Planning a trip to Mt. Rushmore/Yellowstone - help needed

[Iowajes]

Your dog won't be allowed in the National Parks..just a heads up!

Jill in CO

We've double checked and she is allowed in the camp sites and on paved roads in the US NPs. Most of our hiking will take place in state parks and the Canadian national parks, and she can go on trails there.

 

[tcherjen]

I will look forward to reading your posts about your trip. Planning on this in 2017. Going to try NYC this summer. I like the idea of the tour.

 

[marthachick]

I live in Rapid City so if you need hotel recommendations, just let me know. Since you only have one day on your own, I would second the suggestion of driving through Custer State Park - don't miss Sylvan Lake for a beautiful place to stop and see the scenery. Or, if that is part of your bus tour itinerary, another option would be to head up to Deadwood and through Spearfish Canyon. If you let me know where your stops on the bus tour will be in this area, I can maybe help more.

Hope you have a wonderful time! It is a beautiful place and there is lots to see and explore!

We are planning our South Dakota trip for this summer. We are planning to stay in Rapid City for 3 or 4 nights. (I need to nail down the schedule) I would appreciate some recommendations of where to stay that are as budget friendly as possible as well as clean. We don't need fancy.

 

[sdjen]

We are planning our South Dakota trip for this summer. We are planning to stay in Rapid City for 3 or 4 nights. (I need to nail down the schedule) I would appreciate some recommendations of where to stay that are as budget friendly as possible as well as clean. We don't need fancy.

If you could give me an idea of when you might come, that would help. There are some higher priced times in the summer due to different events. Also, do you need a nice pool? (Any kids coming?)

There are some mid range hotels right off the interstate on Lacrosse street that would probably work.

 

[marthachick]

Our kid is 24 and will be coming but he loves a pool. He has to check his work schedule. We are planning to avoid Sturgis Week and Cheyenne's Frontier Days due to crowds and additional cost. But it will probably be between mid-June and end of August.

 

[aprilgail]

I can give you 2 hotels NOT to stay in- In Wall SD- Days Inn and Motel 6. We got into town late so we had to take what we could get--checked into Days Inn and checked right back out. Went to Motel 6 and it was bad but we stayed the one night because we were so tired! We are really not motel 6 people to begin with, we try to stick to Marriott brand hotels but it was late and we were so tired after driving 16 hours that day (though 2 time zones so we kept gaining daylight!) but boy were those places bad!

 

[marthachick]

I can give you 2 hotels NOT to stay in- In Wall SD- Days Inn and Motel 6. We got into town late so we had to take what we could get--checked into Days Inn and checked right back out. Went to Motel 6 and it was bad but we stayed the one night because we were so tired! We are really not motel 6 people to begin with, we try to stick to Marriott brand hotels but it was late and we were so tired after driving 16 hours that day (though 2 time zones so we kept gaining daylight!) but boy were those places bad!

Sometimes knowing where NOT to stay is as important as knowing where to stay! Thanks for the warning!

 

[sdjen]

Our kid is 24 and will be coming but he loves a pool. He has to check his work schedule. We are planning to avoid Sturgis Week and Cheyenne's Frontier Days due to crowds and additional cost. But it will probably be between mid-June and end of August.

My personal favorite would be the Hilton Garden Inn but that can run a little higher sometimes. For a lower range hotel the Americinn was clean the one time I've been there. Both have small indoor pools. I will warn you that hotels can be quite expensive in the summer. If you narrow it down to a few choices I would be happy to chime in with my opinion.

 

[Bearvet]

We are going in July 2016 and have booked houses through vrbo.com or homeaway. We are 2 families traveling together and this was a much better option than hotels, especially when we split the cost. We're spending 3 nights in Custer https://www.vrbo.com/607927#photos and 2 nights in Lead https://www.vrbo.com/587893. Of course, there are smaller places for 1 family. We are very excited!

Just another option to consider. I also scour tripadvisor for hotel reviews and they tend to be accurate.

 

[manning]

DH and I got married in Grand Teton NP this past summer because it is my favorite place in the world. You will love it!

