Mt Rushmore trip
 

Anyone have any suggestions regarding a trip we are planning near July 4th to Mt Rushmore? We plan to be there a week. Certain places we want to visit are Wounded Knee, Badlands, Devil's Tower, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Jewel Cave, Wind Cave. We will be travelling with another couple, and there will be 3 kids (5, 7, and 11) between us. We would like to do some
fun things with the kids. Good places to eat?
Also, we are planning on going to see the fireworks on the 3rd at Mt Rushmore. Any comments on that?

Thanks for your help

If you get to Mount Rushmore early you can beat the crowds & have plenty of time to see it before it gets too hot.
There is a good restaurant on site that will serve anything from a snack to a full meal.
Whilst you're in the area visit Custer state park & get close to bison, burros & other creatures.
There are amazing views & plenty of things for the kids to do. The needles highway has some amazing rocks that kids can clamber on & you get some great postcard views of Mount Rushmore.
Keystone is a good place to recharge your batteries & if your kids are into the 'Little House' books, the town is where Laura Ingalls Wilders sister ended up.
We did both attractions in a day from Rapid City.
Badlands are incredible but take plenty of water as it's a very dry heat.
There is a good restaurant within the park.
Badlands takes most of the day from Rapid City & we did not get time to visit Wounded Knee.
Devils Tower has an interesting walk around the base which is all paved or has hard compacted dirt so it will be fine for kids.
Allow about 2-3 hours to walk round the base.

thanks so much for your advice. How early is "early" to Mt Rushmore for the fireworks? Several hours or like early in the morning?
I did not realize Badlands is that far away from Rushmore area. We were hoping to squeeze in Badlands and Wounded Knee in one day.
Checking on prices of places to stay and am finding out that nothing is inexpensive. Even my fave Hilton chain is $170. I guess I can't complain since it's holiday season and it is a tourist area, right?

Custer State Park is great for a drive! Also, go south (as I recall) a bit from there to see the Wooly Mamouth museum/site. With so many odd things to see in a fairly small area, you're going to have a great time.

Be warned, Wounded Knee (Pineridge reservation) can be a stark and depressing trip for young kids (well, for any age); but it is educational.

I enjoyed Wind Cave, but it definitely is not for those uncomfortable in small spaces. At one point on our (walking) tour, the guide turned the lights off for a few seconds, and it was completely black. As I recall, there were also some places which were wet and somewhat slippery.

Skim back through older posts on this forum, and I think you will see others suggesting that 2-3 days is more than plenty for places in the Rapid City area (Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Wind Cave, etc.) I agree with that general notion. It is a good place to drive through but you (or your kids) may be bored out of your mind with a full week there.

Look at AAA's tour guide for suggestions for motels (in Keystone you will be very limited for hotels). You might also look at B&B's.

Two hours at Devil's Tower would probably be fine. I stopped by en route from Keystone to Denver, all within the same day, without any problem.

Growing up in North Dakota, Rapid City was often a vacation stop for us. There are so many things to do. While out at the Badlands, make sure you go to Wall Drug. This is not your ordinary drug store. It is a neat place. You will see billboards for miles and miles advertising "Free Ice Water". Also in the Badlands there are several helicopter tour places.

There used to be an amusement park in Custer, but I am not sure if it still there. One word of advice...dont eat, go to the amusement park, and THEN take Needles Highway (trust me...personal experience!!!)

Keystone has touristy stuff like mini-golf, and also a chairlift ride for a great view of Mount Rushmore...This would actually be a great place to watch the fireworks from.

Being a hotel manager now, I would recommend that if you really like HIltons, call and ask for the reservation manager. Tell him/her you will need two rooms for a week each. They will probably cut the price for you. This, of course, may work with other chains, but the smaller hotels would probably not have a resv. manager. I would suggest Rapid City as that is where many hotels are and you will not pay as much as you would for the few choices in Keystone/Custer.

There is also a water park in the area of Hot Springs that is fed by natural springs...dont remember the name, its been 15 years!

