RV logistical help please

We will be staying at the Mt. Rushmore KOA next week for 8 days...want to do some exploring a few days - Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Cosmos, Flinstone Land, Bear Country, and Reptile Gardens....unhooking the RV to travel is a pain, but car rental is $56 per day - any other suggestions on how to get from place to place? Can we do several in one day? Thanks for your suggestions.

RV logistical help please

Hi kim,

I see the KOA offers an evening shuttle to Rushmore and Crazy Horse. This would give you an introduction to those attractions and you can then decide whether you need a day time visit. I see they also have rental cars on site which simplifies things. It that where you had planned to rent? It may be cheaper to rent than to pay for gas in the RV. There are some one day bus tours, but the cost for a family may be more than a rental car.

Cosmos, Bear Country and Reptile Gardens are all in close proximity to each other on US 16 between Keystone and Rapid City. These could be combined with a daytime visit to Rushmore. This might be a good trip to take the RV to allow for rest and a meal. I don%26#39;t remember much for restaurants between Keystone and Rapid City. Be aware of a very steep grade on the road between Rushmore and Keystone.

Another day trip would be to take Hwy 385, stop at Crazy Horse, then down to Custer for the Flintstones, then Hwy. 16a into Custer State Park. If you want to drive the wildlife loop, its best at dawn or dusk. At mid day my kids found it very boring. Or, if you%26#39;re in a car, you could return to the campground on either Needles Hwy or Iron Mountain Road.

RV logistical help please

You should be able to find some shuttles but eight days is a long time to depend on shuttle schedules. My opinion is that you really need your own vehicle to explore the Black Hills for a stay of that length. I%26#39;d unhook the RV.

Yes, we were looking at renting at the KOA - that%26#39;s the $56/day price. We also did know about the evening shuttles to Crazy Horse and Mt. R, but figured those would probably give us very limited time....I was hoping maybe someone would know of another place to rent a car. We also plan on staying around the campground a few days just playing and biking, relaxing, etc.

I would guess you%26#39;ll have to rent a car in Rapid City to find anything cheaper. Try the in-town Enterprise office. You might try a weekly rate.

This thread has some other info that has been posted about Rapid City car rentals.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g54774-i674-k17713…

If you%26#39;re dead set against unhooking, try Alamo in Rapid City; you might find them about $20/day cheaper. If you decide to do Needles and Iron Mountain (well worth it) you do not want to do that trip in in an RV! If you don%26#39;t rent a car; it will be worth the time to unhook as long as you%26#39;re there that long. Have a great time!

To get around you really will need a car. In fact to get through some of the most beautiful highways there through Custer State Park, due to tunnels, road width, etc. you would need one. But you wouldn%26#39;t want to miss the scenery.

You can easily do many things each day. If you are going to Custer for Crazy Horse, Flinstones, etc. I will assume you have children. You may want to drive a bit further south to Hot Springs. They can swim at Evans Plunge, which is really a big heated swimming pool, but the water is naturally that warm and comes from the ground that way. And even more fun is the dinasour (?sp) discovery center. Largest mammouth find in the world. It is very fascinating and worth the drive, in my opinion.

Bear Country is worth the drive through. Do not miss Mt. Rushmore, nightly lighting ceremony at dusk each night. That is only about an hour trip, but worth, it as well.

Best of luck and enjoy our state.

Also many little touristy towns, Keystone, Hill City, Lead/Deadwood (mostly gambling in Deadwood).