llinois to South Dakota trip

[dr&momto2boys]

In the interest in saving money this year on a vacation we've settled on something more low key than usual... we're driving our motorhome to South Dakota.

We've never been out West and so far these are places we're interested in seeing:
Mount Rushmore
Yellowstone
Badlands (Don't even know what that is!)
Wall Drug
Corn Palace

What else should we see? How long should we allow at each place? Please recommend campgrounds, restaurants, etc. Any tips appreciated!

Is early June or early September a better time to travel there?

Thanks!

 

[Jess30]

I don't have specific recs for campgrounds or restaurants because it's been a long time since I've been to the black hills

Wall drug and the corn palace are pretty anticlimactic though. The corn palace, seriously, 5 minutes. It's a building with corn on it. It's a gymnasium inside.

Either early June or September would provide pretty good weather. It will probably still be pretty cool up in the hills at both of those times though, especially at night.

 

[mom2maggie]

Here are some other places you should consider checking out while you are there!

Wind Cave
Deadwood
Mammoth Site
Crazy Horse Memorial
Bear Butte

 

[OhMari]

The Badlands is an area off I90 or is it I94 that is rock formations right before Rapid City, South Dakota. Don't miss it. I fell asleep and my dh drove right on by and wouldn't turn around and go back. Tyrasaurus(sp?) Sue was found there. You might want to go to the Dinosaur museum in Rapid City, that is pretty cool.

The Corn Palace is more interesting on the outside, than on the inside. Our kids were more excited for Culvers across the street.

There is a Flintstone camp ground in Rapid City.

Devils Tower is pretty cool, it is about 50 miles west of Mount Rushmore.

 

[seasheller]

I really enjoyed South Dakota when we were there many years ago and want to go back this year. It is a very long drive of nothing between attractions, but I'm hoping to go hunting for pink quartz. I enjoyed the inside of the corn palace and was amazed that they change the outside every year. Still remember Wall Drug had great doughnuts! Don't miss Crazy Horse. Look at both museums. Mount Rushmore is impressive.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

My husband and i did the Badlands/Black Hills a few years ago, and it was a great trip. Skip the Corn Palace - like a PP said, it's more impressive from the outside!

We camped in Custer State Park where there are 3 main campgrounds. If you go in June (we went in early June) make reservations beforehand - only 1 of the 3 campgrounds had space when we pulled in day-of.

Make sure to drive the "wildlife loop" or something like that. I think that's what it's called. That's where we saw the most buffalo and prairie dogs.

Also, make sure to see the nighttime show at Mount Rushmore. It's not Disney - but it's good!

The weather in June was great. We had some thunderstorms at night, but day time temps were perfect for hiking/exploring.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

My best friend and her family did a westward trek last summer and had a blast. She said the Custer National Park was where they saw the most wildlife - more than Yellowstone. It was one of their favorite stops.

Devil's Tower is out there somewhere, I think. I remember seeing it as a kid and it was really neat. Dinosaur National Park is in one of the Dakotas, IIRC.

 

[Girlie Goofy]

