The area just west of Rapid City, SD where Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore are located is an outdoor enthusiasts paradise. With trails to hike, streams to fish, breathtaking scenic drives and an abundance of wildlife it’s no wonder this area caters to millions of tourists every year. If you are planning a trip to this part of South Dakota, there are several experiences in the area that you don’t want to miss. Read on to find out what you need to know, and make sure to check out all of our South Dakota articles to help you make the most of the time you have in the Black Hills.
Table of Contents
1. Sylvan Lake
Sylvan lake is a beautiful body of water located in the north west corner of Custer State Park. It can be accessed via the Needles Highway if you’re in the park, or by Highway 87 from the north. The Sylvan Lake area offers many activities to visitors…you can rent canoes or kayaks and get out on the lake, or try your hand at fishing for the trout, panfish and bass found in the waters.
The loop trail that goes around the lake is 1.1 miles in length, mostly flat, and comprised of packed gravel, making it a relatively easy hike for most individuals. The views from the trail can be stunning as it traverses the shoreline, and there are several large boulders along the way that kids and adults alike will enjoy scrambling to the top of, in order to enjoy the breathtaking views from that vantage point. There is even a small swimming beach located on the lake for those that are interested and cooling off on a hot summer day.
The nearby Sylvan Lake Lodge offers visitors a chance to grab lunch in their restaurant or stock up on drinks, snacks and souvenirs while they are there. Due to the many activities and its scenic beauty, Sylvan Lake is quite popular and parking can be somewhat limited. So, we suggest arriving at the lake early in the day when crowds are some what minimized.
2. Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is undeniably famous and has been featured in movies, books and magazines to0 many times to count. It took sculpture Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln approximately 14 years to complete.
The four granite heads featured on the mountain are each approximately 60 feet tall and were chosen to represent our nations birth (George Washington), growth (Thomas Jefferson), development (Theodore Roosevelt) and preservation (Abraham Lincoln). If you’ve never seen Mount Rushmore in person it is definitely worth the stop.
The Presidential Trail (located within Mount Rushmore National Monument Park) is 0.6 miles in length and paved most of the way. It does however contain 422 steps which may be challenging for some visitors. The trail allows you to get up close and personal to the Monument from below and helps you appreciate the size and scale of the work that was done here.
3. Needles Highway
The Needles Highway is a beautiful drive that runs from Hwy 16A in Custer State Park up to the north west corner of Custer where Sylvan Lake is located. This 14 mile road is part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and was once thought to be impossible to build by many engineers.
This spectacular drive twists and turns its way through the Black Hills providing visitors with awe inspiring views along the way. The highway’s name is derived from the rugged granite spires that rise majestically into the air. The road terminates at Sylvan Lake after passing through Needles Eye Tunnel, a one-lane tunnel carved into a mountain of granite that measures only 8’4″ wide by 11’3″ tall.
Expect a 45-minute drive one-way from end to end.
4. Iron Mountain Road
Iron Mountain Road is the portion of Hwy 16A that travels north after enteringCuster State park from the east on Hwy 36. This 17 mile stretch of highway, is an engineering marvel with wooden “pigtail” bridges (bridges that loop over their own road as they climb) and was designed in such a way as to force motorists to take it slow in the hopes that they truly enjoy the scenery during their drive .
Along the way to its termination at Mount Rushmore, visitors are treated to the scenic beauty of the Black Hills. As you near the end, be on the look out for Doane Robinson Tunnel.
This tunnel carved through the mountain is 13’2″ wide and 12’2″ tall and was designed to perfectly frame mount Rushmore while you’re heading north. It is quite an impressive site. Expect a 60 minute drive one way along this route.
5. Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is approximately one hour east of Rapid City, SD along I-90 near the town of Wall, SD. While not the largest national park, Badlands is definitely unique with its geography and scenic landscapes. Many of the park’s features can be seen while driving the Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) which runs through the park.
If time allows, the Notch Trail (located near the Ben Rafael visitor Center) is definitely worth your time. This hike is 1.5 miles round-trip and delves into the heart of the badlands. Along the way you climb a wooden log-ladder which was quite memorable and fun for our family. The views from the “Notch” at the end point of the trail were beautiful as well.
On your way out of the park, be sure to stop at Wall Drug in the town of Wall, SD before you get back on I-90 and head west to Rapid City. This eclectic store has become a semi-famous roadside attraction in the area and has great food (especially their cinnamon buns), souvenirs and knickknacks for the whole family.
6. Custer Wildlife Loop Road
This 18 mile scenic loop travels through the south end of Custer State Park as it winds through the Black Hills. As the name suggests, wildlife is abundant here and visitors can commonly see antelope, deer, coyotes, prairie dogs and the begging borrows on your drive.
But, perhaps the most well-known feature of the drive is Custer’s bison herd which roams the grasslands in the park’s southern end and can almost always be seen from the road. We have seen and experienced cars completely surrounded by bison and it makes for an extremely unique experience. Depending on “buffalo jams”, and whether you stop to feed the boroughs, we recommend planning around 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour for this drive.
7. Crazy Horse Memorial
The Crazy Horse Memorial is located just south west of Mount Rushmore. It’s still a work in progress and when completed will be the largest granite sculpture in the Black Hills. The carving is reshaping what used to be known as Thunderhead Mountain, which is considered to be sacred ground by many of the Lakota Indian tribal people.
The memorial is run by a nonprofit foundation and allows you to get up close and personal to this monumental task. When complete the memorial Wilkins is not only at the crazy horse culture but also the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center.
8. Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park is located about 30 minutes south of Custer State Park and is one of the longest and most complex cave structures in the world. Wind Cave was our nations 7th national park, and was actually the first cave to be part of the national park system.
The cave is so named because of the movement of air into and out of the small cave openings (relative to the cave size) and this movement can create a rushing wind as the atmospheric pressure inside the cave attempts to equilibrate to the atmospheric pressure outside of the cave.
Cave tours are available daily, but as the park is popular with tourists, advanced reservations or arriving early in the day is highly recommend.
9. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway
The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is the portion of Highway 14A that passes through Spearfish Canyon. Located 18 miles West of Sturgis, SD off of I-90, this drive is approximately 45 minutes from Rapid City, SD and is considered by some to be the most spectacular route in the Black Hills. Prepare yourself for 22 miles of breathtaking scenery as you wind through the canyon floor passing waterfalls, evergreen and deciduous trees along the way (or so we hear…this is one drive that is still on our to-do list).
Although it is only 19 miles in length, We recommend planning at least an 1 hour – 1 1/2 hours for this drive, which allows time to slow down stop and enjoy the scenery along the way.
10. Devil’s Tower National Monument
So, this one is a bit of a hike from the Mount Rushmore area, but might be worth the drive depending on how much time you have to spend. Devils Tower National Monument is located approximately two hours north west of Rapid City,SD and is actually located in the state of Wyoming.
Devils Tower is a butte that rises abruptly into the air above the Belle Fourche River and measures 867 feet from it’s top to it’s base. It was our nation’s first national monument, and receives remarkably few visitors every year, due mostly to its remote location. Hiking and camping at the monument are available.
And for those climbers out there, Devils Tower is considered to be one of the finest traditional crack climbing areas in the country. Permits to climb are free and required in the park.
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