountering other cars on the roads, especially in Custer. We never felt lonely..always lots of people around. I really think you will be ok. We found the locals extremely friendly and helpful.

Tamsin, you won%26#39;t be alone in the Black Hills or on the interstate in the summer.

You don%26#39;t have to worry about wild animals driving across SD during the day, at night the only worry is deer, and they are more likely to be running than anything else.

Also, in SD, people still stop to help.

Any other worries, post away. :-)

My husband and I both have Verizon cell phones and I do not recall having any problems a year ago. I understand your concerns with safety traveling with young children (as a extremely neurotic person!) But I agree with Lorhs, the Midwest still has plenty of compassionate residents, thankfully! And the Black Hills is probably not as remote and isolated as you imagine it to be. It is not a barren wilderness like Yellowstone area or the Banff, Alberta areas. Both of those places can be quite intimidating as far as your worries go. Relax, your young kids will love it. Ours did.

thinning hair

Advice on whirlwind tour of Black Hills, YNP, GTNP.

Our family is doing a whirlwind tour of the Black Hills, Yellowstone and GTNP in late July. We are a family of 5 with kids ages 13, 11 and 7. I am jealous of the people working on 2-3 week itineraries…7 days including travel is the reality for us (and pushing it for my self employed husband), but I figure it is better than nothing at all.

I have room reservations for all but the last night on the road (not anticipating a problem with that and want to be flexible). Although I am trying to resist overanalyzing and planning our sight-seeing down to the minute, I feel that our compressed schedule warrants careful research and pre-planning. Although we are in the Black Hills for only one day, I am including our entire itinerary for comment (and have posted to the Wyoming forum), as I know many others have combined trips to the Black Hills, Yellowstone and GTNP.

Day 1: Omaha to Keystone, SD via I-90. Will take the Hwy 240 loop through the Badlands and spend a brief time there…maybe one of the 10-15 minute hikes to stretch our legs. Unfortunately it will probably be mid-afternoon (hot and not best lighting from what I read). Make a pit stop in Wall. Stop in Rapid City for a quick dinner and get to Keystone (Washington Inn) so we can get settled in, then go to the Mt. Rushmore evening lighting ceremony. (This is why I chose the tourist trap Keystone vs. other locations, since we will only be there a few waking hours).

Day 2: Keystone to Deadwood. Tour Mt. Rushmore, drive through some part of Custer State Park, drive the Needles Highway, see Crazy Horse from a distance? I haven’t quite nailed exactly what we will do and the order for starting in Keystone and ending in Deadwood. Staying at the Comfort Inn outside of Deadwood so the kids can swim and enjoy the fun park (get that out of their system before YNP and GTNP). Would they enjoy seeing the town of Deadwood, or are the casinos the major attraction these days?

Day 3: Deadwood to Cody, WY. Staying at Cody Cowboy Village. Hope to arrive early to mid afternoon to allow time for museum and rodeo. Is Devil’s Tower worth the extra time vs. spending it in Cody?

Day 4: Cody to Canyon Western Cabin in YNP. I presume we should get a very early start. Should we come in NE or East entrance and what route should we follow inside the park?

Day 5: YNP to to Colter Bay cabins in GTNP. Was thinking we would spend at least the morning in Yellowstone and head to the cabin in GTNP sometime in afternoon. In GTNP, thinking of doing the hike to Inspiration point or maybe an evening Snake River float tour.

Day 6: Early morning Snake River Float (if we don’t do in the evening on previous day). Then exit the park through Jackson. Stop there for lunch / souvenirs, then head for Rock Springs and hopefully at least to Rawlins on I-80 before stopping for the night.

Day 7: Home on I-80

Any comments / recommendations would be appreciated...especially what we should do and in what order between Keystone and Deadwood on Day 2. I don’t know how I would be able to plan vacations without all the information on these forums!

Advice on whirlwind tour of Black Hills, YNP, GTNP.

Wow! You don%26#39;t have exact amounts of time you plan to spend in each place, but I can already see spots where your time will get bogged down.

The pitstop at Wall can easily stretch into an hour or more of you go to Wall Drug with kids. There%26#39;s a lot of neat things to look at and pictures to take. I went two years ago (one of many trips) with a 6 yr old and an 18 yr old and they were both fascinated and spent forever looking everything over. Of course, the lighting ceremony at Rushmore doesn%26#39;t kick off until late, so that helps.

