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Vacation Advice from the HROT'ers

LutherAce

LutherAce

HR All-American
Oct 31, 2002
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We're taking a driving trip from DSM area to the black hills/Rapid City area at the end of the month. Wife (no pics), 10 and 8 yr old. So far, this is the list of things we came up with...looking for other recommendations of must do's vs. avoids. Staying 5 days in Rapid City.

Mount rushmore
Bad lands
Crazy Horse
Wall drug
Devils tower
Custer state park
white prairie dog town
Evans plunge mineral springs
Deadwood
Wooden bigfoot (keystone)
Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper Club
Rush Mountain Adventure Park
 
If the young ones don't mind staying up, I would try to do Rushmore at night when it's dark and they have it lit up. Give yourself plenty of time when you stop in the Badlands. I would do any hiking you want to do in the Badlands rather than in the Black Hills if you were to pick only one. We stayed at a KOA last time I was there and my cousins' kids all loved it. They had a water park and mini golf for when you're just hanging out.
 
Dad accidentally took us to Sturgis when we were kids. There was no internet and he couldn't figure out why so many bikers were on the road. I highly recommend eating pizza on the picnic tables out back of restaurants with the New Jersey branch of the Hell's Angels. They were good dudes.

Consider visiting:
Crazy horse
I thought the mammoth site was cool but I was hella into dinosaurs and fossils as a kid. https://mammothsite.org/
Note Devil's Tower is an extra 2-3 hours from most everything else on your list.
 
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It’s been 20 years since I’ve been there (and I was a kid) but I remember not being impressed by Crazy Horse. Kind of a tourist trap.

Loved the badlands. Midsummer is gonna be hot hot hot though.
 
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millah_22 said:
Crazy horse is good for a 5 minute stop to see it and say "yup, thats it."
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You can actually drive to the entryway and have a great view of the monument and just do a U-turn.


Sylvan Lake is very nice.

sylvanlake00060.jpg
 
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Saw Crazy Horse in 1976. Looked like a mountain and not a lot else. But, they said they were going to be "done" in 9 years!

Here we are close to 50 years later, and it looks like his face is done, or close to it.

But, you probably have to see it, just to understand the scale of the project. If they ever finish it it's going to be very cool.
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Saw Crazy Horse in 1976. Looked like a mountain and not a lot else. But, they said they were going to be "done" in 9 years!

Here we are close to 50 years later, and it looks like his face is done, or close to it.

But, you probably have to see it, just to understand the scale of the project. If they ever finish it it's going to be very cool.
Click to expand...
Didn't the money, for that, dry up?
 
Someone can correct me, but I think it's Rushmore Cave that's near Keystone. I thought is was pretty cool and the kids enjoyed it (ours were 10/14/18 at the time).
 
LutherAce said:
We're taking a driving trip from DSM area to the black hills/Rapid City area at the end of the month. Wife (no pics), 10 and 8 yr old. So far, this is the list of things we came up with...looking for other recommendations of must do's vs. avoids. Staying 5 days in Rapid City.

Mount rushmore
Bad lands
Crazy Horse
Wall drug
Devils tower
Custer state park
white prairie dog town
Evans plunge mineral springs
Deadwood
Wooden bigfoot (keystone)
Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper Club
Rush Mountain Adventure Park
Click to expand...
Pretty good list. I have been there 15-20 times. Was just there 3 weeks ago.
Your kids are perfect age.
1- When you enter Badlands there are trails to hike. Notch Trail the best.
2-Hike around Sylvan lake.
3-Needle highway is a beautiful drive. Kids can get out of car and climb. You will go through tunnels.
4-Bring apples and carrots to feed wild burros in Custer state park.
 
You'll see the Wall Drug signs as soon as you cross the state border. We had no intention of stopping there knowing but after so many billboards, decided f it, will be a break. It is what it is, a big tourist trap but was worth a quick stop. Devil's Tower is worth the drive. Watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a kid so it was cool to see up close. Avoid Deadwood, wasn't really anything there for kids back when we stopped at it. Bars, casino's and gift shops. Crazy Horse really isn't either but by visiting you do cough up some $ to help pay for it. Mt Rushmore, try to attend a lighting ceremony. My kids enjoyed the Mammoth Site. Needles Hwy and the Badlands were my favorites.
 
