2 Day Itinerary - Questions

We will have 2 full days in the Black Hills. We definitely want to do Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

Other than that we are open. Do you have any suggestions of other must sees or any idea how long it will take to do those two? Is it possible to do those two in the same day?

We will be staying at the K Bar S in Keystone, so we should be pretty central to most things.

We will be driving down through North Dakota, so we will have a chance to stop in Deadwood, Sturgis, Rapid City along the way if we want.

My other question is about the Badlands. I have seen pictures and it looks very similar to the Painted Dessert/ Petrified Forest in Arizona. Is it something similar or is it totally different? We won%26#39;t have a lot of time to stop on the way home, but if it is totally worth it we will take the time to drive through.

Thanks for any help you can give!!!

2 Day Itinerary - Questions

Coming down from the north try to go through Spearfish and take Spearfish Canyon to Deadwood. Very scenic.

Rushmore and Crazy Horse can either take more or less time depending on how much interest you have inthe museum/visitor center parts. Crazy Horse could easily occupy a half day for me. But either can be done in 1/2 an hour if all you want to do is snap a few pics and say you%26#39;ve been there. Both are nice to do in the same day in order to compare the scale of the projects but ti might be a pretty full day. I would do Rushmore first and early before crowds and Crazy Horse later for better light. perhaps lunch in town of Custer.

The Badlands are interesting and can be very colorful in the right light and especially after recent rain. Mostly erosion formations in soft sedementary rocks/soil. The loop drive would not take that much more time (about an hour extra) so unless you are in a real hurry it%26#39;s worth doing. If time is short you can save a bit and still see the badlands by going about 19 miles from Wall to where SD-240 reconnects with I-90 and just make a side trip of it for about 10 miles (20 R/T).

2 Day Itinerary - Questions

You can do both Rushmore and Crazy Horse the same day, but like Sequim, each one could easily take a half day for me. We spent a morning each, just to give you an idea. The history behind each of these is just so interesting. I actually found the history of Crazy Horse even more interesting than Mt. Rushmore. I also agree with Sequim%26#39;s suggestion to see Rushmore first.

When seeing Rushmore, be sure to walk the Presidential Trail out to the Sculptor%26#39;s Studio. You will get lots of photo ops along the way. The lighting ceremony at night is also worth a visit.

You can spend a bit extra and take a bus ride closer to Crazy Horse. We enjoyed doing this, but you don%26#39;t have to spend the extra money to really see the monument. The native American exhibits and video about Korczak, the sculptor, are both excellent.

For your 2nd day, I%26#39;d recommend seeing Custer State Park, including Sylvan Lake, Iron Mountain Road, Wildlife Loop, and Needles Hwy.

The Badlands are very interesting and virtually come up out of nowhere. I can%26#39;t compare them to the Painted Desert, as I have not seen it. Lighting does create changes in them as Sequim mentioned. If you are going in summer, try to get an early start, as the Badlands can get very warm.

Please let us know if you have more questions. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks so much for your replies. That helps a lot.

We will in the Black Hills the second week of June. It will just be 2 adults, so I think we should be able to hit a few spots.

This was just a spur of the moment add on to our original vacation. I didn%26#39;t realize at the time there was so much to do in the area. We will probably come back again sometime to do it right!

Thanks again for you help!