Black Hills, South Dakota
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The Black Hills is a mountain chain roughly covering the Northwest corner of South Dakota.
If you're in the tourism industry, the Black Hills is South Dakota's biggest tourist area, that stretches about 30 miles further to the West to Devil's Tower in Wyoming and 60 miles to the East to Badlands National Park and Wall Drug.
You can easily spend a week in the area, and it doesn't matter what your preferences are. Here's a list of the major attractions:
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Wind Cave National Park
- Badlands National Park (and Wall Drug)
- Devils Tower National Monument
- Custer State Park
- Historical/Party towns of Deadwood, Sturgis, Lead, Spearfish, etc.
- Jewel Cave National Monument (haven't been there yet)
On the other hand, it is a natural place to stop for a lot of travellers. The Black Hills are about halfway between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Lakes directly on I-90, which means millions will pass right through the region.
Of the four times I've passed through the area, three of them were because I'd been to Yellowstone, and followed I-90 home. The only time I didn't stop (but had planned to), was because it was three days after 9/11. After our hard reservations in Yellowstone, we just went home.
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| Click on the map for a larger view. This map was downloaded from the Black Hills site. |
Early every August for 10 days, is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I didn't know that when I planned the trip. We arrived at the Black Hills during the rally. Why you shouldn't be there:
Your car will be outnumbered by bikes a hundred to one. (I'm not saying bikers are bad. I'm saying if a car meets a bike, the car wins, doesn't matter who's fault. One really has to be more aware of their surroundings...) Entire areas within towns and even the towns themselves will be closed to 4 wheel traffic. (The main parking lot at Devils Tower was for bikes only. Cars had to park in the auxilliary lot.) All hotel rooms for miles will be booked. You'll even notice an increased number of bikes in Yellowstone, since it's a natural stop for all the Northwest bikers coming to or leaving Sturgis.
In any event, it might be wise to just avoid the area during that time. Unless you're specifically going to the rally, lol. I probably would have routed myself a different way home, but I didn't know about the rally until I was in Washington, and had plans by then.
The images on this page are ones tht just don't fit into any other page. Otherwise, there are links to pages of the attractions I do have that are within the Black Hills area.
The Black Hills, Wyoming, South Dakota
Related Links
| Custer State Park, South Dakota | |
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Custer State Park is my favorite state park,
located right in the middle of the Black Hills.
It is a large and scenic park with accessible wildlife on one end and mountain roads on the other. One of the attractions to this park, is the close proximity of Mount Rushmore to the North and Wind Cave National Park to the South, in addition to all the other things to see and do in the area. |
| Near Custer, South Dakota / 146 Images Visited Sep 1996, Sep 1998, Jul 2006. | |
| Mount Rushmore National Memorial | |
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Mount Rushmore National Memorial represents a monument
as big as the sculptor's ego. I admit, it's an impressive piece of art and
national pride, and if you're in the Black Hills area, a definite must-see attraction.
Just do it in the morning if you're planning on taking pictures.
Oh, and don't go there during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, unless you want to go to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. |
| Near Rapid City, South Dakota / 40 Images. Visited Sep 1996, Jul 2006. | |
| Wind Cave National Park | |
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Wind Cave National Park was originally created to
preserve Wind Cave, but was expanded to almost 30,000 acres, preserving the
grasslands and other wildlife habitat of the area. There is a sizable bison
herd here, as well as the obligatory prairie dogs...
The cave tour (the general tourist one) is very easy and either level or downhill, and best of all there's an elevator at the end. |
| Near Hot Springs, South Dakota / 40 Images. Visited Sep 1996, Jul 2006. | |
Okay, the following two really aren't in the Black Hills, but they're close enough...
| Badlands National Park | |
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Should you be East or Westbound on I-90 through Western South Dakota,
Badlands National Park is a no-brainer stop.
It's close enough to Rapid City and the sites and attractions around
there, to make Badlands a day trip should you be based there.
And be sure to stop in at Wall Drug for lunch, if it's possible. Be prepared to be there for a couple of hours just looking around. |
| Near Wall, SD / 134 Images. Visited Sep 1996, Sep 1998, Jul 2006. | |
| Devils Tower National Monument | |
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Devils Tower National Monument is a very cool place,
even if it doesn't have an airfield on the other side for a close encounter.
Located about 90 minutes West of the Black Hills, it is a cross between a
Native American sacred religious site and geologic wonder.
Just don't visit during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, unless you're there to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. |
| Near Moorcroft, Wyoming / 42 Images. Visited Sep 1998, Jul 2006. | |
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