Week's itinerary in South Dakota

I need detailed advice on a 7-10 day itinerary for South Dakota and possibly Wyoming, especially around the Black Hills area.Two mobile adults with no children who love history. We will be flying in and out of the Los Angeles area so need help in figuring out the best routing. Like to stay in nice places that are not chain hotels and eat in local restaurants with charm. Will have rental car and will change hotels during the trip so moving around is no problem. We are flexible with dates but would like to plan the trip around the middle of June. Would love to hear all suggestions, especially those with historical value. Thanks.

Week's itinerary in South Dakota

Los Angeles is a long way from South Dakota! Close to 3 days and over 1300 miles of driving one way! With gas prices as they are and your limited time, I would fly into somewhere much closer, Denver is only 6 hours from the Black Hills. Or possibly Rapid City SD.

Once in the area, plenty to see and do. Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Deadwood, Badlands etc. Plus a day from Little Bighorn Battlefield etc.

Week's itinerary in South Dakota

I believe gwens11 meant that they will be flying from LA to SD, not that they will be flying into LA and then driving to SD. At least I hope so!

The post asks a question that entire guidebooks are dedicated to so I%26#39;ll try to cover the basics. Great information can be had by searching past forums.

I would start with the parks and monuments in the area (ranked by general popularity, in my opinion):

Mount Rushmore National Monument

Custer State Park (with Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway)

Badlands National Park

Devils Tower National Monument

Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

Crazy Horse Memorial

Deadwood (National Historic Landmark)

Jewell Cave National Monument

Wind Cave National Park

For a 7-10 day visit, you shouldn%26#39;t miss any of the above (maybe you could pick one cave or the other).

Basic museums:

The Journey Museum (Rapid City)

Adams Museum (Deadwood)

Days of 76 Museum (Deadwood)

Wounded Knee Museum (Wall)

Many will tell you to stay in Keystone/Hill City/Custer for the whole trip but for a stay of this length I would recommend several nights at three different locations. 1. Hill City/Custer, 2. Deadwood/Spearfish, 3. Rapid City. There are some other options--like a night near the Badlands.

Non-chain, more historic type hotels:

The lodges in Custer State Park. custerresorts.com

The Alex Johnson in Rapid City

The Bullock in Deadwood

The Celebrity in Deadwood

Spearfish Canyon Lodge (not historic)

The are some smaller boutique style places worth looking into. The Loft in downtown Rapid City. The Alpine Inn in Hill City (known for its restaurant). There are quite a few around.

Once you get a schedule figured out, post again with questions about restaurants and I%26#39;ll be able to give you some ideas.

One final historical note--you might look into renting bicycles and riding some of the Mickelson Trail. It%26#39;s a rails-to-trails bike path that runs the length of the Black Hills starting in Deadwood and going south. There are several key topics to understanding the history of the Black Hills and the railroads are a big part of it.

Thanks so much for your helpful reply. Especially appreciated the Rapid City airport info. I will plan my trip over the next few weeks and hope I can call upon you again for further detailed info about restaurants, etc. Thanks again.