Our itinerary:
Day 1: Fort Pierre National Grassland
Day 2: Minuteman Missile Silo contact station, Prairie Homestead, Badlands National Park (hiked Cliff Shelf and Notch Trail), Wall SD
Day 3: Mt. Rushmore, Ellsworth Air Force Base Museum
Day 5: Theodore Roosevelt National Park (hike to Petrified Forest)
Our Lodging:
Day 1: Wilderness camping in National Grassland
Amazing! Nice mowed area for campsite.
Day 2: Custer State Park: Grace Coolidge Tent Area
Nice setting with a creek & waterfall behind us, but there was Sturgis traffic all night on US16A right in front of the site.
Day 3: Custer State Park: Blue Belle Campground
A typical family campground (lots of kids besides mine making noise) with the nicest camp showers I've ever seen. The Blue Belle Lodge Restaurant is very close. We had dinner and breakfast there. Too bad there is no playground. Big horn sheep were grazing in the campground in the early evening.
City is the geographic center of the US. I like AmericInn anyway, and this one was very nice with a lodge feel, a chess board, lounge with books, etc.
Day 5: TR National Park Cottonwood Campground
A beautiful setting surrounded by the Badlands and the Little Missouri River. The sinks had drain stoppers--a big plus for contact wearers. Lots of water spigots. The ranger had a campfire and gave a great nature program on a big screen. The campground stays fairly brightly lit and we could hear I-90 traffic and trains all night. Camping is first come first served, but there were plenty of open sites on the summer Monday we were there.
When we camp, 11 year old son & I set up the tent. Then our daughters unroll the bedding. We sleep all 6 in one tent on self-inflating foam mats. In the morning, husband rolls up bedrolls then 11yo son & I take tent down.
My Single Best Experience was being out on the open prairie with a 360 degree view of the sky and no sight or sound of people except two radio towers far away on the horizon and a rare airplane overhead. It was fun walking through the varying grasses.
Things that Surprised me
- South Dakota is not flat.
- Mt. Rushmore is carved into a small part of a large hill.
- Wall Drug is like an entire downtown.
What the Children Enjoyed Most
- The Notch trail in the Badlands: A log-rope ladder, a tiny bit of rock climbing and an amazingly high lookout. They love rugged hikes, and our 5 year old handled this well.
- Seeing Mt. Rushmore
- Eating buffalo burgers and buffalo stew
- Earning Junior Ranger badges/patches at each National site
- Being in Jewel Cave (sparked an interest in caving for my 11 year old son)
- Devil's Tower (All loved climbing in the boulder field, but the tower seemed to be thought provoking too. Our 5 year old told his Grandma about the painting of the bear legend right after he told about "the heads" (Mt. Rushmore). Our older kids noted the prayers placed around the tower and discussed how all people and cultures are spiritual, and right and wrong ways to share the Gospel.)
- The Petrified Forest: 5 yo climbed on rocks while older kids studied the petrified trees. Something for everyone, eh?
- Their favorite museums were the Theodore Roosevelt visitor center (history of the park, Mr. Roosevelt, guns, and ranching are all explored) and the Ellsworth AFB (looked at many planes, walked through a flight simulator, and sat in a fighter jet cockpit. 11 year old daughter especially liked the wall text. They learned about the Berlin Wall and more about the Cold War.)
- My older daughter and son planned a trip they're going to take in college that includes a repeat of Mt. Rushmore, more time in the Badlands, climbing at Devil's tower, the spelunking tour of Jewel Cave and some of the tourist stops we didn't make (the midwest's largest maze, a water park.) They'll take their little brother with them.
If I could have done only one thing, I would have gone to Theodore Roosevelt National park. There is prairie, forest, badlands, wildlife (bison, prairie dog town)--everything you really need to see when you visit this part of the U.S.
If I take another trip to the Dakotas, I would
- spend more time at Wall Drug! I wanted to buy some shirts or souvenirs and browse more. In fact, I would maybe try to arrive Saturday evening, spend the night, go to church then move along to my next stop.
- visit the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and spend a couple of days.
- spend a whole day in the grassland.
- I'm glad I saw Mt. Rushmore once, but I don't need to go back. I would visit Devil's Tower again if it was on my way somewhere, but otherwise once is enough.
- I'm glad we all wore hiking boots everywhere.
- I could have brought fewer towels.
- Always bring extra warm clothes--even when the forecast is in the 90's! (It was surprisingly cool the week we were out there.)
- Now I know why people say Indiana is a boring drive. ND and SD are long, but interesting.
- My town is small & rural by Northeast Wisconsin standards, but would be a major city in ND. However, I think I could adapt to life there easily if I moved for a job.
- The 723 steps in Jewel Cave were easy because the tour was so interesting and the pace was relaxed.
- You must call as early as possible to get into Jewel Cave or Minuteman tours.
- We were prepared for rattlesnakes but didn't see a one. 5 year old freaked out when a grasshopper landed on his knee, though. Most of us got chiggers or some other bug bites under our clothes. The mosquitos weren't too bad.
