South Dakota

There was a lot to see in South Dakota; Black Hills and Badlands National Parks, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Jewel Cave National Monument and small western towns. We begin on July 12, 2026 at Black Elk Resort in the Black Hills. We visited Mount Rushmore the morning of the 13th and it was impressive to learn the history on how it was built. You can see the monument from multiple angles both within and outside the park. We then drove on Iron Mountain Road which is a very winding road and you can see views of Mount Rushmore at various lookout points. We then drove on Needles Highway in Custer State Park where you can view pinnacle rock formations. Both roads have one car lane rock tunnels to drive through; Needles has the Needles Eye Tunnel that was like two connecting tunnels and was the longest. The next day we toured Jewel Cave which is the 3rd longest cave in the world with 200 miles of known passages, they are still exploring it and really don’t know how long it is. The rocks are full of calcite crystals that sparkle and from which it gets its name. After the cave we walked around the town of Custer and did a drive by of the Crazy Horse monument.Read more