Family Fun: Guide to the Black Hills

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Visiting the Black Hills area of South Dakota is one of those iconic destinations that every family should try to visit once.  The Black Hills is actually a National Forest that encompasses Rapid City, Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, and is next to Custer State Park and The Badlands.  There are so many things to see and do in this area and these are some ideas for when planning your own trip.  A few years ago we took a family road trip to The Black Hills. We thought about combining it with our visit to Yellowstone, but there was just so much to see and do we that made it a separate trip a few years apart.  Here are some things we learned:

Camping

There are many places to stay in the Black Hills like hotels, cabins, and resorts. We chose camping because we love being in the outdoors. These are the campgrounds we stayed at on our road trip.

Grace Coolidge (in Custer State Park)

This is one of 9 campgrounds in Custer State Park.  Reservations can be made at www.campsd.com.  This campground has trees for shade and is next to Grace Coolidge Creek where there is a walk-in fishing area.   This campground is not too far from Mount Coolidge Fire Tower, the highest point in the central part of Custer State Park at 6,023 feet and built in 1939.  It is located on the East side of the park so was perfect for us driving in from The Badlands.

North Stockade Lake Campground (in Custer State Park)

The next night we stayed at this campground.  It can accommodate any camping unit. Historical sites located near this campground include the Gordon Stockade, Annie Talent monument, and the site where gold was first discovered in the Black Hills.  This campground is not far from the previous one, but on the west side of the park. There are also many cabins and lodges in the State Park that offer unique accommodations.

Mount Rushmore KOA (Resort and Lodge at Palmer Gulch)

We then drove north to this campground, which is close to Mount Rushmore.  We camped here for 2 nights but they also have a lodge and cabins to stay in. This is a huge place and has lots for the kids to do including water slides, jumping pillow, horse back riding, fishing and bike rentals.

Mitchell South Dakota KOA

Although this city is not in the Black Hills, I included it because it is a popular place to stop if driving in from the east. This is the town that has the iconic Corn Palace.  There are lots of little shops here to buy souvenirs and t-shirts.  Two things you will find most everywhere are Sturgis T-shirts and Copper Bracelets. (my husband always wears one like his grandfather who used to say it help heal his joints.  After his broke we have not been able to find one anywhere else in our travels).

There are so many things to see and do in the Black Hills.  Here are a few places we visited.

Attractions

Badlands National Park

This park is on the west side of Custer State Park and can be accessed from Interstate 90 at Wall drug (West side exit 110) or Cactus flat (East side exit 131).  It is a nice loop, almost like a bypass to the freeway so you won’t have to go too far out of your way to enter and exit.  You can then drive the Hwy 240 (Badlands Loop) and stop at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.  There is a live working lab here where we saw scientists cleaning and studying fossils found in park. There is also hiking, camping and fossil hunting in this park.  If you are taking the East entrance at Cactus flat, be sure to stop at the Conoco gas station.  Here you can see prairie dogs and even feed them.

Custer State Park

Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota and established in 1919 this was the first State Park and the Largest. It was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer who discovered gold in the French Creek.  One thousand three hundred bison are roaming free as well as burros that like to come up to your car and beg for food.  This is a must see park for camping, hiking and looking for animals.

Wildlife Loop Road

The 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park goes through the open grasslands and pine tree covered hills where you can often see bison, pronghorn, white-tailed and mule deer, elk, coyotes, burros, prairie dogs, and eagles. We drove through in the day but best to drive through the morning and evening when the wildlife are more active.

Needles Highway scenic drive

In 1922 this highway was completed and was planned by former South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck. Here you get to drive though tight winding spaces among the rocks jutting up towards the sky. There is an area where you can get out and climb on the rocks.  At one point you drive through a tunnel and only one car can fit in at a time.  It is unbelievable how rain, wind ice and water have created these amazing rock formations.

Crazy Horse

This is the world’s largest mountain carving sculpture still in process.  It is all privately funded . It is a memorial to Crazy Horse, who fearlessly defended his people.  There is a huge visitor center and definitely worth stopping at.  It is very educational and the kids enjoyed it too, especially looking at all of the historic artifacts.  Parking is free here but to enter it costs $11 per person or $28 per car.

Jewel Cave

This cave is located west of Custer State Park.  They only sell so many tickets a day and a set number of tours so be sure to arrive early. The last tour is at 3:40 pm in the summer. We came late in the day and had to go back the next day to take our tour. This Cave became a National Monument in 1908 and has 150 miles of passages. There is also a  large room discovered that is 570 feet long and 180 feet wide!  If you have claustrophobia this may not be for you.  This cave is unique in that it was formed not by underground rivers, but slow circulating acid rich groundwater. There are several tours available and ticket prices for the 1 1/2 hour scenic tour are
$12.00 – Adult age 17 & over
$8.00 – Youth ages 6-16
$0.00 – Child ages 5 & under

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Faces of our Presidents.  There is a $10 parking fee per vehicle but no fee to enter the park. We visited during the day but being there at night for the lighting of the monument is spectacular as well. I recommend the audio tour.  The kids each had their own audio stick and could follow the numbers along the path and learn about what they were seeing. It also kept them from bickering and they seemed genuinely interested. It was worth the $5 investment to have them occupied and happy.

Bear Country USA

This is an attraction we were not sure about at first.  It was recommended to us by a friend and I am SO glad we visited.  It was a place the kids will always remember and it is fun to look at all the pictures we took.  It is a 3 miles drive through several enclosures in a 200 acre space that have
black bear, elk, reindeer, deer, cougars, bobcats, rocky mountain goats, bighorn sheep, dall sheep, pronghorn and buffalo.  This was also a great place to get lots of cool pictures!  When else would you get to see a reindeer or elk or bears this close up? It is about 12 miles from Mount Rushmore and 8 miles from Rapid City. Just be sure to keep the windows shut!  Rates are max of $65 per carload or per person Adult $17, Child 5-12 $11 and Senior $15.

Cosmos Mystery Area

This place is 10 minutes from Mount Rushmore and not far from Bear Country USA. We took the 30 interactive tour of the mystery house and got to experience standing on a wall and seeing water run uphill! Seriously.  Not sure the secret but it is pretty cool! Pricing is  $11 for those 12 years and older
$6 for children 5 to 11 years old. Children 4 years and younger are free with an adult.

Deadwood, SD

We visited this city on another trip in which we passed through the Black Hills, known for Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock. There are reenactments of the shooting of Wild Bill that take place on the  street in the middle of town. There are also bars, casinos,  shops and ice cream.  We camped at the Days of 76 Campground with a last minute reservation. This was pretty much an open parking lot on the north end of town,  but we could walk to the main drag or catch the tourist bus from the campground.  I wouldn’t want to stay for anything more then sightseeing around town because there is quite a bit of road noise, but it had great clean bathrooms.

Wall

This is a tourist city known for its Free Water and lots and lots of shopping.  You will be amazed at how much can be cramped into one small space. It is for sure a place to visited at least once. Buy a bumper sticker and pick out some Black Hills Gold Jewelry.

The Black Hills area has many fun things for families to do!  There are many more things I have not listed. Have you been to The Black Hills?  Please comment below.  Need to save this information for when you plan your next trip to the Black Hills? Pin it!

Happy Travels!

Jennifer