trip report 5/13-5/21

First of all thank you to everyone for all your helpful information,as always made it an easier trip.

Flew into Denver on the 13th with no problems,stayed overnight. The next morning picked up rental car at 8:00am and started our drive to Custer. It was nice to see the snow covered peaks in co and all the open land not clutered with houses in Wyoming and South Dakota. We stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Custer and enjoyed it. It was a nice hotel. We stopped at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs on the way. It was very interesting. Thurs. thru Sunday we did Jewel Cave, Mt. Rushmore, went into Keystone, Hill City(ate at the Alpine Inn)which was ok. We did Custer State Park and saw alot of buffalo and elk. Did the scenic byways(Needles,Iron Mountain Road,Norbeck Highway and the Wildlife Loop).Stopped at Sylvan Lake for lunch. The scenery was just awesome all over. We stopped at Crazy House and think it was worth the money. Went to the Baldlands and glad we did as it was amazing. The places we found not so great were Wall Drug we stopped because we were in the area, Deadwood, Air and Space Museum with tour of Ellsworth AFB. Drove back to Co on Monday and decided to drive to Manitou Springs since we finished up earlier in South Dakota then expected.

We stayed over in Manitou Springs and on Tues. did Pikes Peak but didn%26#39;t make it all the way to the top had to turn around and go back down. Made it alittle over half way. I couldn%26#39;t take the heighth but the views were great. Also did Garden of the Gods and then headed back to Denver. Stayed overnight and flew home on Wed. We enjoyed our trip and had a great time. There was alot of driving but it was well worth all the great and amazing views and things we got to see. We had good weather and temperatures.

trip report 5/13-5/21

Hello Sixtysomething,

Very nice trip report! I%26#39;m glad you enjoyed yourselves. I remember visiting the part of Colorado you mentioned when I was 16....many years ago. The Garden of the Gods was great. We didn%26#39;t see Pikes Peak, but I%26#39;m sure the views are amazing.

How did you enjoy Jewel Cave?

I see you described the Alpine as ok. Their dinner menu is very limited and probably not good for those who don%26#39;t enjoy beef. We thought their lunch was quite good, but once again, it%26#39;s pretty much limited to German food, so if that%26#39;s not your taste, it probably not be enjoyable.

Wall Drug is a really hokey place..I think it%26#39;s good for kids who want souvenirs. Deadwood has some neat museums, but overall I preferred the more central hills also. The casino scene in Deadwood is really small compared to what we have in the east.

I%26#39;m glad you thought Crazy Horse was worth the admission. I felt the same; I really found the history behild the monument equally as interesting as Rushmore, if not more. Custer SP is always a place to find beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife.

Thank you for sharing your travels with us.

trip report 5/13-5/21

slrtravelplanner we enjoyed Jewel Cave even with all the steps. It was amazing how big the cave was. The meat at the Alpine Inn didn%26#39;t taste like beef to us. We thought maybe it was buffalo meat as it was very dry and flat, not like our beef here. We had buffalo burgers one night in Custer and we liked them. We just found the whole area of the Black Hills very relaxing and beautiful. I agree with you about Crazy Horse, it was more interesting to me than Mt Rushmore also. I feel the family to be very special people to want to carry on for their father and grandfather. Our next trip we are thinking of Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National parks so I will be getting advice from everyone here at trip advisor for that trip also.

Thanks for your report. We leave in the morning for Mt. Rushmore then on to Cody and Yellowstone National Park.

Hi 60Something,

That%26#39;s really too bad about your experience at the Alpine. I%26#39;m not a big steak lover, but there%26#39;s nothing worse than a dry piece of beef. We did enjoy the lunch, especially the desserts.

Glad you enjoyed Jewel cave. The openness and size of the cave is amazing. We just visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky last year and were even more amazed with the size of it over Jewel.

I totally agree with you on Crazy Horse. The family is very special to continue with the sculptor%26#39;s wishes. The day we visited, Korczak%26#39;s wife was at the museum. She looked terrific for her age! She stopped to pose for pictures with some tourists. She must be in her early 80%26#39;s.

Your next trip to Yellowstone will be awesome! We visited there 11 years ago before our daughter was born, and we are looking forward to taking her there in the next few years. There%26#39;s no place on Earth like Yellowstone!

store properties