We did this exact trip 2 years ago with about the same age kids.

We did:
- Wall drug. Good rest stop for an hour.
- Mt. Rushmore got there early before the big crowds hit
- Custer state park is a must. Some parts are beautiful. I second Sylvan Lake. We picnicked there, hiked and even caught a few trout.
- Horseback riding or rent a UTV. We did horseback and I wish we had another day to rent a UTV.
- Deadwood is fun for about 2-3 hours. They have a show they act out a few times a day in the middle of the street. God a beer and some ice cream. Go to the cemetery on top of the hill for an amazing view.
- Spearfish Canyon. Hike to Devil's bathtub. Its a natural waterslide(short depending on water flow) but fun. Can get busy.
- We didn't have time to do Devil's tower.
- Only spent a few hours at Badlands on the way home.
- Honestly my three boys had the most fun creek jumping. Twice we just drove until we found a nice creek for them to play in. They had nets and tried to catch minnows etc.
 
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Doodads and Hoohah said:
We did this exact trip 2 years ago with about the same age kids.

We did:
- Mt. Rushmore got there early before the big crowds hit
- Custer state park is a must. Some parts are beautiful. I second Sylvan Lake. We picnicked there, hiked and even caught a few trout.
- Horseback riding or rent a UTV. We did horseback and I wish we had another day to rent a UTV.
- Deadwood is fun for about 2-3 hours. Go to the cemetery on top of the hill for an amazing view.
- Spearfish Canyon. Hike to Devil's bathtub. Its a natural waterslide(short depending on water flow) but fun. Can get busy.
- We didn't have time to do Devil's tower.
- Only spent a few hours at Badlands on the way home.
- Honestly my three boys had the most fun creek jumping. Twice we just drove until we found a nice creek for them to play in. They had nets and tried to catch minnows etc.
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I just did Devil's bathtub 3 weeks ago with 6 and 8 year old grandsons.
We also hiked to top of Little Devils Tower which is in Custer State Park.
 
If you're in the Sylvan Lake area, take the easy hike up to Black Elk Peak. It's the tallest peak in SD, but not that bad, and an easy, well marked hike. There's a fire tower up top that's kind of cool. If you can swing it, go up there to watch the sun set. Just remember to bring a flashlight.
 
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LutherAce said:
We're taking a driving trip from DSM area to the black hills/Rapid City area at the end of the month. Wife (no pics), 10 and 8 yr old. So far, this is the list of things we came up with...looking for other recommendations of must do's vs. avoids. Staying 5 days in Rapid City.

Mount rushmore
Bad lands
Crazy Horse
Wall drug
Devils tower
Custer state park
white prairie dog town
Evans plunge mineral springs
Deadwood
Wooden bigfoot (keystone)
Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper Club
Rush Mountain Adventure Park
Click to expand...
Wind Cave National Park is right there for you to enjoy. For God's sake don't walk up the a buffalo.
It's probably too late, but try and book at least one night in one of the cabins in Badlands. It's stunning at sunrise and sunset, and, you can go for a hike in the early AM before it gets hot.
There is a museum next to Ellsworth AFB that is excellent. It's run by the state of SD, but they have about 1 of everything that's ever flown in and out of Ellsworth on display. A few years ago you could set up a tour onto the base to see a mock up of a Minuteman silo. There is a visitors center east of Rapid City with a really nice museum covering the missile component of our nuclear triad. Look now, but you probably won't be able to book a tour of the launch center that has been preserved. Right of the interstate is a silo you can stop and look down into. It's spooky AF to look down, then look over to the interstate a few hundred yards away and realize that thing sat there for decades. as traffic whizzed by.
 
lucas80 said:
There is a museum next to Ellsworth AFB that is excellent. It's run by the state of SD, but they have about 1 of everything that's ever flown in and out of Ellsworth on display.
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We did this outside of Omaha (Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum) right at the beginning of Covid...we were the only ones in the hanger and the kids went and played hide and seek amongst the planes. They enjoyed that part of it, the planes, not so much.
 