The drive through Custer State Park has very slow speed limits and if there are animals to see you%26#39;ll want to stop for photos. The Needles Hwy will take time and you might run into traffic hold-ups with picture takers and slow vehicles.

Yes, you can see Crazy Horse from the road without stopping.

I didn%26#39;t get much out of Deadwood the one time we were there as it all seemed to be gambling focused. Some folks say it has nice history though and that there%26#39;s a shootout at night.

Mapquest says it takes 5 1/2 hours to get from Deadwood to Cody, but that%26#39;s if you average 65 mph. There is no way you%26#39;ll average 65mph over the Big Horns once you leave Buffalo headed for Worland. An average of 40mph is more realistic as there are some hairpin curves that will have you down to about 15mph. You also need to watch for wildlife. We%26#39;ve often seen moose up there and there%26#39;s sometimes livestock in the road (Wyoming%26#39;s a free range state). With stops and the mountains I would estimate that at a 7 hour drive, and that%26#39;s without Devil%26#39;s Tower. You probably wont%26#39; have the energy for the museum (which you could literally spend days in) or the rodeo after that drive.

Devil%26#39;s Tower is very cool and worth seeing.

The rest of the trip is okay, in an of itself, but you will be awfully tired of the car (especially with three kids) by that point and the long haul from Jackson back home will be just that - a very long haul.

Have you thought about just doing the Black Hills this trip so you can take your time and see all the other things it has to offer? Then, another time, you can bypass the hills and head straight for Yellowstone and the Tetons? Just my opinion, but I think everyone would enjoy it more if you broke the trip in two.

Best of luck!

Advice on whirlwind tour of Black Hills, YNP, GTNP.

I really think Needinsun has given you good advice. I hate to throw a monkey wrench in your plans, and I%26#39;m not even sure if some of your reservations can be cancelled, but I, too, feel that your 7-day whirlwind will be spent with a lot of car time.

I have been to both the Black Hills and Yellowstone/Grand Tetons on two separate trips consisting of about 11 days each. I understand you only have 7 days because of work obligations, but I think you would be best suited focusing on one area this time and the other another time. From your location, I think I would do the Black Hills now and save Yellowstone.

Deadwood does have a nice history if you have time to see it. The Adams House and Museum is well worth a visit. You asked about Devil%26#39;s Tower. It is a MUST see. You can spend 1.5-2 hours here walking around the base.

As Needinsun said, there are slower speed limits in Custer and especially in Yellowstone due to wildlife. They rule the roads many times. There%26#39;s nothing quite like a ';bison jam.';

My suggestion to split the trip into ';two trips'; is just my opinion. Others may think differently, but these areas are vast, and I think you would enjoy your time more focusing on less. Whatever you decide, have a great time!

Ok, I hear you and have considered what you are suggesting. I actually set out just to plan a few days in the Black Hills and added the Yellowstone/GTNP loop because it was so temptingly close. I was thinking that we may only get one shot at this (kids getting older and busier in the summer) and I would rather see the highlights of both than miss one or the other. I have personally been to all places as a ';drive through'; to another destination and did not feel cheated...maybe I just didn%26#39;t know what I was missing.

If we hit the highlights and really love one particular place, maybe we will plan a return trip. At a minimum it gives us all something to look forward to after retirement...time to do it right!

I will seriously consider your suggestion, though. I can still get out of the reservations with minimal penalty. If anyone else out there has or thinks we can pull this off without regrets, please speak up.

I posted on the Wyoming TA forum. You can spend a lot of time in SD but pick and choose what you want to do. Wall drug is neat but not a must see. Deadwood is nice but you could drive thru. Devil%26#39;s Tower Monument is on the way to Cody. And yes it will probably take you more like 7 hours to get there. We went to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Mammoth and Old Faithful areas of YNP and GT last year in 8 days because of time restraints. A fast trip!! We are coming back again this year but starting with Mt. Rushmore, Battle of Little Bighorn, Cody, Yellowstone and GT and ending up in Jackson Hole. We will do this in 11 days this year.