That being said, I understand not wanting to miss the scenery, but I don't think I would ever take a guided tour here. I have been on guided tours in Europe and they are just so rush, rush, rush. There are amazing places in Grand Teton and Yellowstone that you won't see from a bus and I can't imagine they will take you.

After our wedding, we went straight into a 3 week road trip honeymoon out West and hit 13 national parks including Yellowstone. I am happy to talk about specifics for each of the places you want to visit since I have been to them all. It might seem like we did a lot in 3 weeks, but we had an amazing time and didn't really feel rushed. We went hiking, took bike tours, spent time at museums and stopped whenever we wanted for photos or to have a picnic lunch. It was a great mix of planned and spontaneous, which is the best type of trip. We called the shots and that is why it worked. DH and I split the driving so that we could both watch scenery and relax. We planned it out so most days we only drove a couple hours and the rest of the trip was spent doing activities.

Kind of remind you of that film "If it's Tuesday it must be Belgium"

 

[novotek]

Thank you everyone for your responses! We decided to go with Caravan Tours because we don't have time to plan out everything ourselves. Caravan was definitely cheaper by far than other tour companies we just explored. We will be arriving in Rapid City, South Dakota a day early and will have time to drive and explore that area on our own before we join our Caravan tour in Rapid City. We are not into hiking but will be looking for pretty views and getting out of the car to enjoy them and will google things to do in the Rapid City/Mt. Rushmore area for that extra day on our own. If anyone has any tips for these two areas, I would appreciate them! Thanks again!!

Thank you again everyone for your suggestions. My husband and I will be traveling alone on the trip. We will be arriving in Rapid City, SD around noon on 9/26/16 and will rent a car at the airport to do sightseeing that day and will stay that night at the AMERICINN LODGE & SUITES RAPID CITY, which we booked on our own and seemed pretty reasonable and very nice. We will continue our sightseeing the following day, 9/27, until we have to meet with our tour (Caravan Tours) at the Adoba Eco hotel in Rapid City that evening. Therefore, our available time on our own that we need to pre-plan (including meals) is from about 1:00 PM on Sept. 26 from the Rapid City Airport until dinnertime on the following day (Sept. 27, 2016), when we must report to our tour for 7:00 PM at the Adoba Eco hotel in Rapid City. Is doing the Needles Highway and stopping for lunch at Custer State Park doable for our timeframe vs. going to Sylvan Lake, Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon? How long does it take to do Needles Highway and back to Rapid City? We are looking to see breathtaking scenery (no hiking). We have requested a brochure from www.visitrapidcity.com.

Caravan Tours has provided the following as the itinerary for this area for the next day (9/28): "Have a morning visit to Mt. Rushmore National Monument and the sculptured faces of the presidents there. Then drive to the Crazy Horse Memorial. We will then visit the Indian Museum of North America, then return through the Black Hills to Rapid City. We will then have free time to explore the historic district and stroll the Presidential Walk with life-size statues of American presidents." That will be the end of the tour in this area, and then we will continue with the tour to Little Big Horn, Montana, which is all pre-planned by the tour until the end of our trip.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'm going back a couple years, but I think our round trip through Needles/Custer was about 5 hours including lunch & a stop at the visitor center. We pulled over NUMEROUS times to take pictures.

 

[novotek]

View attachment 143979 I'm going back a couple years, but I think our round trip through Needles/Custer was about 5 hours including lunch & a stop at the visitor center. We pulled over NUMEROUS times to take pictures.

Thank you for the time frame and for the beautiful photo.

I just ran across "Iron Mountain Road" under scenic drives for Custer State Park on the web. It is also described as a gorgeous drive.

 

[trip]

In case you didn't know, August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turns 100! Not sure how much more crowded the parks will be this summer but I would make plans sooner rather than later.

 

[kathy884]

I'm planning a mini trip to South Dakota in August (five nights / five days), and FYI this is what we will be doing there. The people on Trip Advisor just helped me iron out my itinerary. Note that other major attractions in the area we won't be hitting are A - Devil Head -- It's in Wyoming and about two hours from where we are staying in Hill City, a little further than we want to venture from our home base. B - Wind Cave and C - Jewel Cave (I hear these are great, and they are pretty close by, but you need to get there early to get tickets in August and we're not all that interested in caves, more interested in other stuff in the area - have been to plenty of caves in our lifetime and have even been spelunking).

