some advice on 3 night stay

Hi Everyone,

I%26#39;ve been impressed with the great posts on this forum. There are a lot of people here who really love the Black Hills area!

My wife and two boys (11,8 yo) and I are driving through the Black Hills on the way to Yellowstone in late June.

We will spend one night in the Badlands NP, then have three nights to allocate in the Black Hills area, then will stay in Cody, enroute to Yellowstone.

Does it make sense to spend all three nights in Rapid City? Two nights in Rapid city and one in Spearfish or something closer to Cody? The first night in Rapid City we will have spent most of the day in the Badlands so at most will go to Mt Rushmore evening ceremony.

We definitely want to see Mt Rushmore, reptile area, bear usa, woodcarving museum . . . are considering a cave . . . would love any other ideas.

I haven%26#39;t seen too many recommendations for the fossil area of Mammoth Hot Springs. Is that something that is worth the drive? (Is it two hrs from Rapid City?)

Thanks for any ideas you have. Also, I was tentatively thinking of the Town House Motel in Rapid City, any other suggestions for basic, cheap housing friendly to families?

Thanks for any thoughts you have,

John

some advice on 3 night stay

Re the Mammoth dig, we find it interesting enough to go probably every other year. It is a work in progress uncovering the mammoth %26amp; other prehistoric animals that were trapped in a sinkhole.

Hot Springs is an hour from Rapid City if you travel hwy 79, 2 hours if you travel 385 (Hill City, Custer route).

some advice on 3 night stay

If you are going to the lighting ceremony, I%26#39;d stay in Keystone after a long day in the Badlands. It will be a short drive back to your hotel. It%26#39;s about 20 miles back to Rapid, and after touring all day, you will want to be close by. The ceremony ends around 9:45-10:00.

In Keystone, we liked the Roosevelt Inn. (rosyinn.com) I have a review on this site. Keystone is also close to all of the activities on your itinerary.

As for the Mammoth Site, yes, I do think it%26#39;s worthwhile, but with current gas prices, and more importantly, with your somewhat limited schedule, I don%26#39;t know if I%26#39;d include it. There%26#39;s a small museum called Everything Prehistoric in Hill City that has some cool skeletons and gems. It%26#39;s only $5 to get in. They also have a great souvenir shop for anyone who loves dinosaurs.

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Thank you for your ideas. I think we will stay in Gillette the third night and see the Devil%26#39;s tower along the way. That should give us 2 half days and 1 full day around Mt. Rushmore, and cut the drive to cody the next day.

Thanks again,

John