Deadwood has a Old West Cemetary with graves of Wild Bill and those sorts of characters.

Enjoy your trip...

The pool at the Hot SPrings area is called 'Evans Plunge' and it was abot $8 per adult in 2003.
You can also take a walk along the river bank to where the mineral water comes out of a pipe & stock up.

In 2003 there wasn't an amusement park at Custer but there were plenty of Bison & they certainly kept us amused, blocking our way to the nearest restroom when we were in dire need!

I used to work at mount rushmore and lived in the area for four months (2002) 4th of july is the busiest time of year. make your reservations ASAP. Regarding the fireworks, get your spot early, and by early afternoon is a good time. the street leading up to the mountain gets parked on both sides with cars trying to get in. get up there early and park or leave your car at the hotel if your staying in keystone and walk up, its not that far of a walk, sometimes theres a shuttle. the food at the buffalo dining room (the name of the restaurant) i worked at and the food is decent and decently priced. go eat breakfast there in the morning, its not real busy and its just awesome view of the heads. go to these places when you are there. staying in rapid city isnt that bad, its only a 30min ride up. more hotels and things to do.

-devils tower
-custer state park -- bring some carrots to feed the donkeys
-crazy horse ---but dont pay the money for the "tour" just ask to take pictures in the parking lot. the tour isnt worth it you cant get any closer.
-go to a chuckwagon supper, circle t, is one of them. fun times
-if your kids like dinosaurs, in rapid city there is a big hill with some big dino's on top, its a fun time.
-go to the mystery spot if you havent been to one.
-corn palace in mitchell, sd and wall drug -- a must stop.
ill try to think of more, pm me if you have questions.

grb

thought of more

horsethief lake is about 5 miles behind mt rushmore, they have a spot to park. we always went there after work to swim and jump off the rocks. its free and lets you cool off.
-pactola lake, a manmade lake is about 20 or so mins outside keystone. they have a beach. you can fish and swim. its on the way out to deadwood which is a fun place to go. i suggest taking the bus tour, it brings you too wild bills grave and shows you around deadwood. they might have more in terms of tours now that deadwood on HBO is so popular.
-- get your gas at walmart when you are in rapid city, get a gift certificate and use it at the pump you save 3cents or buy it at sams if you have a card you save more. FILL UP BEFORE leaving rapid city. you'll be glad you did.

or you could just take me along, posting this makes me remember good times.

Agree that you'll want to be at Mt. Rushmore pretty early in the afternoon. I was there for the Fourth of July a couple of years ago, and it was very crowded. I ended up parking along the curvy road between Mt. Rushmore and Custer State Park. There are some pullouts along that road with great views of Mt. Rushmore. A lot of people do this as well, and picnic while they wait for the fireworks.

I highly recommend the scenic loops in Custer State Park for watching bison and checking out the prairie dogs.

Also, be careful with your speed. When I was there, there were a lot of police officers out and about looking for speeders. I got pulled over while rushing to drop off my rental car in Rapid City. They stopped me about 1 block from the rental place, and let me off with a warning.

I forgot about the cops! It was about 15 years ago that my wife and I were there. That was the last time (that I know of) that she got a speeding ticket. As I recall, it was a Sunday morning at about 6:00.

My family and I did a week in a rented RV in the region in late August 2005 and had a GREAT time. I just want to underline some of what's been said:

** The region had pretty well cleared out by late August and there were lots of inexpensive hotel rooms available. I didn't see much Hilton action in the region but there were numerous Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Inns, Travelodges, etc. -- the budget level hotels. They seemed reasonably priced.

** Wall Drug is a gas. Get the buffalo burgers in the back room decorated like a bordello. Then take your kids' pictures astride the giant jackalopes.

** The Badlands are beautiful, but none of the pictures we took do them justice. It's too big. Incredible drive though.

** The Wounded Knee cemetery takes some finding. It's not very well marked. It is something to see, though. When we went we were the only ones there.