What we will be doing:
-- Flying to Rapid City and renting a minivan. Getting supplies from a Super Walmart in Rapid City
Night 1 -- staying in Cabins in the Badlands National Park (about an hour and 20 minutes from Rapid City) - The Badlands are really unique. It's like you are in another planet.
-- Badlands Day (Minute Man Missile Site tour (I'm getting up early to secure tickets for the ranger program -- tour is about 45 minutes) / Main Road thru park to Wall with outlook stops (240 is the road number) -- This can take between one to three hours depending on how often you stop / Wall Drug stop - just quick) -- (This day also includes a drive from Wall to Hill City area for next lodging about an hour away). We'll be staying at the Powder House Lodge cabins in Hill City that are about 4 miles from Mount Rushmore for four nights.
-- A Crazy Horse memorial /Sylvan Lake/Needles Highway most scenic parts day // Crazy Horse is a memorial in stone that is currently being worked on about a 1/2 hour from Hill City. Hill City FYI is about 45 minutes from Rapid City. (Sylvan Lake and the Needles Highway are in Custer State Park which people said is really like a National Park) // Crazy Horse is on our way to Sylvan Lake Highway 244 to 89 and about a 45 minute drive if there is no traffic. Next we'll do a scenic drive on the most scenic part of the needles highway (87) about 20 minutes out and turn around at the picnic area and head back to Sylvan Lake). Next we'll walk around Sylvan Lake and then drive back the same way we came to Hill City.
-- A Wildlife Loop/Creekside Trail hike/walk/Mt. Rushmore look day (Heading down to Custer Park for the wildlife and easy hike/walk and taking 16A -- a scenic drive to Mount Rushmore) // We'll take 16A a very scenic route out to Custer Park to start. I think it's called Iron Mountain Road. Then we'll do the Wildlife loop in Custer State Park. Then it's a hike on the creekside trail in the park (flat -- more of a walk). Next it's on the scenic road 16A back to Hill City. They say south to north is the best because you see Mount Rushmore framed. Next we'll stop at Mount Rushmore. Without traffic, google maps says 16A is a 45 minute drive from Hill City to the Wildlife loop starting point.
-- A Spearfish waterfall short walk/hike / Sturgis dinner with friends day. It's a good hour an 15 minutes to a waterfall trailhead for an easy waterfall hike in Spearfish called Roughlock Falls. I hear it's very scenic. Then it will be another 45 minutes to Sturgis, and 50 minutes back to Hill City after dinner and visiting with friends who happen to live in Sturgis.
-- A Bear Country/Reptile Garden day (one at least -- both if we have time) before a late flight back. Bear Country USA and the Reptile Gardens are tourist attractions in Rapid City that people rate highly.

Anyway, maybe this will give you some ideas.

Note that Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park are a good 12 hours further west from South Dakota. When we go there we usually fly into Jackson, Wyoming, Idaho Falls, ID, or Bozeman, Montana -- each 1 1/2 to two hours from an entrance to one of these parks. These parks are vast and last trip we stayed at several different locations, so as not to back track.

 

[hsmamato2]

Note that Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park are a good 12 hours further west from South Dakota. When we go there we usually fly into Jackson, Wyoming, Idaho Falls, ID, or Bozeman, Montana -- each 1 1/2 to two hours from an entrance to one of these parks. These parks are vast and last trip we stayed at several different locations, so as not to back track.

This. Vast is a good word,if you're not used to these distances..( I wasn't,very impressed though!)

 

[hercamore]

Heres my .02 as a frequent visitor to Rapid City visiting family. For lodging, I would check out prices on the Country Inn and Suites, Lacrosse St, and the new Hilton Garden Inn nearby. Also, there are several newer hotels on Elk Vale Road, near the new Target centered retail and restaurant area. This area is the "happening" place in Rapid as far as new growth for stores and restaurants. There are 2 brand new hotels near Cabelas across the interstate from Target I can't recall the names of, but just google new hotels near rapid city cabelas..

