What is a good time to go? How far in advance should we book

Thinking about a trip to SD in June. We%26#39;re flexible with dates, but plan to stay about 5 nights. Planning on the Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore/Custer area. Looked into the lodges at Custer and they seem to have limited availability. We%26#39;re not crazy about crowds. Is this the wrong time to go, or are the lodges just that popular? We%26#39;re most interested in nature stuff -- will there be enough to keep an active 10-year old occupied? Never been to the area -- any advice on itenerary and accomodations is appreciated.

What is a good time to go? How far in advance should we book

June is a pretty good time as it%26#39;s the least busy of the three months that make up ';tourist season';--June, July and August.

The Custer State Park lodges are that popular--you usually need to book months in advance for a summer stay of more than a night or two.

There should be plenty to do for five days to keep your 10-year old happy. The area has a lot of child friendly attractions. Take a read through the older posts in the SD forum as your question is a common one.

What is a good time to go? How far in advance should we book

Here is a good thread--especially check out slrtravelplanner%26#39;s post for things to do for their child.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28962-i673-k16519…

We are going late May/early June and I made my travel plans in January. We are staying at the K Bar S Lodge in Keystone as our base for the Black Hills. We will then be going to Cody, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. Order one of South Dakota%26#39;s travel guides. It lists great ideas for kids. My kids are older but the info is great.

Hello 944,

I see Accomodator cited one of my posts, so I will try not to repeat myself. (Thanks, Accomodator!) My post gives you an idea of what we did. At the time, our daughter was 8, and she told us she enjoyed the trip more than Disney World. That being said, I think your 10 year old will be very happy here!

We made our base in Keystone as I said in the previous post at the Roosevelt Inn. We really liked the Roosevelt; I have a review on this site if you%26#39;d like to take a look. We booked a family suite (2 queen beds with separate living area and micro/fridge). It was a VERY LARGE room in which you%26#39;d be most comfortable. There%26#39;s even a patio to sit out on. We caught some nice sunsets. If you are interested in this property and in getting family suite, I%26#39;d reserve ASAP, as they only have 2 of this room type.

Keystone is rather touristy, but very convenient to Rushmore (only 2-3 miles away--nice for a late-night return from the lighting ceremony). It%26#39;s also nice for other attractions in Custer, Hill City, Rapid City, %26amp; Hot Springs.

As my previous post says, we went at the end of August and found it very comfortable. Crowds were light, and rates for some motels go down around mid August when some schools are back in session. Luckily here in Jersey, schools don%26#39;t start until September. If you can go in mid-late August, I%26#39;d highly recommend it simply for less people. However, I%26#39;d think June would be good as well. For me, the only bad time would be to go would be during the Sturgis Bike Rally (early August), as I am not into the bike scene and crowds it brings.

One other suggestion I%26#39;d have: if you are interested in seeing Devil%26#39;s Tower, Wyoming, I%26#39;d spend a night closer to the northern Black Hills region (Deadwood, Lead, or Spearfish). This will lessen your drive time to get out to the tower. With 5 nights, you might find yourself just focusing on the central/southern region and the Badlands. There%26#39;s so much to see and do. As others have said, be sure to get a SD guidebook. There%26#39;s many helpful tips in there.

If you have any specific questions about any attractions, post again. We are all glad to help!

I%26#39;ll just add the link for requesting the travel guide.

http://www.travelsd.com/request.asp