SD and ND from Alabama

I am driving my mother (wheelchair) to SD and ND from Alabama planning to leave July 14. We are hoping to make the trip in 10 days. Would like to see the sites in the Black Hills, Rushmore, Custer, Lewis and Clark Museum (Williston), Roosevelt Nat. Park, maybe Ft. Berthold Indian Reservation (4 bears casino). I%26#39;m thinking about driving across SD on 90 then up to ND and across ND then back down but not sure if this is wise or will be interesting. Do you think we will be able to book hotels as we go? I%26#39;m not sure how long (2-3 days) it will take to get up there because my mother needs frequent breaks. Would we be able to find hotel rooms as we go or even book the day before arrival once we know where we will be the next day? Any guidance is appreciated (suggested itineraries, etc.).

SD and ND from Alabama

I would plan on making some reservations in the Black Hills area, July is peak tourist season.

Use Google maps to plan your trip, fairly accurate and easy.

Looks like 1500 miles or so from Alabama to Rapid City. Plan on at least 3 days with stops.

Maybe first day drive to St Louis MO. See the arch in the morning, then on to Sioux City IA, then on to Rapid City/Black Hills.

Spend 2 or 3 days in Black Hills, then 1 day drive up to Williston ND. A day at Roosevelt Nat Park, then a few days making your way back to Alabama.

SD and ND from Alabama

I would book my hotels for the Black Hills area soon. We stayed at the K Bar S Lodge in May. It was very nice and is wheelchair friendly.

While I agree completely that making reservations ASAP in the Black Hills is a good idea to get the place you want to stay, you can usually find a room somewhere a day or so in advance (unless it is during the Sturgis Rally in early August). You may not get the place you want or even the town you want but you can usually at least find a place if you call a day ahead.

Thanks so much for all your help! We are booked to stay at the K Bar S for 2 nights.

I have 2 more nights I need to book and am running up to a wall. It doesn%26#39;t seem that there is anywhere to stay. We are staying around Sioux City, IA night 2 and need a hotel between there and Keystone, SD. I would like to get close to the badlands so we can see that the next morning and then travel into Keystone.

We are staying night 7 at the 4 Bears Casino in Ft. Berthold, ND. We will then be headed toward Bismark (thinking about visiting the ND heritage Center in Bismark then back towards home. Where should we stay this night? Anything intersting going on the interstate towards Fargo? We could continue on 94 to Fargo then back down 29 towards Alabama.

Anyone know about the Little Town on the Prarie? Is it worth a stop?

An interesting (and free) stop is the I-90 rest area at Chamberlain, SD. It has a nice Lewis and Clark exhibit. There are some major chain motels in Kadoka, which is just east of the Badlands area. Evening or early morning are the best times to drive through the Badlands. It%26#39;s cooler and the light is softer and much better for viewing the rock formations. I would also recommend stopping by Wall Drug, in Wall, SD.

I%26#39;ve traveled I-90 through SD several times, making reservations just HOURS ahead. I%26#39;ve not stayed in the Black Hills area, but would make those reservations DAYS in advance, at least.

Hopefully, you%26#39;ll have a AAA or similar guide book with you. (If you%26#39;re in north Alabama, I could give you mine.)

Sioux City to the Badlands will only take about 5-5.5 hours (straight through, a little longer with stops). The Badlands loop with a stop at the visitor center only takes about two hours. (You can spend days in the Badlands if you want--but I%26#39;m talking about a straight-through drive with a few stops.) If you leave Sioux City by 8 a.m., stop for lunch and go through the Badlands, that puts you in Wall at around 5 p.m. You could stay at Wall, Rapid City or go all the way to Keystone.

Thanks for all the advise! I decided to stop at the Circle 10 just outside of Badlands for an extra night. The next night will be in Keystone for 2 nights then off to Medora, ND followed by the Indian casino at Ft. Berthold. I%26#39;ve not booked anything past that as we will be on our way home and see how it goes.

Any thoughts on cool stuff to see on the way across I-94 E and back down I-29 S?

