The last week of August, 2020, found the Rhodes Rules family in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota, which offered us a rich experience as we discovered and explored places we had only read about all our lives, and some we had just recently discovered. From the Cathedral Spires of Custer State Park, the four famous faces carved high on Mount Rushmore, to the otherworldly Badlands in the east, the Black Hills are home to many truly monumental places.
Custer State Park
Custer State Park was most definitely a highlight of our Westward Expansion trip. One of the largest state parks in the country, it is home to an array of scenic beauty and abundant wildlife, most famously its bison herds. In fact, it has been named as one of the World’s Top Ten Wildlife Destinations! While driving the many scenic roads, including the famous Needles Highway, Wildlife Loop, and Iron Mountain Road, we couldn’t help but think to ourselves how incredible Custer State Park is and wonder why it hasn’t been designated as a national park yet.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Of course we couldn’t visit South Dakota without experiencing Mt. Rushmore, where those “great faces” of America’s most prominent U.S. presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt – represent 150 years of American history. The patriotic sculpture towers 5,725 feet above sea level and is scaled to men who would stand 465 feet tall.
If you’re planning a trip to Mt. Rushmore, definitely be sure to check out our TOP THREE must-do recommendations here:
1 – The Presidential Trail
A half-mile loop where each president is highlighted with history provided by plaques found along the way.
Be sure start at the entrance to your left once you enter the park and follow the trail going in a clock-wise direction!
2 – Sculptor’s Studio
An historic building where tools and models used in the construction are on display, as well as exhibits that show the techniques used in the carving.
This building was constructed in 1939 as the second on-site studio for Gutzon Borglum.
3 – Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center
A museum where you can learn about the carving of Mount Rushmore by viewing exhibits and the 14 minute film “Mount Rushmore: The Shrine.”
Be sure to also take a look at the tools and models used during the carving, as well as images of some of the workers and historic film footage of the work. It’s truly awe-inspiring.
Badlands National Park
A day in Badlands National Park gave our family a true appreciation for the National Park System, as it was the first official National Park of our RVing travel adventures through the Western United States with our America the Beautiful National Park Pass. The Badlands, consisting of over 244,000 acres, have been so fiercely disrupted by wind and water that it has become quite the rugged landscape of extraordinary colorful spires and pinnacles, massive buttes and deep gorges. As with most of the sights we’ve seen so far, pictures don’t even come close to doing the views justice.
The most popular way to explore the Badlands is the Badlands Loop Road, which features over a dozen overlooks, pull-offs, and trailheads to experience 31 miles of amazing vistas the park has to offer. Each and every stop along this road granted a whole different perspective of the other-worldly landscape before us. Sage Creek Rim Road, a dirt/gravel road, provides glimpses of wildlife and views of the Wilderness Area of the park. Our hands-down favorite spot along this drive was Roberts Prairie Dog Town, where we walked a little trail among hundreds of adorable barking prairie dogs!
Badlands National Park offers some of the most incredible hiking opportunities. Our boys were ecstatic to learn from an informative park ranger that The Badlands has an Open Hike Policy, which means that you are free to roam about and hike, even off the designated trails. Just a few miles from Ben Reifel Visitor Center, we pulled over in the parking lot at the trailheads for the Window, Notch, and Door Trails, and followed the path for the Window Trail. It wasn’t long before Caleb and Levi had us climbing over huge boulders, squeezing through tiny openings, and teetering on sketchy ledges. This was the moment Jeff and I began to question ourselves, “What has taken us so long to visit our country’s national parks that were set aside for us all to enjoy?”
Our family also learned Badlands National Park contains one of the highest concentrations of fossils in the world. Parts of the park, including the Yellow Mounds Overlook area, were actually once the floor of an inland sea. We were sure to check out the short (0.25 mile round trip) Fossil Exhibit Trail, which features replicas of fossils of creatures that once roamed the area long ago.
The colors were absolutely indescribable and so captivating that we pulled over in a remote spot, climbed on top of a large berm, and sat in silence and wonder, awestruck at the beauty of the sun setting behind these marvelously vibrant rock and sand formations.
Finally, I can’t go on without highly recommending a sunset in The Badlands. On our way out of the park, we noticed the rocks, buttes, and spires transforming right before our eyes!
To end, I thought this quote from the Badlands National Park brochure would be appropriate. Conservation writer Freeman Tilden described this region as “peaks and valleys of delicately banded colors – colors that shift in the sunshine, . . . and a thousand tints that color charts do not show. In the early morning and evening, when shadows are cast upon the infinite peaks or on a bright moonlit night when the whole region seems a part of another world, the Badlands will be an experience not easily forgotten.”
Definitely, an experience the Rhodes Rules family shall never forget.
Please, if you have any questions, ask them in the comments below! Also, let us know if you’ve ever experienced the Black Hills of South Dakota!
Know Before You Geaux
Custer State Park
13329 US Highway 16A
Custer, SD 57730
605.255.4515
- Weekly park license is $20/vehicle. Motorcoach License is $3/person/visit.
- Open year round
https://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/parks-monuments/custer-state-park
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial
13000 Highway 244
Keystone, SD 57751
605.574.2523
- No entrance fee. Parking is $10/vehicle, $5 for seniors, free for active duty military.
- Hours vary by season. You can visit nps.gov/moru/planyourvisit/hours.htm or call 7 days a week, 8:00am – 5:00pm October through May, 8:00am – 10:00pm June through mid-August, 8:00am – 9:00pm mid-August through September.
https://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/parks-monuments/mount-rushmore-national-memorial
Badlands National Park
25216 Ben Reifel Road
Interior, SD 57750
- Entrance fee for 7 days: private vehicle is $30, Individual fee is $15, Motorcycle $25 (or purchase the America the Beautiful National Park Pass for $80 and use it at all National Parks!)
- Open year round, 24 hours
https://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/parks-monuments/badlands-national-park
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Have you dreamed about exploring the Black Hills of South Dakota? Join us in this episode of Rhodes Rules as we begin our exploits in and around Custer State Park and Rapid City, South Dakota.
The Rhodes Rules Family is back again in the Black Hills of South Dakota in this episode, exploring Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Badlands National Park. Come along so you can get some tips and hints to plan your own adventure to this amazing area!