hi, I am from the Black Hills area of S.D., now living in WY. There are lots of things to see and do in this area! Deadwood was an old mining town in its day, and now has gambling. The buildings are being restored to their original charm. They have the Adam's Museum there, lots of information about the history of frontier life. Lead, just up the road from Deadwood, was the home of Homestake Mine, at one time, one of the largest underground gold mine. They also have a museum there. These towns are located in the Northern Black Hills. In the Southern Black Hills there are also some interesting attractions. Hot springs has the Mammoth site. This is where they are excavating Wooly Mammoths and other animals discovered here about thirty years ago. There is also a large indoor swimming pool, fed by the natural hot springs in the area. Custer is another town with several attractions. Custer State Park, where you can drive through and see buffalo , mountain sheep, and feed the wild burros. There is a very nice camp ground in the park, and also in Custer. This is where Crazy Horse is located, and also a wood carving museum. The Needles,Iron Mountain Road (very scenic areas) can be viewed as you drive from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore. East of Rapid City, on ! 90, there is a small town of Belvediere. They have a replica of an 1800's frontier town. It is a nice place with lots of room for a motor home to take a break. It also has a nice campground. Further west on I 90, to the west, is Wall, and the entrance to the Badlands. Wall, S.D. is basically a gigantic gift shop, with mementos of the old west. The Badlands is a near desert landscape. Very rugged, windswept, with lots of pulloff spaces, and exhibits of fossils and other interesting exhibits found here. I believe the Flintstone themed campground is located in the town of Custer. Devil's Tower is located in Wyoming, just off I 90. Around the same area in Wyoming, and again, just off I 90, is the Vore Buffalo Jump. This is an attraction where the Indians ran the buffalo off a cliff so they could then butcher them for food. This also has a museum and artifacts. Yellowstone is a great distance from these attractions. if it's late in the day, you could stay in Gillette at the Crazy Woman Campground. If its earlier in the day, then you could travel on to Buffalo or Sheridan Wy. Both of these towns have amazing Western museums and campgrounds. Buffalo is a smaller town, but has an amazing museum, and locations of the Johnson County Wars. Like the previous poster stated, nights can get very col in the Black Hills and Yellowstone. We visited Yellowstone one year, during the last week of August, and ended up returning home early because of a snowstorm! I would suggest middle of June( all roads should be open) to the middle of August. Have a great time! I just remembered something- during the first part of August, they have a motorcycle Rally in Sturgis. Very crowded, and difficult to find motel rooms or camping spots then!

.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I don't have specific recs for campgrounds or restaurants because it's been a long time since I've been to the black hills

Wall drug and the corn palace are pretty anticlimactic though. The corn palace, seriously, 5 minutes. It's a building with corn on it. It's a gymnasium inside.

Either early June or September would provide pretty good weather. It will probably still be pretty cool up in the hills at both of those times though, especially at night.

I'd give Wall Drug 5 minutes and the Corn Palace a bit longer. I think we were there about an hour walking around and looking at all the stuff.

Badlands are areas that are hilly, usually not scenic like mountains, but their own kind of beauty. We lived in the badlands of South-Eastern Montana for five years. Hills tend to be rounded off with gullies in them from wind and water erosion. Sometimes you'll see the layers of rock in different colors.

You might even want to stop at the Little Big Horn Battlefield.

Depending on how big your RV is, you could have some problems getting around Yellowstone in some parts.

 

[wiigirl]

Here are some other places you should consider checking out while you are there!

Wind Cave
Deadwood
Mammoth Site
Crazy Horse Memorial
Bear Butte

 

[akcire]

In the interest in saving money this year on a vacation we've settled on something more low key than usual... we're driving our motorhome to South Dakota.

We've never been out West and so far these are places we're interested in seeing:
Mount Rushmore
Yellowstone
Bad Lands (Don't even know what that is!)
Wall Drug
Corn Palace

What else should we see? How long should we allow at each place? Please recommend campgrounds, restaurants, etc. Any tips appreciated!

Is early June or early September a better time to travel there?

Thanks!

Ok. I have a different take on this journey. SKIP IT. Seriously. My husband and I drove to Mt. Rushmore a few years ago. We went north from Chicago and hit parts of WI/MN (I think) on the way there and then to SD and down to NE through Omaha and Iowa on the way home. It was the most boring ride. Most of the things we saw were complete tourist junk.

Corn Palace is a local basketball arena inside with a concession stand. (The most redeeming thing I can say about them was I was able to purchase a floaty pen for my collection).

Wall Drug is a consortium of sellers of junk. Other than the famous 5 cent coffee and doughnuts in the back it was a bust. A lot of the outdoor stuff was closed to looking at while there. (A better big stuff to look at store is Jungle Jim grocery in Cincinnati; and they have the added bonus of being an excellent giant grocery with tons of options).

The Bad lands, were nice to look at for 5 minutes. After that, not so interesting.