Also, keep in the mind that traffic is heavy and slow (think campers) in the summer in Custer Park in some areas. We spent 7 hours one day last summer doing the wildlife loop and needles highway, plus eating at the State lodge in the park. State lodge has a wonderful lunch buffet.

 

[hercamore]

I'm planning a mini trip to South Dakota in August (five nights / five days), and FYI this is what we will be doing there. The people on Trip Advisor just helped me iron out my itinerary. Note that other major attractions in the area we won't be hitting are A - Devil Head -- It's in Wyoming and about two hours from where we are staying in Hill City, a little further than we want to venture from our home base. B - Wind Cave and C - Jewel Cave (I hear these are great, and they are pretty close by, but you need to get there early to get tickets in August and we're not all that interested in caves, more interested in other stuff in the area - have been to plenty of caves in our lifetime and have even been spelunking).

What we will be doing:
-- Flying to Rapid City and renting a minivan. Getting supplies from a Super Walmart in Rapid City
Night 1 -- staying in Cabins in the Badlands National Park (about an hour and 20 minutes from Rapid City) - The Badlands are really unique. It's like you are in another planet.
-- Badlands Day (Minute Man Missile Site tour (I'm getting up early to secure tickets for the ranger program -- tour is about 45 minutes) / Main Road thru park to Wall with outlook stops (240 is the road number) -- This can take between one to three hours depending on how often you stop / Wall Drug stop - just quick) -- (This day also includes a drive from Wall to Hill City area for next lodging about an hour away). We'll be staying at the Powder House Lodge cabins in Hill City that are about 4 miles from Mount Rushmore for four nights.
-- A Crazy Horse memorial /Sylvan Lake/Needles Highway most scenic parts day // Crazy Horse is a memorial in stone that is currently being worked on about a 1/2 hour from Hill City. Hill City FYI is about 45 minutes from Rapid City. (Sylvan Lake and the Needles Highway are in Custer State Park which people said is really like a National Park) // Crazy Horse is on our way to Sylvan Lake Highway 244 to 89 and about a 45 minute drive if there is no traffic. Next we'll do a scenic drive on the most scenic part of the needles highway (87) about 20 minutes out and turn around at the picnic area and head back to Sylvan Lake). Next we'll walk around Sylvan Lake and then drive back the same way we came to Hill City.
-- A Wildlife Loop/Creekside Trail hike/walk/Mt. Rushmore look day (Heading down to Custer Park for the wildlife and easy hike/walk and taking 16A -- a scenic drive to Mount Rushmore) // We'll take 16A a very scenic route out to Custer Park to start. I think it's called Iron Mountain Road. Then we'll do the Wildlife loop in Custer State Park. Then it's a hike on the creekside trail in the park (flat -- more of a walk). Next it's on the scenic road 16A back to Hill City. They say south to north is the best because you see Mount Rushmore framed. Next we'll stop at Mount Rushmore. Without traffic, google maps says 16A is a 45 minute drive from Hill City to the Wildlife loop starting point.
-- A Spearfish waterfall short walk/hike / Sturgis dinner with friends day. It's a good hour an 15 minutes to a waterfall trailhead for an easy waterfall hike in Spearfish called Roughlock Falls. I hear it's very scenic. Then it will be another 45 minutes to Sturgis, and 50 minutes back to Hill City after dinner and visiting with friends who happen to live in Sturgis.
-- A Bear Country/Reptile Garden day (one at least -- both if we have time) before a late flight back. Bear Country USA and the Reptile Gardens are tourist attractions in Rapid City that people rate highly.

Anyway, maybe this will give you some ideas.

Note that Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park are a good 12 hours further west from South Dakota. When we go there we usually fly into Jackson, Wyoming, Idaho Falls, ID, or Bozeman, Montana -- each 1 1/2 to two hours from an entrance to one of these parks. These parks are vast and last trip we stayed at several different locations, so as not to back track.

 

[hercamore]

Hello, the drive from Wall to Rapid is about 40 min. and the drive from Rapid to Hill City is about 45-60 depending on traffic.