Hello we are fairly recent transplants to Minneapolis and have never driven out to South Dakota. We are planning to spend 7-8 days out that way this summer, possibly in an RV. We%26#39;ve never done that either but thought the kids might think it was fun.
Anyway I know Mapquest says we are 8 hours from Rapid City.
Does anyone have suggestions for an itinerary we might do? Kids like to get out and explore and do some hiking trails.
We%26#39;d like to see the black hills, mt. rushmore, anything else we should do? We thought we%26#39;d go out through south dakota then loop through wyoming and/or montana depending on what there is to see there (i%26#39;m talking about staying in the very eastern part of those states, maybe not even both of them), then head home through north dakota.
I%26#39;m not too knowledgeable on this area, so any thoughts are really appreciated.
Jen
South Dakota/North Dakota/Wyoming or Montana (?) driving tri
Sound like a fun trip. You might want to start with the website www.travelsd.com It will give you an overview and if there%26#39;s time before your trip, you can order the free travel guide.
On your way to Rapid City you%26#39;ll pass Badlands National Park. There%26#39;s a loop drive that sort of parallels the interstate and comes back to it at a place called Wall. You will have seen signs for Wall Drug on the way. It%26#39;s very touristy but the kids will probably love it. It does shut down around 7 or 8 pm (MDT).
Keystone is the nearest town to Mt. Rushmore and has several hotels/motels and a lot of things you could see.
North from this area is Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon. From Spearfish its about an hour west to Devils Tower National Monument. From there you can make your way north possibly adding a stop at the Little Big Horn Battle site. Then up to I-94 and east again. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is worth a stop, especially in early morning and evening when the wildlife shows itself. Nearby Medora is touristy but has a great Musical each evening. If there%26#39;s any time left, Bismarck has a nice zoo, and the Heritage Center on the capitol grounds is interesting, free and near the interstate.
Having said all that, I think you might enjoy spending most of your time in the Black Hills.
South Dakota/North Dakota/Wyoming or Montana (?) driving tri
Just to further confuse the issue, think about looping south from the Black Hills and taking in Ft. Robinson Sate Park in Nebraska. It is a reconstructed military fort whose history ranges from Indian War times to WW2. There are trail rides, a theater, activities for kids, stagecoach rides, fishing, hiking, etc. You can stay at campground or in historic officer quarters (really neat) It was an annual trip for us when our kids were young and it provided a wealth of memories. (Breakfarst hay rack ride into the buttes was especially fun)
The Black Hills are great and you will find a million things to do. Have a wonderful vacation!
Hi Hen
Driving an RV can be a lot slower than driving a car and I would count on 1.5 day from Minneapolis to Black Hills. My advice to make your first day a long one. Then second day drive to Badlands NP for a visit, to Wall, as mentioned by LilND and drive to Black Hills after that. So already 2 days are gone. Can%26#39;t tell you much about camping because we travel by car and stay in hotels. We always liked to stay in Hill City or Custer. You easily can spend 3 full days in this part of SD. Many things to do like the caves, mnt Rushmore, Custer SP, Crazy Horse, Lead and Deadwood and many more places. Then drive up to Devils Tower day five and the drive to Medora day 6. We always travel off season so no musical in Medora for us but we visited the theater and it looked very nice and special. Also our visit to Th. Roosevelt NP south unit was nice. So maybe day 6 to Medora for the night. Next morning day 7 visit Th. Roosevelt NP first and drive some hours towards Minneapolis. Arrive M. day 8. It will be a very long daydrive from Medora to M. directly. One thing is for sure, you%26#39;ll see a lot of Prairie Dogs. There are towns in Badlands NP, at the foot of Devils Tower and in Th. Roosevelt NP. We always enjoyed those animals.
Have fun
Tet
Sorry Jen, not Hen.
It takes me a good 8.5-9 hours in a car from Minneapolis to get to Rapid City. It depends a little on what part of the Twin Cities you%26#39;re coming from. So as Tet says, it will take longer in an RV--depending on what speed you drive your RV. Also, it can be quite windy across the plains so that can slow you down.
I think the best way to get from the Twin Cities to Rapid City is to go through Mankato and Worthington to I-90 and then take I-90 west. It may take about the same time as taking I-35 to I-90 but the distance is shorter--which really helps when it%26#39;s time to put fuel in the RV.
Jen,
You have gotten some really good ideas so far. With 7-8 days, I would probably focus on just South Dakota this time. You will have a very enjoyable trip.
How old are your kids? Here are some suggestions on activities, many of which have been mentioned already.
Badlands National Park (enroute from MN)
Mt Rushmore (day and night)
Crazy Horse
Wind Cave
Jewel Cave
Devil%26#39;s Tower
Custer State Park--great hiking and wildlife viewing
Bear Country
Reptile Gardens
Mammoth Site
Wild Horse Sanctuary (pricey, but worth it, imo)
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway
These are the major attractions. There are many more ';smaller attractions'; in the area. Be sure to get the SD travel guide that Lil gave you the link for.
Enjoy your planning.
There are some nice RV parks in the Black Hills, as well as nice camping in Custer State Park. When we were up there, we stayed in a motel, but did check out the camping for another trip! KOA has some nice places... in Custer SD, Hill City and Hot Springs. Also the campgrounds inside the state park www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/maps.htm .
Kids will love the Wildlife Loop drive in Custer State Park, Jewel Cave tour, panning for gold, hiking etc.
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