For what you%26#39;re trying to accomplish, the Black Hills portion of your trip is pretty well planned for a bare bones tour.

The rushed time will be in Yellowstone. Yellowstone is a big park and speed limits are slow. When looking at roads on a map, plan on about 30 mph to get anywhere.

To get into Yellowstone from Cody, my favorite route is to the take the Chief Joseph Highway northwest of Cody to the NE entrance--with a detour onto the Beartooth Highway. My opinion with highway scenery is that the Beartooth Highway, Chief Joseph Highway and the Tetons are more scenic than most areas in Yellowstone. Getting there is more than half the fun. Yellowstone is still an incredible place, though.

Deadwood to Cody straight through will only take about six hours. If you absolutely have to cut something, you might try to compress Days 3 and 4. It might be blasphemy to say something like this, but maybe eliminate the stop in Cody. Picking between the museum/rodeo and ample time in the park, I would probably pick the time in the park.

Devils Tower is great and is a memorable stop, but the time might be better spent taking the NE route (w/ Beartooth Highway detour) into Yellowstone.

We are pressing ahead with this vacation plan, but if it eases your minds any, I do intend to plan a separate trip just to the Black Hills and dedicate several days to the area in some future summer. I also now have my heart on seeing Yellowstone this trip, but given our home base, a route through the Black Hills works great and I don%26#39;t think seeing a few of the highlights will set us back much if we work east to west. In trying to come up with a reasonable plan for our one day in the area (not counting Badlands, Spearfish Canyon and Devil%26#39;s Tower which we will experience as part of the westward journey), I have the following questions.

1) For our day in Black Hills (starting in Keystone), should we first drive through Custer State Park to increase our chances of seeing wildlife, or should we go to Mount Rushmore first because of our proximity to it?

2)In Custer St. Park, should we just plan on touring the northern portion on 16A then getting on the Needles Hwy or do you think we have time for the wildlife loop...or is this not the best use of time given that we are on the way to Yellowstone and do plan to have a dedicated Black Hills trip in the future.

3) The one other stop I know we%26#39;d like to make is to see Crazy Horse just from the road.

If we don%26#39;t do Mt. Rushmore first, then we will be doing some backtracking to visit both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse after coming off the Needles Hwy, but maybe it%26#39;s just a few miles and no big deal. A little hard to tell from the map.

Ending destination for the day is Deadwood. We are staying outside of town and will probably at least venture in to town for a look in the evening.

Advice to maximize our day in the area (and whet our appetite for a more extended future stay) would be appreciated.

Thanks!

cantw82getaway,

Only you know how your family will handle a rushed trip. Others will give their opinions. Consider it and then plan the best trip you can plan.

I went to Yellowstone while on a family trip when I was 12 years old. We left Denver early, drove through Jackson Hole, saw Old Faithful erupt and spent the night in West Yellowstone-all in one day. The next morning, we visited the Norris Geyser basin for a couple of hours before leaving for my uncle%26#39;s farm west of Idaho Falls. We spent around 20 hours in the area and 35 years later, I still remember it as one of my favorite places.

We have friends here in Tennessee who drove from Nashville, through the Black Hills, to Yellowstone and the Tetons in 8 days. They visited the Corn Palace, the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and Devil%26#39;s Tower as quick side trips. I talked to the 14 year old son and asked about the trip and he said ';it was awesome';.

Our family has had vacations where we stayed in one place, relaxed and enjoyed a slow pace. We have also had trips where we stayed in a different hotel every night and saw a lot of different things. Both types of trips have been fun.

Just do what you can do and have fun. Your kids will remember the places you see for a lifetime.