** The best part of the Rapid City/Custer/Mt. Rushmore zone are the roadside attractions: Reptile Gardens, Bear Country, the Cosmos Mystery Zone, Black Hills Caverns and the other caves... it's like a little slice of 1950s America, where everything isn't all plastic, pre-programmed franchises, and we loved it. Second best part is Custer State Park, where herds of bison cross the roads and stop traffic.

** In Keystone you can get your picture taken in Wild West cowboy or barroom regalia. Tons of fun.

** Mitchell and the Corn Palace are a good long way from the Rushmore/Badlands/Rapid City zone. The other side of South Dakota actually.

** If you are interested in camping, the KOA campground at the foot of Devils Tower in Wisconsin shows "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" on a big outdoor screen every night at sunset. The night we were there, just as the movie's characters (and UFOs) were converging on Devils Tower for the movie's climax, real shooting stars flashed by over our heads. A great moment.

** RAP is a nice, if underused, airport. NW provides the only mainline service. We flew in on a Skywest RJ from SLC.

Have fun! We loved our visit.

thanks everyone for your great insight. We've now added a few more things on our list of things to do. Really had not planned on Custer State Park, but will definitely do that now.

We are very unpleasantly surprised that airfares from southern CA to RAP is (for now) at $500. Is it always that bad? I could get to Europe for that price!! Then, we are pricing car rentals and so far have been getting $300+ a week. I've held one but will, of course, continue checking weekly.

As for lodging, I found the Slate Rock Ranch (they only have like 4 cabins) and was quoted a extremely reasonable price of $120 a night for a 3 bedroom but 1 bath cabin. Has anyone had any experience with the place? The lady on the phone sounds very friendly, helpful, etc....etc. But the couple we're with really wanted to see the inside of the cabin to make sure it's not a dump. The outside looks decent and we like that it has trees and lots of land near by, and of course the price is great as compared to even a Best Western and over $100 a night. I definitely will try to call the "reservations manager" at the Hilton that we plan to stay at. It's worth a try.

Keep the tips coming!

i think i know which one your talking about, but just to be sure, is the cabin right in keystone? do they have a web address?

i usually fly grb-rap. and it can get expensive. ive seen it for around 214.00 which is cheap. you just have to keep your eyes peeled for a good deal, they dont come often and dont last long. when you rent a car, rent from enterprise, they arent at the airport and call them directly. once i flew in reserved through avis, took the car for one nite, called enterprise the next day they asked what i was paying, they undercut by three dollars a day and didnt ahve to pay the airport tax on it.

I'm very surprised it has not been mentioned yet, but if you really want to see bison upclose and personal take the safari jeep tour in Custer SP. Go in the late afternoon. By then the drivers know exactly where to look for the herds and actually drive right next to them. The kids will love it.

WARNING - DO NOT GO ON THE EARLY TOURS. The drivers are trying to locate the animals and seeing them is hit or miss.

yes, the cabin is supposed to be right in Keystone. They have a web address, but I get the feeling that they're not very internet savvy when I spoke to the lady over the phone. I've emailed twice, and nothing back both times. So, I'm thinking that a phone call is in order again. But what I really want is pictures of the inside. Our friends are afraid that it'll be a dump due to the price. It really is a great deal. We would love to stay at a Hilton but the prices are outrageous compared to this deal. But we'll have kitchen access.

We're trying to fly in from ONT-RAP. I might check ONT-SLC, then SLC-RAP to see if it's any cheaper. Really don't want to spend $500+ PP

Mount rushmore trip aug 2012
 

Any new info for a trip in August 2012
We will be flying to Denver.
How many days and what to see
this forum dates back to 2006
Thanks

Do you want to spend any time in CO? Or just the Black Hills?

A few of my favorites in the Black Hills:
Custer State Park (especially the Needles Highway)
Jewell Cave
Mt. Rushmore
If you are a Cold War buff there are some missile bases close to the Badlands.
Evan's Plunge in Hot Springs

Depending on how much you want to do you can spend anywhere from 3 or 4 days up to a week in the Black Hills.