Derekd3408 said:
This. Way better than Custer IMO. You can spend hours in Custer and not see shit.
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Scenery and hiking in Custer was nice. I would go back to do some hikes I wasn’t able to do last time I was there (snowed 4 inches on labor day weekend a few years ago.). I don’t believe there are bears in the black hills but lots of bison…
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Saw Crazy Horse in 1976. Looked like a mountain and not a lot else. But, they said they were going to be "done" in 9 years!

Here we are close to 50 years later, and it looks like his face is done, or close to it.

But, you probably have to see it, just to understand the scale of the project. If they ever finish it it's going to be very cool.
Click to expand...
You can see it from the highway….
 
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RollingBallofButcherKnives said:
Scenery and hiking in Custer was nice. I would go back to do some hikes I wasn’t able to do last time I was there (snowed 4 inches on labor day weekend a few years ago.). I don’t believe there are bears in the black hills but lots of bison…
Click to expand...
There are definitely bears in the black hills, just not a lot of them. I never really include hiking in my recommendations when there are young kids, it might not be something the kids are into. We went a few years ago with my whole family and the kids were over hiking after 15 minutes. Ages 12-4. They all had a blast at Bear Country and Reptile Gardens.
 
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LutherAce said:
We're taking a driving trip from DSM area to the black hills/Rapid City area at the end of the month. Wife (no pics), 10 and 8 yr old. So far, this is the list of things we came up with...looking for other recommendations of must do's vs. avoids. Staying 5 days in Rapid City.

Mount rushmore
Bad lands
Crazy Horse
Wall drug
Devils tower
Custer state park
white prairie dog town
Evans plunge mineral springs
Deadwood
Wooden bigfoot (keystone)
Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper Club
Rush Mountain Adventure Park
Click to expand...

Not going to lie, I'm concerned for your two kids.

Looks like a bunch of boring stuff for young kids.

Sorry if I'm way off.
 
HawkMachine said:
Not going to lie, I'm concerned for your two kids.

Looks like a bunch of boring stuff for young kids.

Sorry if I'm way off.
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Depends on what the kids like. The trip my family took to SD when I was 13 was my favorite family vacation. My kid loves SD and can't wait to go back every year.
 
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Take a day in the middle, go to devils tower and then on to Crow Agency. Depending on which guide is doing the presentation, Custer's last stand is chilling. Seen it a few times and would go back again, some presenters are better than others, but all of them are worth the trip.
 
LutherAce said:
We're taking a driving trip from DSM area to the black hills/Rapid City area at the end of the month. Wife (no pics), 10 and 8 yr old. So far, this is the list of things we came up with...looking for other recommendations of must do's vs. avoids. Staying 5 days in Rapid City.

Mount rushmore
Bad lands
Crazy Horse
Wall drug
Devils tower
Custer state park
white prairie dog town
Evans plunge mineral springs
Deadwood
Wooden bigfoot (keystone)
Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper Club
Rush Mountain Adventure Park
Click to expand...
So close to Yellowstone, keep driving 7 more hours. Then Glacier National Park is only 6 more hours away then Banff is only 4 more hours away. So 1 more day of driving and look how much more you cover and knock them all out in 1 trip!
 
HawkMachine said:
Not going to lie, I'm concerned for your two kids.

Looks like a bunch of boring stuff for young kids.

Sorry if I'm way off.
Click to expand...
the list isn't gospel...just things we came up with in basic searches...which is why i chose to dip my toes in the pool of knowledge that is the HROT...some really great ideas in here that we probably wouldn't have found/seen that we'll end up doing

keep 'em coming!
 
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LutherAce said:
the list isn't gospel...just things we came up with in basic searches...which is why i chose to dip my toes in the pool of knowledge that is the HROT...some really great ideas in here that we probably wouldn't have found/seen that we'll end up doing

keep 'em coming!
Click to expand...
If you drive needles hwy or spearfish canyon I would recommend doing so in a side by side. They are available to rent all over the place. Way better experience IMO.
 
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