tntands: Thank you for your thoughts. I totally agree that you can have wonderful memories, even if a good deal of time is spent in the car. The thing is, in a perfect world, everyone would have both the time and the money to take 2 to 3 week vacations. Most people who are not retired do not have that luxury. Our family can only take 1 major vacation per year. I pack as much a possible into our days. We get up early, are on the go all day, and go to bed early so we can do it all again the next day. We can sleep when we get home. It%26#39;s either this method, or we don%26#39;t go anyplace new or faraway. When we visted South Dakota summer 2006, we flew into Omaha as it was $206 r/t per ticket. To fly into Rapid City would have been over $500 per ticket (x4 tickets). We saved over $1200. It was worth the 8 hour drive to us. We also used the opportunity to go to DeSmet and visit Laura Ingalls Wilder country, which we never could have seen had we flown directly into Rapid City. It may not have worked for everyone else, but we never regretted it. When we went to Hawaii in 2004, we visited 3 islands in 13 days. People on these boards said ';Oh no, you need 1 week per island.'; Well, we didn%26#39;t have 3 weeks. We loved everything we did. If we had only gone to 2 islands, what would we have given up? We may never get back to Hawaii again (although I hope we do!!). Again, not for 1 minute have we regretted our decision. cantw82getaway (love your name, by the way!): go for it!!! Although it IS a lot of driving, if you don%26#39;t have any more time, it%26#39;s better to see what you can than to see nothing at all.

Thanks for the moral support tntands and Hershey4. ;-) Knowing my family, I%26#39;m sure we will be fine. I%26#39;ll just have to do extra planning (which I love anyway) to make sure we get as much bang for the buck out of our 7 days as possible. Glad to hear others have done it without regrets (8 days from Tennesee seems even more challenging!)

This is your trip and you know what you and your family can do! We are lucky, my husband is self employed too, but works via internet and I%26#39;m a teacher, so during the summer we can take 2 week + trips. The only place on our trip this August we won%26#39;t have internet while at Old Faithful (we have Verizon internet card!)

I love road trips. There really are so many things to see, even when driving between destinations. My son at 13, still loves to play the Alphabet Sign game and the License plate hunt.

Here%26#39;s some fun places across SD and WY..visit www.roadsideamerica.

- see the giant Prairie Dog near the Badlands

- Dinosaur Park in Rapid City

- Flintstones Bedrock City in Custer SD

- Everything Prehistoric in Hill City SD

- President%26#39;s Park in Lead SD (more giant heads)

- Ride the Jackalope in Dubois WY (south of Tetons)

Make sure you pack picnic food for the journey, it is fun to stop, even in city parks along the way and have a PB%26amp;J or Ham and Cheese! Saves money and we can eat when and where we want to! Plus lets the kids run around a bit!

Since you are headed to Deadwood for the night, I would visit Mt Rushmore in the morning, then drive around Custer State Park. You may want to save the full Wildlife Loop for your next trip. You can see Crazy Horse from the road. You may also want to stop in Hill City on the way up to Deadwood, we panned for gold at a place called Wades Gold Mill. My son loved it and still talks about it years later.

I haven%26#39;t been to Deadwood since before the change to gambling! It would be fun to visit at night. Remember... it is vacation! Have fun!

Maybe have your kids watch Close Encounters of a Third Kind before your trip, Devils Tower plays a prominent role in that movie!

Try to have a bit of time to see the Cody museums, as a good introduction to the Yellowstone area.

Have fun and enjoy your trip!

how to apply

first trip-advice

We are going to visit my son at Ellsworth AFB. He has suggested we stay a the Alex Johnson but I am finding high prices and poor reviews (early June). We are looking for reasonable accomodations. Also car rental, any advice. What will the weathe be like?

first trip-advice

There are newer hotels closer to Ellsworth right off the interstate on N. Elk Vale Rd, the La Quinta %26amp; Fairfield Inn.

Also if you google Rapid City lodging those with LaCrosse St. addresses will be fairly close to the interstate on Rapid City%26#39;s east side.

Does your son have access to BOQ lodging on Ellsworth?

military-hotels.us/south-dakota/鈥n-base

We%26#39;ve never had the need to stay on Ellsworth, but have used BOQ as a family in MN, IA, CA, CO.

Weather in early June is usually very nice, but can be cool, bring a jacket %26amp; layers.

first trip-advice

The nice thing about the Alex Johnson is the location right downtown. Older but historic

I have stayed at the Alex Johnson as well as several other hotels in the area. You cannot beat the location for the AJ though it is true that the rooms do not have the feel of first class. I do like to stay there but part of it is because I am not surprised. If you do stay there, request a low floor as the elevators (Two elevators total) are quite slow.

Another couple of options would be the Holiday Inn and the Hampton Inn. They are about a half mile from downtown Rapid and you can take a shuttle there and back....nice to not worry about traffic and/or parking.

