Too much, too little or just right

We are traveling to South Dakota from June 14-June 21st. Traveling will be myself, husband and 3 girls ages almost 6, 8 and 9. We want to see a lot, yet keep it very kid friendly. Here%26#39;s my itinerary. Please tell me what you think.

June 14 - Drive from Kansas City to Badlands. Stop for lunch in Sioux Falls and see Falls Park. Also stop in Mitchell and visit the Corn Palace. Spend the night at Cedar Pass Lodge.

June 15th - Explore and hike in the Badlands. When we%26#39;re done drive to Spearfish to spend the night. Stop at Wall Drug on the way to Spearfish.

June 16th - Visit Devils Tower in the morning then in the afternoon drive via Spearfish Canyon to Deadwood. While on the drive stop and hike around Bridal Veil Falls and Roughlock Falls? While in Deadwood, go see the #10 Saloon and have dinner. Then see the gunfight on Main Street. Spend the night in Deadwood.

June 17th - Take scenic route 385 to Reptile Garden. After Reptile Garden drive to Mt. Rushmore via Iron Mountain Rd.

After Mt. Rushmore go check in to the hotel have dinner at the Powder House Lodge then go back to Mt. Rushmore for the evening ceremony. Spend the night in Rapid City.

June 18th - Cosmos House in the morning and Crazy Horse in the afternoon. Go back to Crazy Horse in the evening for the laser light show. Spend the night in Rapid City.

June 19th - Drive Needles Highway to Custer State Park. Do the open air jeep safari in the morning and explore in the afternoon. Stay at Rafter J Bar Campground (in the cabins).

June 20th - Go back to Custer State Park for a 2 hour trail ride. Then drive to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. The girls are doing the Jr. Dig in the afternoon. Then spend the night back at the Rafter J Bar Campground.

June 21st - Drive home.

Does this sound doable, too much or too little. There were things that I left out but didn%26#39;t know if we would have time or where to put them. I left out panning for gold and the wild horse sanctuary and the alpine slide. Any suggestions would be great!!

Thanks!

Too much, too little or just right

I think your overall plan looks very ';do-able.'; We have done quite a few of the attractions you mention. As much as I enjoyed the horse sanctuary, I think I%26#39;d skip it also following your plan. Also, it is rather pricey for a family of 5. You might be able to do the gold panning or alpine slide.

Just a thought, but I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d make my base for Rushmore/Crazy Horse Rapid City. I%26#39;d stay in either Keystone or Hill City, as I think it%26#39;s more centrally located. You will have a bit of a drive after the lighting ceremonies coming from both Crazy Horse %26amp; Rushmore.

You might consider adding Bear Country %26amp; the Wildlife Loop in Custer to the itinerary if you have time.

Do you have any interest in seeing either Wind or Jewel Caves? They are really terrific, but I am a cave lover,and I know not all people are interested in them. One of them might be worth adding.

I%26#39;m not sure if I%26#39;d do the Cosmos. We didn%26#39;t do this, as we thought there were other things that interested us more. Maybe someone else can comment on the Cosmos??

Whatever you decide,you are off to a good start. Have a wonderful trip.

Too much, too little or just right

Thanks for the info on staying in Hill City or Keystone instead of Rapid City. That is a really good point.

I%26#39;ve thought about Bear Country as well, but wasn%26#39;t sure where to try and fit it in. Maybe we%26#39;ll swap Cosmos House for Bear Country. As far as the Wildlife loop in Custer, we%26#39;re planning on doing that when we explore Custer State Park. I%26#39;m wondering if we do the wildlife loop if we even need to do the Open Jeep Safari. Has anyone had any experience with this?

As far as caves go, we live in Missouri which has lots of caves as well. We%26#39;ve been to some of those. I thought we would try and see something we couldn%26#39;t see in MO. I wonder how different the Wind or Jewel caves are compared to MO caves. Anyone know?

Thanks for all your help!

Unless you have a specific reason to spend the night in Rapid City on the 17th, I would agree that basing yourself in Hill City (preferably) or Custer would make much more sense in your itinerary and save you some drive time in the morning. (Not to take anything away from my hometown, though: there%26#39;s plenty to see/do in Rapid! The Journey Museum, Storybook Island for kids, downtown...)

Cosmos is kitschy but fun: I still have friends that specifically want to visit when they come to SD, even as adults! That being said, I think that Bear Country might be a slightly more enjoyable activity for the whole family...it%26#39;s a really fun visit perfect for your girls%26#39; age group. But, don%26#39;t feel any pressure to make your decision before the day-of: Cosmos and Bear Country are both on HWY 16, about a 10 minute drive from each other.

Sounds like a fun trip! Makes me wish I could go home to South Dakota this summer myself!

I haven%26#39;t been to any Missouri caves, but I really did enjoy both Wind %26amp; Jewel Caves. I have toured caves in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Kentucky %26amp; Tennessee. I think any cave tour operated by NPS is superior to a privately owned cave tour. Jewel is the 2nd longest cave in the world and filled with beautiful formations. It%26#39;s a very open cave. Wind Cave is more unique, as it has a large amount of a formation called boxwork. Boxwork resembles spider webs and is really different to see. Wind has the largest concentration of it anywhere, from what I remember. One room is filled with it and is amazing. Wind is a more ';closed in'; cave than Jewel, so if anyone is claustrophobic, they cuold have problems in certain areas. One person had to leave our tour early on. Perhaps seeing pictures of both cave formations will help you decide if it would interest you. Go to nps.gov and take a look at images of both caverns.

Do your kids ever watch the Flintstones? Mine enjoyed the Flintstone Bedrock Village in Custer. I think we spent about 1 1/2 hours there last summer. For me it was nostalgic as I had visited there 30 years before.

http://www.flintstonesbedrockcity.com/