5 days of granite peaks, bison and the Badlands

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. 1
   Morning

   Mount Rushmore

   The national memorial carved into the granite of Mount Rushmore, with the heads of four presidents sculpted by Gutzon Borglum from 1927 to 1941. The Lakota call the Black Hills Pahá Sápa and hold the whole region sacred, and the mountain is Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe Pahá, Six Grandfathers. The sculpture was built on land taken from the Sioux Nation in the 1870s, and the Sioux continue to demand its return. Check ahead on parking and access.

   Go when Morning, when the sun is on the faces.

   Local tip Walk the path below the carving, and read about the Lakota name for the mountain and the land. It is a place of mixed feelings, so give it a little quiet. Check ahead on parking and access.

   

   About 22 min walk1.1 mi
2. 2
   Morning

   Iron Mountain Road

   A scenic road over Iron Mountain, part of US 16A, with tight bends and tunnels on the way up to Mount Rushmore. Drive it slowly, pull off where there is room, and check ahead on the road and on tunnels before you take a large vehicle.

   Go when Morning, before the road fills, on the way up to Mount Rushmore.

   Local tip Take the bends slowly and use the pull-offs to look. The tunnels are narrow, so check ahead before you take a large vehicle, and check the road after snow.

   

3. Lunch

   A bison burger

   A burger of ground bison, leaner and a little sweeter than beef, served with onions and a pickle, a plain lunch before the carving at Crazy Horse.

   Local tip Ask for it cooked through, since lean meat dries out if overdone.

   

   About 37 min by car or transit15.0 mi
4. 3
   Afternoon

   Black Hills National Forest

   The forest that covers most of the Black Hills, mainly ponderosa pine, with aspen, bur oak and birch, and meadows at lower levels. Take a slow drive north through the pines, stop at a viewpoint, and stay on marked paths. Check ahead on road conditions.

   Go when Late afternoon (about 7:03 PM), on the road home through the pines.

   Local tip Take a slow drive and stop at a viewpoint. Stay on marked paths, carry water, and check ahead on fire warnings, road conditions and storms before you set off.

   

5. Dinner

   A steak and a baked potato

   A simple ranch supper of steak and a baked potato with butter and sour cream, a plain South Dakota dinner after the forest road home.

   Local tip Ask how the steak is cut and cooked, and take your time.

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. Travel from Black Hills National ForestAbout 33 min by car or transit11.2 mi

   Where Day 1 ended.
2. 1
   Midday

   Needles Highway

   The northern part of South Dakota Highway 87, a scenic mountain road named for the granite needles it threads through, with the narrow Needles Eye Tunnel. It is slow and winding, so take your time and check ahead on closures, since it can shut in the cold months.

   Go when Midday, with clear skies and dry roads.

   Local tip The road is narrow, with tight tunnels. Take it slowly, check ahead before you take a large vehicle, and turn back if snow or ice are about, since the road can close in the cold months.

   

   About 17 min by car or transit3.8 mi
3. 2
   Afternoon

   Crazy Horse Memorial

   A mountain monument under construction on privately held land, commissioned by the Lakota elder Henry Standing Bear to honor the Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, and sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski. Work began in 1948 and is far from complete. The mountain is sacred to some Oglala Lakota, and the Black Hills were promised to the Lakota in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which the United States broke in 1877. Check ahead on the visit.

   Go when Afternoon, as an indoor and outdoor stop.

   Local tip It is a monument to a Lakota leader on land sacred to some Oglala Lakota. Read about Crazy Horse and the Lakota where the exhibits allow, and check ahead on what is open.

   

   About 14 min by car or transit3.0 mi
4. 3
   Afternoon

   Sylvan Lake

   A lake among granite boulders in Custer State Park, made in 1891 by a dam across Sunday Gulch Creek. Walk the shore, look at the rocks, and start a hike toward Black Elk Peak or the Needles if you have energy. Check ahead on swimming, boats and trail conditions.

   Go when Afternoon, as the light softens on the rocks (about 7:03 PM).

   Local tip Walk the shore path among the boulders. Mind the rocks when wet, and check ahead on swimming, boats and trail conditions. Thunderstorms build fast in the hills, so head to the car if the sky darkens.

   

5. Dinner

   Walleye

   A freshwater fish of the northern lakes, pan fried or baked, mild and flaky, with potatoes and a vegetable, a plain supper after a day outdoors.

   Local tip Ask whether it is fried or baked, and squeeze a little lemon over it.

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. Drive from Sylvan LakeAbout 40 min by car17.2 mi

   Where Day 2 ended.
2. 1
   MorningBest early

   Custer State Park

   South Dakota's first and largest state park, a wildlife reserve of prairie and mountains in the Black Hills, with a herd of bison. Drive the wildlife loop slowly with the windows up near the animals. Bison, bighorn sheep and burros are wild, so stay in the car and give them room. Check ahead on the loop and on the rules.

   Go when Early morning, when animals are out, or late afternoon (about 7:03 PM).

   Local tip Stay in the car near bison, burros and bighorn sheep, and never walk up to an animal. Give them room on the road, and check ahead on the wildlife loop and the weather.