I%26#39;d check to see if the Lewis %26amp; Clark Museum is wheelchair accessible. If it isn%26#39;t go to the Lewis %26amp; Clark Interpretive Center just north of Bismarck, instead.

As for what to do on the ND leg of your trip, go to Medora %26amp; make sure to take in the Medora Musical in a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre. (It has elevators %26amp; escalators to get to the various levels) Drive the loop thru the South Unit of TR National Park. ND’s Badlands are considered by many to be more rugged %26amp; colorful than SD’s. The North Unit is also interesting, but if the Museum at Alexander won%26#39;t work for you, I wouldn’t drive all the way up there.

4 Bears Casino is the ‘worst’ of the 5 casinos as far as what friends %26amp; relatives have told me regarding cleanliness %26amp; employees’ attitudes. Prairie Knights, south of Bismarck is much nicer, friendlier %26amp; cleaner, or if you happen to be going all the way up to the Peace Gardens, there’s the Skywalker up there which is supposed to be quite small, but the friendliest one in the state. Both have nice attached motels %26amp; good food.

Also in Bismarck is the State Historical Society Museum which is really nice, and you can tour the state capitol building if you’re interested in that sort of thing. Peacock Alley downtown or The North 40 toward the east side of town both have really good food. If you have time for even a short drive along the Missouri River on highways 1804 or 1806 (following the routes of Lewis %26amp; Clark in those respective years) along about dawn or dusk, it is really gorgeous.

Coming across ND on I-94, Jamestown has the Frontier Village which is like a frontier town with lots of neat buildings to check out. These are all connected with a boardwalk %26amp; there’s also a street going thru. Right next door is the National Buffalo Museum which isn’t just about buffalo-it has a lot of other history, too. Keep an eye out for the herd of buffalo %26amp; if you’re lucky, you may get to see the three rare white buffalo (all true albinos!) that live there.

Next town to the east is Valley City. There you can check out the ‘Rosebud’ an 1880’s railroad superintendent’s private car (remember the Wild, Wild West TV show or movie???? One of ‘those’ private rail cars, but not quite as fancy). That is at the Rosebud Visitor’s Center. Up Central Ave, is the Barnes Co Museum which is really large for a rural area and they recently got an elevator to get to the 2nd floor.

You could have lunch or a snack at Another Time which is a quaint little restaurant in a 1930’s bungalow house.

If you have time you could do the self guided bridge tour which is quite interesting to see all the styles. The river really winds thru town, so our little town of 6000 has 14 bridges, half of which have descriptive panels telling about them. The 2 most interesting are the Rainbow Bridge, a concrete Marsh Arch bridge which was just rebuilt a couple years ago using the original 1925 plans, just made higher %26amp; wider to accommodate today’s traffic. It’s the only bridge of this style in the nation built since the 1930’s! The other is the Hi-Line Bridge, an old riveted steel trestle bridge. It’s not the highest or the longest, but for combined height (160+ feet) and length (3/4 mile) it’s one of the largest in the nation.

If you have time you can drive the Sheyenne River National Scenic Byway for a real change of scenery.

Then continue east on I-94 to Fargo %26amp; then head south on I-29 back towards home. If the timing is right, you can stop off for the night at Dakota Magic Casino on the ND/SD state line. You could also just head east over to I-29 from the south end of the Byway instead of taking the last ? of the drive and coming 50+ miles back up to Valley City.

As far as booking your rooms, I’d at least try get your place to stay for the night booked in the AM. Then is something is already filled up you can adjust your itinerary for that day to end up where you need to be. Anything in the Black Hills in SD and Medora in ND I would book as far ahead as I could, though, since its peak season at both.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks so much for the help! I%26#39;ve changed our itinerary to stay at the Prarie Knight - near Bismark and the Dakota Magic on the ND/SD border.

Maybe when you get back, could you give a report, please, on goods %26amp; bads?

Also the places in both states that are wheelchair friendly %26amp; those that are not...it%26#39;s not something I have ever paid attention to, but would be good to know if someone else down the line asks.

Thanks.

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