Wow, South Dakota had way more to explore than we originally expected. Two National Parks, and arguably a state park that should of been a third. An old Cold War Missile Silo and two giant sculptures carved into the cliff sides - Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse.
Custer State Park
The biggest surprise of this part of the trip was Custer State Park. Having expected South Dakota just to be grasslands, the black hills were a pleasant change, providing great hikes, epic views and another great campground (which Mel highlighted as the best shower/toilet facilities she’s seen - hats off to Grace Coolidge Campground).
There are two famous drives in the park. The first is called the needles highway that zig-zags around and through granite spires, lakes and up and down a steep valley. The second is called Iron Mountain which is famous for having a tunnel that frames Mount Rushmore perfectly in front of you as you exit. The only thing that caught us off guard in this park were the wild turkeys… we nearly hit several as they seem unfazed by cars! Thankfully we managed to avoid an early Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Mount Rushmore was definitely worth a brief stop. It took both of us most of the way around the short viewing hike to figure out the correct order of the presidents on the cliff slide! We even went back to see them light up after sunset which was so tranquil and quiet compared to the daytime and would highly recommend to any of you planning a visit.
Crazy Horse Memorial
Arguably, Crazy Horse, which is the nearby Native American sculpture we found to be more impressive. Some of this I think was the cultural significance which was interesting to learn about, as well as its size and the fact it’s still unfinished, 56 years after it was originally started. When complete, which is still decades away, Crazy Horse will be the world’s largest sculpture. Currently only the head is finished which stands at a whopping 87.5ft tall. The hand, arm, shoulder, hairline, and top of the horse's head are estimated to be finished by 2037.
Badlands National Park
We drove the 39mile scenic drive that winds between a wall, a geological feature that splits the high and low grasslands. We were inspired by the large rock pinnacles and vivid colours of the rocks. We managed to score another fantastic camping spot in the National Park that allowed us to have panoramic views of the almost eerie rock formations that take over the landscape. Only downside was being two camp-spots away from guitar man who decided singing after the sun had set for 90 mins was appropriate! I think it was to drown out the prairie dogs that seem to bark throughout the night… having never seen these little creatures before this trip, they are popping up everywhere!
Minuteman Silo National Monument
On the outskirts of the Badlands, we stopped at a retired nuclear missile silo. A remnant from the Cold War, this one has been decommissioned and is now open to the public. Crazy to think at the height of the war there were over a 1,000 of these buried across the US, constantly on standby for nuclear armageddon. More crazy is there are still several hundred still active in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota.
Wind Cave National Park
Home to one of the largest cave systems in the world, we were excited to join an organised cave tour, until we found out the National Park Service were part way through upgrading the only lift/elevator and all tours had stopped for the season. While disappointing, we still explored the rolling grasslands and forests above the caves. We took a number of a hikes walking through multiple prairie dog towns (yes that’s right, the barking squirrels are back once again) and got yapped at most of the way. We also avoided the bison that seemed to want to chill on the footpath. Safe to say we gave them a very wide birth!
What’s Next
We will be heading for a pit stop at a National Monument in Nebraska before heading into Colorado to explore its 4 National Parks! First up is Rocky Mountain National Park. Might make it over the pass before the snow kicks in… here’s hoping!
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