Keystone to/from CSP wildlife loop...best route?

We%26#39;ll be staying in Keystone 2 nights for our central Black Hills adventure and would like to include the Custer wildlife loop in the itinerary. With ideal time being just after sunrise (too early in July IMO...with 3 kids it doesn%26#39;t seem much like vacation to get everyone up at 5:00am)or 1 hr before sunset, I%26#39;m trying to figure out the best option and route through the park and back to Keystone. Here are the options I%26#39;m considering:

1) See Crazy Horse the afternoon of our second day and make our way through the wildlife loop in early evening and back to Keystone. Would we want to be on Iron Mountain Road as darkness approaches? Is there a better/safer route back to Keystone from the wildlife loop? (We will probably have already taken Iron Mtn road into Keystone the day before because I wanted the views of Mt. Rushmore from that route as our first sight of it). Or should we backtrack to Crazy Horse for the laser light show? Is that worth it?

2) Work the Wildlife Loop in on the first day when we were planning to take Iron Mountain Rd into Keystone anyway. This would be an afternoon drive vs. evening.

3) Get up at a reasonable hour (like between 7:00 - 8:00am) on the second day and take the wildlife loop. Is this too far away from sunrise (5:30am) for ideal wildlife viewing?

Thoughts? Is there that much difference in evening viewing to make it worth dictating the rest of the schedule of activities?

Keystone to/from CSP wildlife loop...best route?

Buffalo are the main draw of wildlife viewing on the Wildlife Loop. They are about like cattle--you%26#39;re going to see them all day long grazing. You%26#39;ll see more antelope and deer at sunrise and sunset, although you%26#39;ll see a lot all day, too. I agree that getting the kids out of bed for a 5:30 a.m. drive probably isn%26#39;t worth it. I would say that 8 a.m. isn%26#39;t going to be a whole lot better than noon--maybe a little bit. An evening drive is probably worth it if you can fit it into your schedule.

If you%26#39;re driving in the dark to Keystone up Iron Mountain Road, you might see Mount Rushmore lit up from the distance. If you%26#39;re tired of curvy roads, take this route: go north on Playhouse Road near the ';town'; that is called Spokane. Then go west on SD 40 in Keystone. I believe it%26#39;s three miles shorter going this way than the whole way on Iron Mountain Road.

Keystone to/from CSP wildlife loop...best route?

I would go during the day. Getting to the park is along a very curvy and winding road. We were there several weeks ago and did Mt. Rushmore, Iron Mt. Rd. to Custer State Park. Eat at the State Game Lodge dining room buffet for lunch. It was great. Then make your way along the wildlife loop and back by Crazy Horse in the late afternoon. Hope this helps and have a great trip.