Mt Rushmore was interesting but honestly the view in the National Treasure movie was much better.

We also stopped at Crazy Horse. I don't recommend that either. It was actually sad.

Also the communicated message by many of the SD citizenry we encountered about Native Americans was less inclusive than I expected and quite pejorative.

Oh, another SD gem. There are Casinos everywhere. Little back rooms all over with like 10 slot/poker machines. I'm not a big gambler, nor am I one to suggest morality laws; but really this just seems like a bad idea. I say that as someone who can drive to five casinos in less than a half hour.

Along the way, in MN one of the more interesting things was honestly the Spam museum (which is free). I've never even eaten Spam and it was at least interesting from a historical standpoint. We also took our picture with a giant Mr. Green Giant somewhere. I really don't remember where it was a free standing thing (free).

We skipped Deadwood, probably should have gone, but by that time we were done with tourist traps.

There are some ok places in Omaha, but nothing worth driving to.

If you want to go somewhere low key try a state park. I can tell you from personal experience the KY state park system is awesome. We stayed at a few and have not been disappointed. Alternatively just go to the Dells.

Seriously, nothing bad happened to us in any of these places it was just overwhelmingly disappointing. For the money you are going to spend to operate a motorhome 2000 miles you can have a nice vacation at a more local destination. If you choose to go bring your own groceries. I found most of the restaurants in the Dakotas to be of very poor quality and had a hard time finding healthy food options in the grocery stores. I think I ate bananas and yogurt (the dessert kind because it was all I could find) for like 3 days for breakfast, and I actually really dislike bananas. It was the only fresh produce I could find that wasn't terrifying. I was so happy when we hit a decent HyVee in NE. I spent way way way too much time there at the salad bar.

If you do go in Rapids City there is a Fairfield Inn that has an indoor water park attached, in case you need to get a room one night. It was very clean.

Clearly I am interviewing for a job with the SD tourism industry.

 

[Jess30]

Ok. I have a different take on this journey. SKIP IT. Seriously. My husband and I drove to Mt. Rushmore a few years ago. We went north from Chicago and hit parts of WI/MN (I think) on the way there and then to SD and down to NE through Omaha and Iowa on the way home. It was the most boring ride. Most of the things we saw were complete tourist junk. Corn Palace is a local basketball arena inside with a concession stand. (The most redeeming thing I can say about them was I was able to purchase a floaty pen for my collection). Wall Drug is a consortium of sellers of junk. Other than the famous 5 cent coffee and doughnuts in the back it was a bust. A lot of the outdoor stuff was closed to looking at while there. (A better big stuff to look at store is Jungle Jim grocery in Cincinnati; and they have the added bonus of being an excellent giant grocery with tons of options). The Bad lands, were nice to look at for 5 minutes. After that, not so interesting. Mt Rushmore was interesting but honestly the view in the National Treasure movie was much better. We also stopped at Crazy Horse. I don't recommend that either. It was actually sad. Also the communicated message by many of the SD citizenry we encountered about Native Americans was less inclusive than I expected and quite pejorative. Oh, another SD gem. There are Casinos everywhere. Little back rooms all over with like 10 slot/poker machines. I'm not a big gambler, nor am I one to suggest morality laws; but really this just seems like a bad idea. I say that as someone who can drive to five casinos in less than a half hour. Along the way, in MN one of the more interesting things was honestly the Spam museum (which is free). I've never even eaten Spam and it was at least interesting from a historical standpoint. We also took our picture with a giant Mr. Green Giant somewhere. I really don't remember where it was a free standing thing (free). We skipped Deadwood, probably should have gone, but by that time we were done with tourist traps. There are some ok places in Omaha, but nothing worth driving to. If you want to go somewhere low key try a state park. I can tell you from personal experience the KY state park system is awesome. We stayed at a few and have not been disappointed. Alternatively just go to the Dells. Seriously, nothing bad happened to us in any of these places it was just overwhelmingly disappointing. For the money you are going to spend to operate a motorhome 2000 miles you can have a nice vacation at a more local destination. If you choose to go bring your own groceries. I found most of the restaurants in the Dakotas to be of very poor quality and had a hard time finding healthy food options in the grocery stores. I think I ate bananas and yogurt (the dessert kind because it was all I could find) for like 3 days for breakfast, and I actually really dislike bananas. It was the only fresh produce I could find that wasn't terrifying. I was so happy when we hit a decent HyVee in NE. I spent way way way too much time there at the salad bar. If you do go in Rapids City there is a Fairfield Inn that has an indoor water park attached, in case you need to get a room one night. It was very clean. Clearly I am interviewing for a job with the SD tourism industry.