About the weather, the one that you received is correct in that it can be cool in the evening, though it may not be....it can also be quite warm. It should be pretty nice for the most part, highs in the 70%26#39;s, low humidity. Enjoy.

Thanks for all the help, I%26#39;ll check with my son about BOQ (he is an officer). I saw that Ellsworth has lodging, didn%26#39;t know who is eligible. Thanks again folks, any tips or help would be greatly appreciated.

If you%26#39;re looking to have quick access to your son at EAFB and then head up into the Hills for tourist-like activities, then one of the interstate hotels talked about above would be best.

If you%26#39;re looking for the downtown setting--being within walking distance to restaurants and specialty shopping, pick either the Alex Johnson or the Radisson. The Radisson is modern, the Alex is historic.

My family %26amp; I stayed at the Alex Johnson %26amp; thought it was just O.K. It is in a great location. Just keep in mind, it is a ';historic hotel';. Rapid City is a good launching pad for tackling the Black Hills. Getting back to the A.J. Hotel, we stayed just 1 night there %26amp; thought that was just about right. You%26#39;ll have better luck with the chain hotels. We bounced around the Black Hills, virtually staying at different hotels each night.

Definetely rent a car. We had good luck renting at the Rapid City airport (we flew in).

Good luck %26amp; enjoy your trip.

Visiting Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial in April

I would like to visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial in April 2008. But I could not find any ';One Day Bus tours'; during this time. Seems only way is to rent a car and go around myself. Is that so? Please help.

Visiting Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial in April

Here%26#39;s a few companies you may want to contact to see if they have any tours in April. Most seem to start mid May:

www.rushmoretours.com/

www.mountrushmoretours.net/

Visiting Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial in April

I would recommend renting a car, in lieu of bus tours. I personally don%26#39;t like waisting time while on vacation, waiting for people. Also, renting a car makes you a lot more mobile, so you ';do your own thing';.

For Mt. Rushmore, I would visit the Borgulum Museum, just outside Mt. Rushmore, before going to get a better understanding.

Crazy Horse is not that far from Mt Rushmore but is definetely something you don%26#39;t want to miss.

I would also recommend Deadwood, Custer State Park, Rapid City, Needles Hwy, The Badlands, Hot Springs, there%26#39;s plenty of caves, Spearfish %26amp; Sturgis.

Good luck %26amp; Enjoy the trip!!

Thank you very much for the replys. I have contacted more of the tour operators and all of them start only by 15th of May.

So I have decided to rent a car and do it myself.

If I stay in Rapid City, can I visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial in one day by car?

You can easily visit both Mount Rushmore %26amp; Crazy Horse, they are about 20-30 minutes apart.

Mt. Rushmore to Cheyenne

In late May we will be flying in %26amp; out of Denver. After a few days in CO we will drive through WY to the Black Hills area. To change things up a bit %26amp; to say we saw Nebraska, we will drive down 385 to Cheyenne. Is there anything worth seeing on this stretch? Any restaurants you would suggest?

Mt. Rushmore to Cheyenne

Cheyenne is in Wyoming. Do you mean Chadron?

I have driven down the western side of Nebraska to get back to Denver. Can always stop at the Agate Fossil beds.

We ate somewhere in Scottsbluff, but can%26#39;t remember, so not that great!

Mt. Rushmore to Cheyenne

Cheyenne is in Wyoming. Do you mean Chadron?

I have driven down the western side of Nebraska to get back to Denver. Can always stop at the Agate Fossil beds.

We ate somewhere in Scottsbluff, but can%26#39;t remember, so not that great!

Depending on your sense of humor there%26#39;s Car Henge near Alliance. Here%26#39;s a link

http://www.carhenge.com/

We have a great sense of humor...we just might check it out. :) Thank you!

Sierra Trading Post is the only thing near Cheyenne that is really worth seeing. Eastern Wyoming is very boring, but the Black Hills is really worth the trip.

Make sure you visit Estes Park in CO and I highly recommend Bear Country USA near Rapid City, SD.

Thanks for the advise. :)

Black Hills Trip

These are our plans for our trip to the Black Hills.

Any input would be appreciated.

