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South Dakota: America’s Best Kept Secret Destination

After Yellowstone, we wanted to head east towards our next big bucket list item for this year: Michigan. To get there, we had to drive through South Dakota. Of course, we had to see Mt. Rushmore, but we found a whole lot more in South Dakota. We found out South Dakota indeed was America’s best-kept travel secret.

Perhaps you have been to South Dakota and in on the secret – Duh :-), or maybe you are one of those who know about the secret wishing those of us who find out don’t share (like motorcycle peeps of the famous Sturgis rally), or you are in our boat and never really considered South Dakota as a travel destination.

Western South Dakota offers so much, specifically in the Black Hills and Badlands. Granite peaks and ponderosa pine-dotted mountains to the beautiful painted and fossil-rich bluffs of the Badlands National Park. From the carved faces of Mt Rushmore and the needles, spires and hairpin turns of Custer State Park to the caverns of Wind and Jewel Caves, and from the otherworldly Badlands in the East to the Devils Tower in the west – South Dakota is a truly magnificent place!

Our Highlights in South Dakota:

  • Mt. Rushmore – always majestic and breathtaking. Just standing in front of these four presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln and surrounding by the beauty of the Black Hills, you are overcome with a sense of pride for America. We were able to visit the evening lighting ceremony where a ranger talk is given, and then all are asked to sing the National Anthem. Here we were, visiting days before the 4th of July, during a time of many riots and protesting in the country. We were surrounded by tourists from all walks of life, races, and backgrounds who all joined together singing and honoring our great country (yes – everyone was wearing masks) a real misty moment where our hearts swelled with patriotic pride.
Visit to Mt. Rushmore. We did arrive to find the main walkway under the flags closed for construction. The evening lighting ceremony was spectacular.
  • Devils Tower – technically in the northeast corner of Wyoming, Devils Tower was proclaimed by Theodore Roosevelt as the country’s first national monument. This geological wonder rises out of the ground, 1,200 feet tall. This impressive wonder is a sacred area for Lakota Northern Plain Indians and was also featured in the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
  • Custer State Park – Wow! Just Wow! Move over Yellowstone as we enjoyed this state park more than Yellowstone as we saw much more wildlife in Custer. There are so many scenic drives, perfect for a quick date night around sunset with the littles sleeping in the car seats. Custer State Park is home to a herd of 1,300 bison, and I think we got to see all of them, including getting stuck in a Buffalo Jam! The Wildlife Loop Road is your best chance for wildlife, and we saw prairie dogs, 43 deer (I counted), a herd of elk, pronghorns, wild turkey, and even the begging burros! Needles Highway with there narrow tunnels also winds through the area. Be sure to know your vehicle’s measurements as our big dually hips were too wide to drive through many of the tunnels.
Custer State Park Adventures – got caught in a buffalo jam, saw so many animals, took a few hikes and saw an epic storm.
  • Badlands – We didn’t know much about this National Park beforehand. Even with littles, its easy to meander through the north section of the park on SD 240, surrounded by towering buttes, dramatic cliffs, and spires. The 31 miles drive has numerous passes scenic overlooks and even a few short hike trails – perfect for little legs. Popping out of the prairie, these desert painted hills let your imagination wander for the early settlers who tried to make it in these lands.
If you are near the Badlands and short on time, the 31-mile drive and a two hours will give you plenty of time for all the photo overlooks and a quick hike.
  • Belle Fourche Scenic Drive to Devils Tower – The 52- Mile journey takes you through a picturesque river valley. As you enter Wyoming, you drive through a historic coal-mining hub of Aladdin then through beautiful ranches and grasslands with Devils Tower peaking out.

Overrated in South Dakota:

  • Deadwood – We checked out this old west town made famous by the discovery of gold in 1874. They do have an Old West shoot-out demonstration on the main street during the summer every two hours. But if you haven’t watched the HBO Show, or up on your history of Wild Bill Hickock, give this a pass as we found it mainly full of t-shirt shops and gambling casinos.
City of Deadwood features an Old West Shootout on Main St every 2 hours during the summer.
  • Crazy Horse Monument – at $25 a carload, we gave this a pass. You can see much of Crazy Horse from the road. They do have a night light show and have many exhibits to check out, but after 50+ years, we thought it would be further along since both John and I had seen Crazy Horse in the last 20 years and didn’t notice much progress.
  • Wall Drug – We had to stop even though it was a tourist trap. It was indeed a trap, the ice cream was disappointing, but the big mechanical dinosaur in the back was worth the scare factor to see the girl’s reactions! You will probably make a stop too as the 100 billboards promising ice water is hard to pass up and it is a great place for bored kiddos to stretch their legs.

Campgrounds to check out in South Dakota:

  • Elkhorn Ridge Resort in Spearfish, SD – probably our most favorite park to date! Great location to Devils Tower and Deadwood. Great pads, grass, and a fantastic pool. Girls loved the playground, and I liked the wine bar!
  • Fort Welikit in Custer, SD – very much liked our stay here but wanted to stay at Rafter J which is supposed to be amazing. This family-owned campground gives you an authentic mountainous camp feel with all the ponderosa pines. Their playground is a Fort complete with a jail, bank, and teepee.
  • Rafter J is known as the place to stay. It books up early, and we weren’t able to snag a reservation.
  • Mt. Rushmore KOA – didn’t stay here either but had campground envy when we drove by.
  • Be sure to check out our list of all the places we stayed and if a campground earns the BrightDaisAhead approval.

Nens Twins Approved:

  • Prairie Dogs – South Dakota has multiple stops to see these cute creatures. The girls got a delight of the prairie dogs and how they stood looking out of there holes. Devils Tower and Badlands were just a few of the places we got to visit a prairie dog village.
  • Begging Burros – found in Custer State Park, these burros were initially brought in during the gold rush in the late 1800s as pack animals and then a few were released out in the wild. Custer State Park has a herd of the descendants of those original burros, and when they see a car, they come over to your window, hoping for some apples or carrots.
Be sure to take apples or carrots to feed these begging burros. There is also a great Mexican Food Restaurant in the town of Custer named begging burro.
  • Belle Fourche – this little park is the geographic center of the nation. A 21-foot compass rose marks the exact spot. The girls loved the flowering park, but the real treat was to get to visit the historic home built in the early 1900s. Even at three years of age, the girls understood the difference in this old house to modern homes – “Mama, where is the fridge or TV?” Did I mention the historic buildings were FREE to visit!
  • Thomas Jefferson Vanilla Ice Cream recipe – Brighton especially loves ice cream, and the girls’ favorite flavor is vanilla. Using Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe, Mt. Rushmore concessions feature this tasty treat. (Shh! – I read the recipe – TJ uses eggs vs. just cream and sugar)

Wish list for our next visit:

  • The Caverns – Jewel and Wind Caves – all underground tours were closed during our visit due to COVID. Jewel Cave National Monument is the third-longest cave in the world with over 200 miles of passages. Wind Cave National Park was established by President Theodore Roosevelt as the eighth National Park. It is the seventh-longes cave in the world and is adorned with unique formations rarely found elsewhere.
  • Spearfish Canyon – with rugged limestone cliffs, forests, and three waterfalls, we want to spend time here exploring the beauty of the northern edge of the Black Hills.

We want to hear from you!

Comment below and let us know where you are or your bucket list of places to visit! We look forward to answering your questions or comments!