I tend to agree with a lot of what you wrote. I don't really see the appeal of this sort of vacation, but I live in Nebraska, so did a lot of this type of vacation growing up.

Omaha does have a great zoo though!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

LOL!

I appreciate all the input!

Well, it sounds like a relaxing vacation. I guess it's the family time and saying we've done it that we're after. We do want to visit all 50 states including taking the motorhome to Alaska someday.

Should we get a guide book at all? Just pick up brochures as we go?

 

[Jess30]

I'd just research on the internet and have a rough itinerary. There's brochures and billboards everywhere there.

 

[hercamore]

Wow, lots of opinions of Sd!

I live in mn, but travel on 90 Frquently to rapid city to visit my dd.

Super target, SAMs club, Walmart's, plus many regular grocery stores have a fine selection of fruit, Greek yogurt, meat veggies, no different than other states!

I would advise getting a travel book on Sd tourism. Custer state park is stunning. Saw hundreds of buffalo there last fall just before the sept roundup.

 

[mnrose]

The Black Hills is one of my favorite vacation spots. Sure, the drive across South Dakota is pretty dull, but it doesn't take THAT long...6-7 hours from Sioux Falls to Rapid City. And, there is so much to see and do. Forget the big tourist trap stuff, and explore all the incredible trails and natural beauty of the area.

Wind Cave is a MUST do. We loved it, and took the "Candle Light Tour", which was very special....I highly recommend trying to get reservations for this (an absolute MUST....very few walk ups are ever accommodated).

If you have any Little House fans in your family, it is worth the relatively short detour to go north of the Interstate to DeSmet Sout Dakota. We killed an afternoon and evening there, and found it very interesting and enjoyable.

This sort of trip is, IMO, less flashy than some vacations, but enjoying the quiet beauty of the Black Hills is just magical.

 

[LuvGoofy6]

I live in Rapid City, SD. Seeing Mt. Rushmore alone is worth the trip. It is definitely a laid back type of vacation. A drive through Custer State park is nice. If you like to fish then there are many great places to fish, many campgrounds, cliff jumping and hiking. There is a drive-in theatre in Hermosa which is about a 20-30 minute drive from Rapid. Wind Cave is wonderful and Crazy Horse would be a worthwhile stop. My family visits Keystone (yes, it is just a bunch of tourist shops on the way to Mt. Rushmore) but we like to get the wonderful fudge and taffy there. You can see them make the taffy and watch it being pulled. We get our picture taken in a shop that does old time photos (they dress you up in vintage clothing). Wall Drug is just fun to say you were there. It's hokey but a fun hokey. Definitely get a donut, they make great donuts. My brother was in Saudi and said that there was a sign up that said "150,000 miles to Wall Drug." It gave them all a smile because there are signs across the state of SD telling you how far you are away from Wall Drug. Deadwood has turned into a gambling town but there is still a bit of history up there. Mount Moriah is there, the burial place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock. I would visit the Adam's Museum while in Deadwood. I agree with PP's that the Corn Palace is a place that you could skip. The Landstrom's Black Hills Gold store is in Rapid. Landstrom's is the oldest Black Hills Gold Company. Other places of interest would be the 1880 Train and the Black Hills Playhouse. I don't think they have shows in September though. Early June can be cooler with rain. The Black Hills certainly won't offer the excitement of a Disney Trip but it is a great place to visit. The Black Hills are beautiful!