Note the Sturgis Rally will be going on from the 6th to the 12th of August so unless you are coming specifically for that I would avoid the area completely during those dates (and some days on either side.)

If you just want to see Mt. Rushmore, it's basically a day trip. You'll spend about three hours at the park.

If you're looking to stretch out your trip you can easily spend 3-5 days in the Black Hills area. Other parks worth visiting including Custer State Park (1 day), Jewel Cave National Monument (1/2 day), Wind Cave National Park (1/2 day), Badlands National Park (2 days), and Devil's Tower National Monument (1 day including drive there & back).

During sturgis week keystone becomes extremely busy. Long lines of bikes everywhere. Even the week before and after sturgis

The list of things to do is still valid. Wind cave Custer 1880 train needles highway. Try a chuck wagon supper. It's touristy but enjoyable. Deadwood isn't too far away for a side trip.

I haven't been back since 2007 but still talk to friends that live and work in keystone and sounds like its stayed about the same.

I made the trek from keystone to Denver and back twice. It's a long haul not much to see.

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.

According to Google Maps, Denver to Mt. Rushmore is about 6-hours. We were traveling from Cheyenne, and that time seems about right. Therefore, you will really only have 3-days in the area; plan accordingly. Most of the travel is going to be on good 2-lane roads, but you may have more traffic than you'd expect. Also, I don't remember a lot of rest-stops between Cheyenne and Hill City, but there are a few little towns.

(You'll drive right by Crazy Horse on your way up, if you are looking for somewhere to stop. There are also other touristy things to do along the way.)

http://www.newrushmoreradio.com/kbhb...,6318069.story

No July 4th Fireworks in 2012. My gut is they won't have any for the next several years, due to the pine beetle infestation.

Are you traveling with kids?
 

My boys, ages 7 and 5, absolutely loved the Mammoth Site. If you sign up ahead of time, the kids can even get dirty digging for bones. The town is pretty interesting as well.

Not traveling with Kids

stopping along the way just for the drive

Pre-Booking Mount Rushmore
 

Scheduling a Mount Rushmore Trip, driving in from Denver, We have the Hotels booked.
What passes to the park do we need to purchase in advance?

Do we need to book any tours or transportation while on site?

Thanks

No need to buy anything in advance for Mt. Rushmore. Just drive up to the parking structure. They charge per car. Your receipt will allow you to return (in the same car) as many times as you want for one year.

There are no buses, trams, etc at Mt. Rushmore. It's all done with your feet. Make sure you do the walking trail that goes to the base of the monument.

Also, be sure you see Custer State Park and either Wind Cave or Jewel Cave while in the Black Hills. How many days will you be in the area? You do know that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is during the first week of August?

I took this as a car trip from Denver with my 9 and 10 year old sons. Itnerary:

Day 1-2 - Devil’s Tower WY – I stayed at the Devil’s Tower Lodge(more like a B&B than a hotel proper) – drive through the park and it’s on a private road about ¾ mi from the visitor’s center. There is a hot tub that overlooks the Tower. We paid $150/night for two adjoining bedrooms. Food is $12.50/day and is served family style. It was delicious, filling, and simple….the alternative is drive 20 miles into town. Frank charges $225/Day for guided climbing. A “Day” is however long you want it to be – some groups went out at 5:00 AM to beat the heat, climbed until lunch, then climbed again from 4:00 to 9:30 or later. My sons had never climbed before; the guides did a fantastic job. They can handle anything from newbs like us to very serious climbers (one of the other guests has a daughter who is a Bouldering national champion). The boys absolutely LOVED this. We arrived the afternoon before and walked the 1.3 mile trail around the Tower. There is a visitor’s center that has a nice selection of local guidebooks. After the short hike, we went to the local sundry shop – there is one at the gate and one across the street at the KOA – for ice cream…cash only, $3.00 for a scoop. We’d have been willing to pay $7.00/scoop.