   

   About 33 min by car or transit11.3 mi
3. 2
   Morning

   Wind Cave National Park

   A national park of the first cave in the world named a national park, with boxwork formations found almost nowhere else, and a mixed grass prairie above it. The cave is said to breathe, as air moves in and out with the pressure. The Lakota hold it sacred as the place where they emerged from the underworld. Tours are timed, so check ahead.

   Go when Morning, as an indoor stop with a timed tour.

   Local tip Cave tours are timed, so check ahead and book if you can. The cave is cool and has stairs, so bring a warm layer and sturdy shoes. Above ground, bison graze the prairie, so keep your distance.

   

4. Lunch

   A picnic of sandwiches and fruit

   Sandwiches, fruit and a thermos on a picnic table among the pines, packed the day before since the caves are far from towns.

   Local tip Take it all out with you, and keep food away from animals.

   About 45 min by car21.2 mi
5. 3
   Midday

   Jewel Cave National Monument

   A national monument for Jewel Cave, the fifth longest cave in the world, another cave that breathes, named for the calcite crystals on its walls. It was the first national monument set aside to protect a cave. Tours are timed, so check ahead, and wear a warm layer and sturdy shoes.

   Go when Midday, as an indoor stop with a timed tour.

   Local tip Tours are timed and can be tiring, with stairs and cool air, so check ahead on the options. Wear a warm layer and sturdy shoes, and take it easy if you are not used to stairs.

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. Drive from Jewel Cave National MonumentAbout 2 h 15 min by car96.6 mi

   Where Day 3 ended.
2. 1
   Midday

   Badlands Loop Road

   The Badlands Loop, South Dakota Highway 240, a scenic road through the eastern part of Badlands National Park with pull-offs over the buttes and prairie. Take it slowly, and check ahead on the road and the weather.

   Go when Morning or late afternoon (about 7:03 PM), in softer light.

   Local tip The Badlands Loop runs through the eastern part of the park with many pull-offs. Take your time, stay clear of the soft edges, and carry water. Check ahead on the road and the weather.

   

   About 13 min by car or transit2.8 mi
3. 2
   MiddayIndoor

   Prairie Homestead

   A sod house built in 1909 by a homesteading couple, with a grass roof, one of the few sod homes left in the state, north of Interior. It also keeps farm animals and prairie dogs. Check ahead on the visit.

   Go when Midday, as a stop on the Badlands day.

   Local tip A sod house of 1909 built by a homesteading couple, one of the few left in the state, with animals and prairie dogs on the grounds. Check ahead on the visit.

   

4. Lunch

   Fry bread

   A flat dough bread, fried in oil, a food of many Native American nations, the Lakota among them. It may be eaten alone or with honey, or topped with meat and beans as an Indian taco. Its story is tied to hard times and forced removal.

   Local tip It is a dish with a heavy history, so eat it with respect and ask where it comes from.

   About 17 min by car or transit4.0 mi
5. 3
   Afternoon

   Badlands National Park

   A national park of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. The Lakota name is Makȟóšiča, bad lands. In the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie the United States assured the Sioux the Badlands were theirs, and in 1889 they were taken. The Ben Reifel Visitor Center is the place to start. Watch for rattlesnakes and stay on paths.

   Go when Afternoon into evening (about 7:03 PM), when the colours deepen.

   Local tip Start at the visitor center, then pick a short trail. The ground is crumbly and slick when wet, so keep to paths, watch for rattlesnakes, and check ahead on storms. This land is sacred to the Lakota and its stories are theirs to tell.

   

6. Dinner

   Sweet corn and grilled chicken

   Sweet corn on the cob with butter and salt, beside a plate of grilled chicken, a simple prairie supper after the long drive back.

   Local tip Corn ripens in late summer, so ask what is in season.

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. Drive from Badlands National ParkAbout 47 min by car22.7 mi

   Where Day 4 ended.
2. 1
   Morning

   Wall

   A small town on the prairie, close to the northern edge of the Badlands. Its Lakota name means town alongside the Badlands. A good place to fill the tank and a water bottle before the park. Check ahead on the road.

   Go when Morning, on the way into the Badlands.

   Local tip A small prairie town on the highway. Fill the tank and a water bottle here, since there is little between the town and the park. Check ahead on the road and the weather before you set off.

   

   About 30 min by car or transit8.6 mi
3. 2
   Midday

   Pinnacles Overlook

   A viewpoint on the Badlands Loop Road over sharply eroded buttes, spires and mixed grass prairie. Stay behind the railings, since the edges are soft and steep. Heat and wind can be strong, so carry water and sun cover.

   Go when Midday or later, when the light slants across the buttes (about 7:03 PM).

   Local tip Stay behind the rails, since the edges are soft and steep. The heat and the wind can be strong, so carry water and sun cover, and watch for rattlesnakes on any path.

   About 22 min by car or transit5.6 mi
4. 3
   MiddayIndoor

   Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

   A national historic site near Wall that tells the story of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. It keeps the last intact Minuteman II missile system in the country, disarmed, with a silo seen from above. Tours are limited, so check ahead.

   Go when Midday, as an indoor stop near Wall.

   Local tip It preserves a disarmed Cold War missile site, with a silo seen from above and tours of the control center. Tours are limited, so check ahead.