Originally Posted by
rockdocs
Actually due to the bike rally we will move the trip to July.
We would like to spend a day in Denver, then off to the Rushmore, Leave Sat morning, maybe see another site before Rushmore. return to Denver on Wednesday.
All ideas welcome
Thanks
Robert
Was in the area in Sep/Oct 2009, and will give the feedback I remember. Something to keep in mind is that the area is all tourist-related...
Lodging
We used VRBO.COM for housing as we needed a kitchen; however, I don't remember many (if any) name brand lodging. Your options for lodging include Hill City, Custer, and Keystone. There may have been a couple of others, but I don't remember.
Dining
Check out the Alpine Inn for dinner... if you can get in. We had trouble getting in during our stay, and the area was not busy at the time. If you can't get in for dinner, grab dessert in the bar area (or to go.) The desserts were amazing.
Breakfast at the Hill City Cafe was very good... especially the pancakes.
Things to Do
Mt. Rushmore: Your pass to Mt. Rushmore is good for 7-days, so you'll be able to return multiple times. We went three times (one of the initial "AHH" factor, once again to follow some of the trails with a ranger, and finally for the lighting after dark.)
Caves: Yes, there are lots of cave tours in the area to choose from. I *think* we went to the Rushmore Cave near Keystone which was a very easy trek. Jewell and Wind Caves are not very close; with your time in the area, I wouldn't travel JUST for a cave adventure since there are closer ones.
Custer Park: We thoroughly enjoyed Custer State Park, but we are nature buffs. Lots of wildlife (we were there during the annual bison round-up,) and beautiful scenery. IIRC, there are three roads through the park, and we took each on a different day.
Bear Country, USA:
http://www.bearcountryusa.com/ is a little outside Hill City and is a drive-through, free-roaming zoo. Recommended, but not required.
Reptile City:
http://www.reptilegardens.com/ is good to combine with Bear Country. Small zoo with reptiles and birds.
Mammoth City:
http://www.mammothsite.com/ is a ways off, but worth the drive if you have the time.
That's all I can remember for now; I'll update if I remember anything else.
ETA: A thread that I started when initially planning our trip can be found at
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/west/...-sd-id-ut.html.