 

[3boymthr]

We did Wall Drug, Corn Palace, Badlands, Custer St. Park and Yellowstone as part of our grand adventure a few years ago. I thought the Corn palace was neat to look at other than that just Meh, but the kids loved it. Same goes for Wall Drug. The Badlands are neat. We only spent half a day there, but my aunt and uncle took their family there years and years ago and my cousin, then 10, found a fosillized "rhinocerus" tusk (really some 10,000 year old animal that lived here that was like a rhinocerus but hey, you say potato...) Anyway, we also did a day at Custer State Park and then a few hours at Mt. Rushmore. Then it was a day (14 solid hours) of driving to get to Yellowstone. Yellowstone was amazing and totally worth it.

I have to say that Custer was really good too. We saw some great wild donkeys, some great views of Mt. Rushmore, there were a ton of other animals and we saw more Buffalo there than we did in Yellowstone. We also had a great campsite there, very clean bathrooms, nice sites, right along a little river.

On the camping note. SD opens the campsites in Custer up to booking right around now and if you are planning on going this summer you really need to book the campsites now. Same goes for if you want to camp in Badlands (which is a national park) and Yellowstone. When we did our trip we drove from here to CA and camped most of the way.

BTW - I think we took two days to drive from Chicago to Mt. Rushmore, but that includes the stops at Corn Palace, Wall, etc. We may have taken three. I'd have to go back to our itinerary and look. I have to say that 400 miles a day is a very comfortable pace to drive EXCEPT going from Custer to Yellowstone. This is because of the mountains between the two locations, which slow driving speed considerably.

ETA - I have a couple of pics of the campsite we had at Custer if you want to see them.

 

[DenMig]

My family of 5 did this exact vacation in early June last year. We went with my inlaws in their RV. Champaign, IL to Rapid City, SD. Loved it. The weather was great in early June, if anything, it was cool. We had been there a few years earlier in July and it was way too hot. Very windy in Rapid City.

We stayed at the KOA in Rapid City. ( Previous time we stayed at the KOA near Mt. Rushmore). The Mt. Rushmore KOA had more going on, but we decided to stay in Rapid City for a more central location. Nice campground. Kids preferred the Mt. Rushmore KOA because of the water slide, horseback riding, mini golf, jump pillow, etc.

From the Rapid City KOA It was approximately a half hour ride to Hill City/Keystone/Mt. Rushmore, etc. Not bad at all. Will you be pulling your car ? We spent one day going out to Devil's Tower, and then Deadwood on the way back. Good time had by all. We spent some time in downtown Rapid City. In early June they had summer concerts, nice restaurants, and a statue of all the presidents on the various street corners downtown. Custer State Park is a must, a lot of buffalo on the wildlife loop. Keystone was touristy but fun. Mt. Rushmore is really cool to see, especially the closing ceremony. Definitely do the "walk" up to it. Also we went to a chuckwagon dinner and the kids rode horses there prior to the dinner. A little corny, but fun when in the "moment". Crazy Horse was a bit of a disappointment for us, but we went at closing and the laser show was interesting. If you are in the area it is definitely worth checking out. Wind Cave was fun. Needles highway has some beautiful views. There is actually plenty to do. We didn't stop in the Badlands but we did do Wall Drug. Touristy, but we felt like being touristy that day. We had a good time there, but wouldn't feel the need to go again. Also we rode the 1880 train between Hill City and Keystone. Once again touristy, but we aren't against being tourists on vacation.

Anyways, the RV trip from IL to SD created a lot of lifetime memories for us and our kids. I'm glad we did it.

 

[DenMig]

Oh yeah, I really enjoyed Bear Country USA, between Rapid City and Hill City. A drivethrough wildlife park for a fee. Plenty of bears roaming around, it was very cool. I definitely recommend Bear Country USA.