May 27- Arrive Denver mid morning and drive to Keystone, eat supper and relax.

(Staying at K Bar S Lodge for 2 nights)

May 28- Tour Mt. Rushmore, drive Iron Mountain Rd. to Visitor center for Custer State Park, tour Custer State Park including Needles Highway, lunch at State Game Lodge, late afternoon visit Crazy Horse Monument. Supper at K Bar S Lodge and then night program at Mt. Rushmore.

May 29- Drive to Deadwood, eat lunch, afteroon at Devil%26#39;s Tower Monument and drive to Sheridan, Wyoming for the night.

I know that we are not going to see the Badlands or pan for gold, etc. but I wanted more time in Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons. Is there anything else that is a must see for this part of our trip? Thanks

Black Hills Trip

You really should drive Iron Mountain Road in the other direction (toward Mount Rushmore) as views of Mount Rushmore are really the reason for driving the road.

Black Hills Trip

Thanks- will include that in my trip plans!!!

In my opinion, the Spearfish Canyon drive (less than twenty miles) would be a pity for anyone to miss. it leads to the Spearfish Canyon Lodge (super, but no pool) and Latchstrings, a good restraunt with awesome views. The area is breathtaking.

Great tip about Spearfish Canyon Drive, my wife and 3 young children bought sandwiches and found a picnic table near the creek, we%26#39;ll never forget that picnic lunch. (You%26#39;ll understand why they called it Spearfish Canyon once you look in the water...)

Should we do Spearfish Canyon drive on May 29 when we head to Deadwood then on to Devil%26#39;s Tower Monument?

The most efficient route for you will be to go from Deadwood to Spearfish Canyon to Devils Tower. I%26#39;d get any sight seeing you%26#39;re going to do in Deadwood out of the way in the morning--eat lunch and go. You don%26#39;t want to drag things into the mid-afternoon in Deadwood with that schedule to meet.

Deadwood to Devils Tower via Spearfish Canyon (with stops in the canyon) will be two hours at a minimum and probably more like three to spend adequate time in the canyon. You need at least a couple hours for a worthwhile visit at Devils Tower. Devils Tower to Sheridan will be about 2.5 hours.

It is certainly worth the effort to drive through Spearfish Canyon. Good stops include Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. If you have an extra hour or so, a great view can be had if you drive to the top of Cement Ridge Lookout. It isn%26#39;t the best road to get there but it%26#39;s worth the view if you have time.

Thanks for all the great advice!

A great place to eat in downtown Sheridan is Oliver%26#39;s. Not sure what your budget or tastes are but it%26#39;s a nice place with good food.

networking

Too much, too little or just right

We are traveling to South Dakota from June 14-June 21st. Traveling will be myself, husband and 3 girls ages almost 6, 8 and 9. We want to see a lot, yet keep it very kid friendly. Here%26#39;s my itinerary. Please tell me what you think.

June 14 - Drive from Kansas City to Badlands. Stop for lunch in Sioux Falls and see Falls Park. Also stop in Mitchell and visit the Corn Palace. Spend the night at Cedar Pass Lodge.

June 15th - Explore and hike in the Badlands. When we%26#39;re done drive to Spearfish to spend the night. Stop at Wall Drug on the way to Spearfish.

June 16th - Visit Devils Tower in the morning then in the afternoon drive via Spearfish Canyon to Deadwood. While on the drive stop and hike around Bridal Veil Falls and Roughlock Falls? While in Deadwood, go see the #10 Saloon and have dinner. Then see the gunfight on Main Street. Spend the night in Deadwood.

June 17th - Take scenic route 385 to Reptile Garden. After Reptile Garden drive to Mt. Rushmore via Iron Mountain Rd.

After Mt. Rushmore go check in to the hotel have dinner at the Powder House Lodge then go back to Mt. Rushmore for the evening ceremony. Spend the night in Rapid City.

June 18th - Cosmos House in the morning and Crazy Horse in the afternoon. Go back to Crazy Horse in the evening for the laser light show. Spend the night in Rapid City.

June 19th - Drive Needles Highway to Custer State Park. Do the open air jeep safari in the morning and explore in the afternoon. Stay at Rafter J Bar Campground (in the cabins).