Day 3-4 – drive into Rapid City. We stopped at Spearfish to buy pint glasses (I’ve been collecting for 20 years). We continued East on I-90 to the Minuteman ICBM museum – Exit 131. It’s the same exit as the Badlands National Park and the facility shares a parking lot with a Conoco gas station. We got there after the last set of tickets had been distributed - **THIS IS A CRUCIAL TIP** - the tickets are first come/first served and free of charge. DO get there early…we arrived the next day at 8:10 and the first tickets we could get were 11:00. We continued into the Badlands, which is interesting, but you get enough of the scenery fairly quickly. I’d recommend driving thorough and maybe stopping at a couple of the overlooks. 3 hours tops. It is geologically very boring – eroded mud in Wile E. Coyote shapes. It kind of reminds me of Monument Valley or parts of Canyonlands, but in miniature. If you DO go hiking, wear jeans or snake guards – there is a real rattlesnake problem there.

After the Badlands, we went to Exit 127 for the ICBM HQ – 45 min tour – then to Exit 116, which is a decommissioned missile silo. The HQ is ranger-guided, and the silo has a cell phone tour that you call. It has the blast door open and a greenhouse on top so you can see the missile. Definitely a VERY interesting tour. Everything is the way the crew left it when decommissioned in 1993, including a Time magazine with a young Hillary Clinton on the cover and a copy of Byte magazine with the new Intel Pentium’s featured prominently.

The boys had been good sports the whole day, so after the silo, we went to the WaTiKi indoor water park - $20 each. Don’t waste your money…though I’m sure it’s very nice during the middle of the winter. They have a short lazy river, huge hot tub, and 2 water slides. Instead, go to the outdoor one on the Mt. Rushmore road – 5 miles S of Rapid City. I don’t remember the name; but we saw it and regretted. I am told that the WaTiKi will be doubled in size soon, but I saw no evidence of new construction.

We stayed at the Hotel Alex Johnson….$100/night + tax. The rooms were clean and comfortable, if a bit on the small side (as you’d expect from a hotel built in 1928…that is just how they did things back then). Our room had a microwave and a mini fridge. There are other motels on I-90, but they seemed isolated and depressingly suburban sprawl-y. We ate dinner at the Firehouse Brewing Company. Two apps, three burgers, and three beers for me was $70. Service was delightful. Food was substantial and tasty, as it is at most brewpubs. The beer was just OK. We followed it up with a Baked Alaska on the rooftop bar/restaurant at the Alex. They will bring food upstairs from the Irish pub on the ground floor, if you want that. I saw other diners enjoying dinner, and it looked good.

Rapid City has a number of free outdoor entertainment options during the summer. It was roller derby when we were there, but most of the attractions were concerts. There is a cute little downtown area about 4 blocks square that is worth a stroll that includes a movie theatre and several restaurants. There are a couple of day spas in the area (which, obviously, we didn’t patronize) but that I might treat my “climber girl” to if I ever find her. Rapid City is near other climbing areas such as the Needles in Custer State Park…you could happily spend most of a week in Rapid City….

Day 5 – Mt. Rushmore and home. We ate breakfast at Taffy’s Silver Spoon, across from the hotel. I had the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and roe and a side of hash browns ($13 + $4); one of my sons had chocolate chip pancakes with bananas and a scoop of vanilla ice cream ($9); and the other one had biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were sweet and reminded me of cornbread without much cornmeal in there. BFast for 3 was $40.00. They also serve lunch and dinner.

Drove to Mt. Rushmore – what can I say? If you’re an American, you probably should do this. And attempted to tour Jewel Cave – here, as with the Minuteman museum, my advice is to go as early as possible and get your name on the list. We didn’t tour because by lunchtime, the first tour we could get was 5:30 – and we’d have still had a 6 hour drive home. Apparently Wind Cave does not require reservations. If we’d had some more time, a hike in the Black Hills and a dip in Horse Thief Lake would have been nice – perhaps followed by a night in one of the apparently thousands of motels in Keystone SD.