RAPID CITY, S.D. — A whirlwind getaway jam-packed with world-famous attractions, scenery like nowhere else on Earth, wildlife, good food and even, if you want, gambling.
That’s what you get in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. In a single weekend, using Rapid City as our base, our family hit Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Wall Drug, Badlands National Park and Deadwood.
Along the way, we saw buffalo, antelope, bighorn sheep, burros and prairie dogs. We met a man who was one of the original workers on the construction of Rushmore, and we had several terrific meals.
Of course there is an argument to be made for a slower style of travel, soaking in the sights. But as New Yorkers on our first visit to the area, traveling with two boys whose travel mantra is, “Show us the wow, never mind the details,” a tour of the highlights was perfect for us.
Stops along our route were located a half-hour to about two hours’ drive apart, so we never had too much driving at once. Mostly, it was remarkable how much fun we managed to pack in to a mere 48 hours.
“So many times people from the coasts look at South Dakota as fly-over country, but we have so much to offer,” said Melissa Miller, director of the South Dakota Office of Tourism.
We started at Mount Rushmore. Who hasn’t seen photos of this place? And yet to view it in person is astonishing. You simply can’t get over the sheer hubris that it took to carve presidents into a mountain.
You glimpse the faces as you approach, but then, suddenly, you’re right there, staring up Jefferson’s nostrils. The reality lives up to the hype.
A highlight of our visit was meeting Nick Clifford, 88, a construction worker at Rushmore from 1938 to 1940. Today he greets visitors and signs copies of his book, “Mount Rushmore Q&A,” in the park gift shop.
My younger son, 11, was especially thrilled to meet someone with a direct connection to the monument. Later we found his name on a wall listing all the workers.
Next stop was Custer State Park. Driving the park’s 18-mile wildlife loop in a mere two hours, we saw buffalo, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and burros. Deer, prairie dogs and mountain lions live here, too.
“There’s probably no place better in the nation than Custer State Park to see wildlife,” said park spokesman Craig Pugsley. “In a short amount of time, you have a very good opportunity to see a number of species.” The hours just after sunrise and before sunset are best for seeing wildlife, he said.
We encountered a traffic jam in Custer as cars stopped to pet and photograph the friendly burros who happily stuck their heads in our car windows.
“They’re very popular,” Pugsley said. Petting the burros is not forbidden, but he said there are reports of bites “from time to time. You need to use your best judgment being around them.”
The bison herd is generally kept at about 1,300, and the calves, mostly born in May, are still pint-size by late summer compared with their parents. A roundup is held each year the last Monday in September to count, brand and vaccinate the herd. Some animals are sold at auction to keep the population manageable.
Custer Park is named for Gen. George Custer, who was famously defeated by American Indians at Little Bighorn, Mont., in 1876. Before Little Bighorn, he led an expedition of the Black Hills that discovered gold.
We stopped in the town of Custer for dinner and had a good meal of bison burgers at the Sage Creek Grille after visiting the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial.
This fascinating mountain carving was conceived by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear as a way to let “the white man to know that the red man has great heroes.” Crazy Horse fought at Little Bighorn, but was shot a year later by U.S. forces. A museum and film at the site help visitors understand what the memorial is designed to achieve.
Our second day in South Dakota started on the road to Wall Drug. In the mid-1930s, during the Great Depression, owners Ted and Dorothy Hustead put up signs along the highway to lure customers by offering free ice water. The signs are still there, but the store is now an emporium and major attraction. It’s lots of fun and a great place to pick up souvenirs as well as road-trip necessities. Perhaps my favorite place on the trip was Badlands National Park. You could spend days exploring this enormous and beautiful landscape — 381 square miles — but the park’s loop road can be done in about an hour. We were there about a half-day, stopping at scenic overlooks and hiking a few short trails. Do not miss Robert’s Prairie Dog Town, where you can see the curious critters popping in and out of holes.
The area was named the “badlands” by tribes and early explorers because the terrain was so difficult to travel through.
Then it was back to Rapid City. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, popular with families because of a 102-foot water slide.
Our whirlwind visit to South Dakota was over, and we hadn’t even made it to the Minuteman Missile Site or Jewel Cave. Next time, we’ll have to allow three days.
On the Web
Mount Rushmore National Park: www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm12C0BE9012250000128BAE6012849CE8 or 605-574-2523.
Custer State Park: http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/custer/127E7748128C3EE0128E6B9011D604A8128DCD38128512E8127D3650128E28882BF6BC60127D3438 or 605-255-4464.
Crazy Horse Memorial: www.crazyhorse.org.
Wall Drug: www.walldrug.com or 605-279-2175.
Badlands National Park: www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm2BE7D900128DCF702C0DA1482C119148.
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