June 20th - Go back to Custer State Park for a 2 hour trail ride. Then drive to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. The girls are doing the Jr. Dig in the afternoon. Then spend the night back at the Rafter J Bar Campground.

June 21st - Drive home.

Does this sound doable, too much or too little. There were things that I left out but didn%26#39;t know if we would have time or where to put them. I left out panning for gold and the wild horse sanctuary and the alpine slide. Any suggestions would be great!!

Thanks!

Too much, too little or just right

I think your overall plan looks very ';do-able.'; We have done quite a few of the attractions you mention. As much as I enjoyed the horse sanctuary, I think I%26#39;d skip it also following your plan. Also, it is rather pricey for a family of 5. You might be able to do the gold panning or alpine slide.

Just a thought, but I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d make my base for Rushmore/Crazy Horse Rapid City. I%26#39;d stay in either Keystone or Hill City, as I think it%26#39;s more centrally located. You will have a bit of a drive after the lighting ceremonies coming from both Crazy Horse %26amp; Rushmore.

You might consider adding Bear Country %26amp; the Wildlife Loop in Custer to the itinerary if you have time.

Do you have any interest in seeing either Wind or Jewel Caves? They are really terrific, but I am a cave lover,and I know not all people are interested in them. One of them might be worth adding.

I%26#39;m not sure if I%26#39;d do the Cosmos. We didn%26#39;t do this, as we thought there were other things that interested us more. Maybe someone else can comment on the Cosmos??

Whatever you decide,you are off to a good start. Have a wonderful trip.

Too much, too little or just right

Thanks for the info on staying in Hill City or Keystone instead of Rapid City. That is a really good point.

I%26#39;ve thought about Bear Country as well, but wasn%26#39;t sure where to try and fit it in. Maybe we%26#39;ll swap Cosmos House for Bear Country. As far as the Wildlife loop in Custer, we%26#39;re planning on doing that when we explore Custer State Park. I%26#39;m wondering if we do the wildlife loop if we even need to do the Open Jeep Safari. Has anyone had any experience with this?

As far as caves go, we live in Missouri which has lots of caves as well. We%26#39;ve been to some of those. I thought we would try and see something we couldn%26#39;t see in MO. I wonder how different the Wind or Jewel caves are compared to MO caves. Anyone know?

Thanks for all your help!

Unless you have a specific reason to spend the night in Rapid City on the 17th, I would agree that basing yourself in Hill City (preferably) or Custer would make much more sense in your itinerary and save you some drive time in the morning. (Not to take anything away from my hometown, though: there%26#39;s plenty to see/do in Rapid! The Journey Museum, Storybook Island for kids, downtown...)

Cosmos is kitschy but fun: I still have friends that specifically want to visit when they come to SD, even as adults! That being said, I think that Bear Country might be a slightly more enjoyable activity for the whole family...it%26#39;s a really fun visit perfect for your girls%26#39; age group. But, don%26#39;t feel any pressure to make your decision before the day-of: Cosmos and Bear Country are both on HWY 16, about a 10 minute drive from each other.

Sounds like a fun trip! Makes me wish I could go home to South Dakota this summer myself!

I haven%26#39;t been to any Missouri caves, but I really did enjoy both Wind %26amp; Jewel Caves. I have toured caves in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Kentucky %26amp; Tennessee. I think any cave tour operated by NPS is superior to a privately owned cave tour. Jewel is the 2nd longest cave in the world and filled with beautiful formations. It%26#39;s a very open cave. Wind Cave is more unique, as it has a large amount of a formation called boxwork. Boxwork resembles spider webs and is really different to see. Wind has the largest concentration of it anywhere, from what I remember. One room is filled with it and is amazing. Wind is a more ';closed in'; cave than Jewel, so if anyone is claustrophobic, they cuold have problems in certain areas. One person had to leave our tour early on. Perhaps seeing pictures of both cave formations will help you decide if it would interest you. Go to nps.gov and take a look at images of both caverns.

Do your kids ever watch the Flintstones? Mine enjoyed the Flintstone Bedrock Village in Custer. I think we spent about 1 1/2 hours there last summer. For me it was nostalgic as I had visited there 30 years before.

http://www.flintstonesbedrockcity.com/