Mt. Rushmore?

[thewesterberg]

Sounds like there's potentially going to be a lot of DISers at Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone this summer! Count us in as one of them! Maybe we should all wear our Disney paraphernalia and be on the lookout for each other!

We're traveling with 3 other families (we all went to Disney last summer together). I haven't been to Mt. Rushmore area in over 10 years (we went that way and down into Colorado for our honeymoon). Growing up we went out that way a few times. This trip will be the first time for DS6. We'll be doing our trip plan next month - I look forward to seeing what others are planning and I'll post what we're thinking too!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I loved going to Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Deadwood and the Badlands. Forgot to mention the Black Hills too. I just realized we missed Devil's Tower. Darn.

We also did Bear Country USA. We had a bear climb the hood of my van and it carried his claw puncture on the front bumper until the day we got rid of the van. I don't know that I would want to go back there again. A van a few vehicles in front of us had it's bumper ripped off by 3 bears. I'm sure the family inside was terrified.

We tent camped at a KOA near Mt. Rushmore. That was fun even with the freak hail storm that happened.

I'd do it again except there's so many other places we want to see in the US too. LOL

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

It was one of our first family vacations when my youngest was about 3. Only a 7-8 hour drive from Denver, so that helped.

We only stayed 3 nights, but had a great time. The museum at Mt. Rushmore was good. All the tacky tourist places cracked me up - like they are stuck in the 60's. Bear Country, and some lizard land place with huge turtles and an alligator wrestler guy. Drove through Custer Nat'l park - very pretty. The boys swam in a lake there.

It met our need at the time. It was so cute how my youngest was so excited to see "the presidents on the rocks."

 

[leahjade]

what is the closest airport to fly into? Thanks for all this great info - we are considering this trip for July!

 

[Judy in Texas]

Anybody been there? My husband would like to take a vacation there this summer. Any advice on hotels or planning tips?
Thanks a bunch!

I see you are from San Antonio. Is this going to be a road trip? If so, drive up I 35 to Fort Worth and on the north side of town get on US 287. It will eventually take you through the Grand Tetons and right in the south gate of Yellowstone. Spend a few days there then head out the east gate and to The Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, some of the other places being mentioned. I did the trip in a week. The days we drove, that's pretty much all we did. Driving from San Antonio would add another 5 hours each way.

Mt Rushmore may look small to some; but, then most people see it from the observation area which is quite a distance away.

 

[hmacmahony]

I think everyone should see mt rushmore at least once.

Yes, I know there are no flashy characters, and no space mountains...but it is breathtaking in itself.

We were there this past summer with our kids, they were 7, 6, 4 and almost 2. They thought it was pretty cool, and honestly they are the ONLY kids in thier classes who have been there. They loved doing the jr ranger programs, and all have a vest, and have patches from yellowstone, mt rushmore, badlands, and a few other national parks.

We also did wall drug (you HAVE to go there), and sturgis (we were actually there the week before the big bike week, and left the day before it was offically going to start). We did bear country, a kangroo farm (which was HORRIBLE). We stayed at a KOA (and even stayed in a walmart one night while we were there, in our camper of course).

We came from Cody Wymoing, and yellowstone (both amazing). And on the way out of mt rushmore, we made a detour to the corn palace...corny, but still pretty cool to see.

We are planning this summer going from New jersey, to portland (actually the same route we took last year, but last year we came home through yellowstone, south dakota..), this year we will come down high way one, through LA, onto vegas, and the grand canyon...

Hitting disneyland along the way! We are thrilled, and can't wait. Some of our favorite things from our 8 week trip last summer, were the off the beaten path things that we didn't plan. We really had a ball in the Mt Rushmore area, and there are tons of things to see and do. We missed crazy horse (although I have seen it years and years ago as a kid, three times), I ended up sick as a dog and that slowed us down. The kids loved the badlands, I slept in the truck the entire day, and then when we went to walldrug, I slept in the truck as well (but have also done that as a kid).

My husband had never traveled as a kid, and my family always traveled. So, we wanted to make sure to try and see and do as much as possible with our kids, and they have been tons of places. After this summer, they will only have about 8 states left to go to.

While we love love disney, and have been there 4 times as well, there are so many neat things to see, that are not amusement parks.

have fun!

 

[minniebeth]

Thanks for all the information that you all have posted on this thread. We will be taking a road trip out west this summer and this area is on our list and very helpful. Thanks so much!!

 

[paysensmom]

Please keep your itineraries and guidance coming! I have a question about old faithful; I went to the website and there are several different cabins to choose from. Any preferences?

How about camping? We have a huge tent and love camping. Anybody done this for a week or more? If so, do they have showers and all that sort of thing there? Wouldnt want to be roughing it too much on our vacation!

 

[sadiebug]

Not sure if anyone posted this one or not...

It's in Murdo, about 1 and 1/2 hours from Rapid City (and a little past the Badlands and Wall Drug). It's an old west town with buildings you can go into, but the best part was the costume rental. For $5 they will outfit you from head to toe in old west garb! My DD9 and I were both saloon girls, and my DH and DS5 were both cowboys. Lots of fun and great pictures!

