To this Wanderer, there is nothing better than an epic family road trip. When traveling in America, there seems to be a list of sights that appear on most itineraries at some point. The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Blue Ridge Mountains, Washington DC and Mount Rushmore, to name a few. Today we are going to pack the car and head out to Keystone, South Dakota to check Mount Rushmore off that list. Countless times we tried to work South Dakota into an existing trip but, frankly, it’s just not on the way to anything! So, one year we made it a destination and it was the sleeper hit of the summer. Make sure that you allot more than a day or two for this stop though because the area is rich with majestic beauty, adventure, and awesome family fun.
1 – Mount Rushmore National Memorial
A view of George from the Presidential Walk
This mindblowing work of art makes your jaw drop when you see it in person. The gigantic carved granite images of Presidents; Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Lincoln boggle the mind and remain a herculean effort even by today’s standards.The heads are up to 60 feet tall, with George Washington’s being the tallest (his nose measures in at 21 feet tall). Each of the eyes is about 11 feet wide, and these guys were known for being good talkers which makes their 18 feet wide mouths understandable.
Work on the sculpture began in 1927 by Gutzon Borglum and was completed in October of 1941. As with any project of this scope, battles arose over funding, design, and direction, but the end product is a masterpiece. As each of the figures was finished there was a dedication ceremony held (partly to help keep interest and funding coming). Washington was revealed in 1930, followed by Jefferson in 1036, Lincoln in 1937 and Roosevelt in 1939.
The Visitor Center, Museum, and surrounding area add to the experience. As you approach the memorial you walk through the Avenue of Flags which certainly sets the mood as it draws you into an amphitheater for viewing and presentations. Mount Rushmore is beautiful any time of day, however, being there for the lighting ceremony in the evening is an unforgettable experience. If you feel like a little wandering, take the 0.6-mile Presidential Trail which will get you a little closer to the sculpture (there are 422 stairs, so make a note if you are feeling stair challenged)
So much more to see and do at this national treasure, so make sure that you do your research before you visit.
2 – Crazy Horse Monument
Inspirational!
About 16 miles southwest of Mount Rushmore is another incredible artistic feat being carved in the granite of the Black Hills. This one is a work in progress and delivers a powerful juxtaposition to its more famous counterpart. It is a memorial to the original people of the land, their life, their experiences and their beliefs. You can’t walk away without a better appreciation for, and, in this Wanderers’ opinion, sorrow and regret for what we did as a nation to, these incredible people.
There is a preamble to their mission on their website and it sums it up well:
History repeatedly has witnessed the submergence of minorities. The culture and tradition of the conquered not infrequently have been lost and posterity has been deprived of valuable record. Thus history has left its imprint on the Dakotas. The cultures and traditions of the North American Indian, in their sociological, political and economic progression, are in danger of being obliterated. Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota chief, sensing this calamity, conceived the idea of a portrait likeness of the Lakota leader, Crazy Horse, carved out of the lasting granite of his Paha Sapa. To create this memorial he enlisted the sympathies of Korczak Ziolkowski, who already had given much of his time, energy, artistic skill and resources to the initial phases of such a project.
Others with no less worthy motives advocate a memorial with kindred purposes in the nature of an institution of present, pulsing vitality. It would be cruel indeed if only one ideal could be expended. But no such choice was necessary. As Korczak Ziolkowski conceived it, this monument may well be the symbol, the impelling force to perpetuate the active memorial… (read more)
3 – Wind Cave National Park & Jewel Cave National Monument
When I found that there were caves to explore in the Black Hills it called me even more! I consider myself a closet spelunker, and will make a stop or plan a trip around a cave any chance I get! These two caves systems are quite different but both beautiful and great fun to explore.