I also highly recommend the Badlands. The kids were in complete awe and we did spend a little bit of time hiking around in the area. We were there over Memorial Day weekend this year and it was really cool and hazy. If you go in the summer definitely take water with you.

Bear Country USA also ranked very high on the list. Bears wandering everywhere right outside your car!

We also really enjoyed Custer State Park and the buffalo. Watch out for the burros outside of the park! Our first day there we fed 2 burros that we found inside the park. Got out of the car, took pictures, petted them - no problem. On the way home we found a bunch of them outside of the park - about 10 or so. They must have been the renegades! Not thinking much about it we got out of the car to feed them. Bad idea!! They tried to knock my son over in order to get the bread from him (of course, him running around like a maniac didn't help!) and one of them kicked my husband in the shins. Funny story now - not so funny at the time!!

We stayed at the Comfort Inn on Lacrosse street in Rapid City. Nice big clean rooms with a microwave and refrigerator and free continental breakfast. Lots of restaurants and a Walmart nearby too.

 

[tink_lover]

We had a fabulous trip to the Black Hills in August. We stayed at the K Bar S Lodge in Keystone - highly rated by Tripadvisor. There are no "deluxe" type places to stay in the area. We enjoyed the K Bar - breakfast was included, there was no pool, we could see the faces of Mt. Rushmore lit up from the balcony in our room.

Like many who have posted, we enjoyed the Badlands immensely. They are strangely beautiful and watching the sunset over them is something I will never forget. I disagree about Wall Drug and find it a waste of time. The food choices in Wall are horrible. The lighting ceremony at Mt. Rushmore made me cry. Listening to a WWII vet talk about his life was something my kids will remember. We LOVED Crazy Horse and the light show there as well. We did not make it to Devil's Tower this trip, but hope to next summer on our way to Yellowstone.

Someone asked, and Rapid City is the nearest airport to fly into. There is a Radisson in the downtown area there, but again, most of the places are mom and pop-type hotels/motels closer to Mt Rushmore. There was a corvette-type car meeting while we were there. We talked to some of the owners around the evening bonfire. Apparently, they come every year to enjoy the lack of police presence on the winding/ terrifying roads. We heard many stories about driving 70+ mph on the Needles Hwy.

 

[Befferk]

Went in 2003. Lots to do, but you have to do your research ahead of time. Lots of good advice. I'll just add that we stayed here:

http://www.kempskamp.com/

Six of us stayed in one of the cabins for ~$100 a night. Very nice and scenic. In a nice little town, very close to Mt. Rushmore. We also took a day trip to Sturgis (non-biker time ) and Devil's Tower, drove through Custer's State Park, hiked to the top of Crazy Horse (was only allowed one weekend a year, not sure if they still do it), toured one of the caves, drove through the Badlands, went to Deadwood, and did a petting zoo. We had all ages - 20's, 50's, a teen, and a one year old. Of couse I prefer Disney, but I think my Dad prefers that trip.

 

[Judy in Texas]

If you are going to be stopping at several National Parks, consider getting a National Parks Pass. We got ours at REI. Here is information:

"America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Annual Pass - Cost $80. This pass is available to the general public and provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity Fee for a year, beginning from the date of sale. The pass admits the pass holder/s and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, at per person fee areas. (children under 16 are admitted free) The pass can be obtained in person at the park, by calling 1-888-ASK USGS, Ext. 1, or via the Internet at http://store.usgs.gov/pass."

Also consider purchasing National Park Passports, especially for each child. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Passport_Stamps Visualize a regular passport only thicker. The purpose is to collect ink stamps from each National Park, National Historic site, ranger station, etc. The stamps/ink pads are located in the visitor centers. It is fun to look back at all the stamps to see where you have been. There is also a Daytimer version of the passport. I have both but it's the small version I use regularly.

 

[disneyfan55]

We went to Mt. Rushmore for our vacation this year. Mt. Rushmore was nice, but the Black Hills and the Badlands were GREAT.

I highly recommend the cabins in the State Game Lodge, located right in Custer State Park. We only spent one night there, but wish we had stayed more. The visitor center is directly across the road. The majority of our stay was at the Circleview Ranch (search for it on Tripadvisor). Very nice bed and breakfast in the Badlands. It is a working ranch, but we never saw any cattle - they were elsewhere on the 3000 acres!

Expect everything to be much farther apart than it looks on the map and for drives to take you longer than expected due to heavy tourist traffic, animals, curves, etc. I believe Needles Highway is 14 miles long and it took us close to an hour to travel it!!! Some of the hairpin curves are 5 MPH!! We went in mid June and had no problems with traffic.

Don't miss...

Iron Mountain Road (be sure to take this road TO Mt. Rushmore so that you can see the monument through the tunnels as you approach.)

Wildlife Loop - If you stay at the State Game Lodge you will be VERY close to the Wildlife Loop. Lots of wildlife - buffalo of course. And be sure to bring snacks for the wild burrows. Yes, you are allowed to feed the burrows. Do NOT feel the prairie dogs (or the buffalo - LOL!)

Needles Highway - Wow! A VERY curvy road along the edge of the mountains, tight passageways. Incredible!

Spearfish Canyon Drive - very scenic. For once, you'll be in a canyon instead of on the edge of a cliff!

Badlands - You MUST visit the Badlands while you are there. The most incredible landscape!!!! Looks like the surface of the moon. My kids could have spent DAYS climbing on the formations!!

Hope that helps. Be sure to search the forums here - that is where I got most of my planning information!!

IN addition, Deadwood is great! They have small time gambling as well as wild west shows daily. Kevin Costner has a small casino and it's really neat. Also, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave national parks are nearby. Devil's Tower NM is in WY and about 1 hour away as well. We have a National Park annual pass and all will be free if you get one! I love that area of the country. If driving visit Wall Drug on the way from the east as well as the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD. Near Badlands there is Minuteman nhp as well where you can visit a missle station that was there during the cold war. Also, request info for the National parks and small towns and the states of SD and WY and they will send it all free!! Mount Rushmore, while nice isn't worth the trip just by itself, the surrounding area is wonderful!!

 

[disneyfan55]

When we did this trip we were doing the whole COUNTRY so didn't have a lot of time to spend in any one place.

We did one day in the black hills area,

3 days in YNP. Which was plenty for Yellowstone unless you are going into the back country, but not plenty if you also want to see Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole

We did miss A LOT. but still felt we did well to see what we saw.

Do I regret it, no.

But... we also saw, Crater Lake, the alkalai flats of OR, the Snake River (with the Canyon that was jumped by Evil Knevil (sp?)), Redwoods NP, the pacific coast highway, LA, LaBrea Tar Pits, GCNP, PF NP, Mammoth Cave, Gracelands, and, and, oh, and trains, lots and lots of mile long trains .

Yes, we did this (3 times) on our 6 cross country trips!! I just love the black hills area and have gone to the area on all but 1 of the cross country trips!! Cross country is so much fun. On 2 of the trips we visited DL as well. Three trips were back in the late 80s and the others in 2003, 2004 and 2005!! I really want to go again. It's so much fun planning and making my binders for each day!!

 

[defendthehill]

Mt. Rushmore is worth your time in my opinion. I would agree with many of the previous post that say other activities in the area will make your trip. The Badlands....are incredible! Wind Cave....absolutely worth your time even if you are not a person who thinks a cave would be cool. Vast open spaces....less busy than Disney....a different vacation but one I would do again in a heartbeat!

 

[pixiedancr]

what is the closest airport to fly into? Thanks for all this great info - we are considering this trip for July!

Rapid is your closest airport and it's not that far away...very very close I think Mt. Rushmore is like a ten-twenty min drive from Rapid or at least it seems that way when we are there. You can also fly into Denver and drive up if you want a cheaper flight. My sister lives in Sioux Falls and if you fly in there you will drive acrossed SD(it will take you around 5 hours to get from SF to Rapid) and then you can hit Wall Drug and the Badlands as they are on the way.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

Thanks everybody for all the posts. It sounds like so much to see in that area. I love places with beautiful scenery.
We went to Wa., Or. & Ca area last year seeing their area & it was awesome. The Redwood Forest, Crater Lake, Hurricane Ridge, Sea Lion Caves, & seeing Tidal Pools & that coastline was wonderful! And we ended at San F. & seeing the Golden Gate bridge.
We've decided to start traveling to areas we have never been to & this area sounds really neat. Just reading all the things you have seen & liked makes me even more excited to go.
Sounds like there is lots & lots to do & see so we'll plan on Yellowstone another time..hopefully.

 

[tink_lover]

Forgot to mention a couple other things - we originally planned to continue to Yellowstone, but once in Keystone, the kids had had enough driving and we stayed in that area. We also really enjoyed Bear Country USA and driving thru Custer Park to see the free roaming buffalo. One of the really cool things was talking to a man at the gift shop at Mt. Rushmore who was one of the original carvers on the monument. In one of the small towns near there, I think Custer? - there is a restaurant that only has 2 things on the menu - a large filet and a small filet. It was packed everytime we tried to eat there. Didn't make it this trip but hope to on another.

 

[disneyfan55]

Thanks everybody for all the posts. It sounds like so much to see in that area. I love places with beautiful scenery.
We went to Wa., Or. & Ca area last year seeing their area & it was awesome. The Redwood Forest, Crater Lake, Hurricane Ridge, Sea Lion Caves, & seeing Tidal Pools & that coastline was wonderful! And we ended at San F. & seeing the Golden Gate bridge.
We've decided to start traveling to areas we have never been to & this area sounds really neat. Just reading all the things you have seen & liked makes me even more excited to go.
Sounds like there is lots & lots to do & see so we'll plan on Yellowstone another time..hopefully.

Have a great time. Do contact the national parks (via there website) they will send any free info on the park to your home. Also contact the small towns you will visit or ones in the area (you may see something you didn't know about) also contact the states of SD and WY for their free info. Wait until you see all you get!!! We did this for cross country trips and I cut out and put the information by day in the binder!! Have fun planning!!