During our visit we took the regular guided tours and while at Jewel Cave we added the Lantern Tour to our itinerary. The Lantern Tour is family friendly and fun as you head on out into the darkness which is illuminated only by the lanterns that your group is carrying. It was a fun tour and the kids in the group loved it! They also offer more extreme wild cave touring for different skill levels. Our agenda didn’t offer me up the time to do any of these here, but it reminded me of an awesome off-trail exploration that I was lucky to do in Carlsbad Caverns one time – but that is a different story!
All of the tours take you into dark somewhat closed-in areas and you will need to maneuver pathways and many stairs during your trip. With any cave exploration, remember that the inside temp is going to be significantly colder (about 49 degrees) than it is outside so dress appropriately in jackets and closed toed shoes. Both caves are about an hour from Keystone and well worth a visit. If you only have time for one – do your research and see what tours and activities best suit your family. Our research told us that Jewel Cave has more of the classic cave formations than you’ll find at Wind Cave, however, to us it was a toss up on which we enjoyed more.
4 – Custer State Park
This was not on our original agenda but became one of our favorite parts of our entire vacation. Custer State Park encompasses over 71,000 acres and offers up activities of all varieties. On our visit, due to time, we opted to drive the Wildlife Loop Road. This 18 mile-ish loop takes you into the incredible scenery of the area’s open grasslands and rolling hills. That is just the pallet though, the medium are the park’s wildlife that calls this area home. They include buffalo, bighorn sheep, antelope, deer, elk, coyote, prairie dog, and numerous birds. Also, some of the park’s wild “begging” burros live at the southernmost end of this road. The park is home to one of the worlds largest buffalo herds and seeing these powerful animals wander freely on the range by the hundreds is an amazing site. Do not miss this park on your trip!
5 – Badlands National Park
Colorful crevasses
As if you haven’t seen enough already, Badlands National Park offers up another, completely different geological experience here in South Dakota. The desolate wind struck hills create an other-worldly environment and are home to one of the world’s richest fossil beds. As with all parks, there is an abundance of activities available including hiking and biking. The day we set out to the Badlands, the weather turned on us so we stayed dry in our car and took Loop Road through the park. It was beautiful and this 31-mile stretch happens to pass through some of the most amazing buttes, cliffs, and multi-colored spires that you may ever see. The park sits about 75 miles from Keystone so perhaps this can be on your agenda for your trip in or out of the area.
6 – Wall Drug
Wall Drug Store, established in 1939, is one of the most iconic roadside attractions in America. The locals called the city of Wall, “The geographical center of nowhere.” But Ted Hustead had a different idea about that and over the years his ‘PT Barnum’ style has allowed it to grow into an internationally recognized landmark. In the beginning, he and his wife would stand and watch as travelers whizzed by their store. Ted, being the resourceful man that he was, decided to put up signs on the highway offering Free Ice Water to thirsty passers-by. That did the trick and he realized that the billboard was king and he began putting them up – en masse! They read “Wall I’ll Be Drugged” and “Wall Drug Or Bust” in every state of the union (At their peak in the 1960s, Wall Drug had over 3,000 highway signs). It’s a kitschy, fun atmosphere filled with things that will delight the young and the old. And yes, they still serve free ice water.
7 – Bedrock City
Matt with The Real Housewives of Bedrock
The last stop on the Triptik was closed in 2015, but I can’t write anything about South Dakota without giving a shout out to one of my childhood memories – Bedrock City. When I was about 10 or so we were on a family road trip with my grandma, aunt, uncle and one of my favorite cousins and we got to go back in time and visit the Flintstones and the Rubbles in their hometown of Bedrock. This place was a Hanna-Barbera fan dream come true. You could walk into their houses, sit in their cars, and get a photo taken with them (well, fiberglass statues of them anyway). That place was seared into my head and when my wife and I went back in the early 2000’s I proudly took her back to the stone age where I shared a few memories as we made new ones of our own. Yabba-Dabba-Do!
South Dakota is off the beaten track but it should be on everyone’s list of places to see. Make it a priority on your list. Be Forever Wandering But Not Lost!