5 day itinerary - comments

Here is our itinerary, Is it do able.

Day 1 drive from central Wisconsin to Rapid City

- stop through Badlands scenic byway

- drive to Rapid city and stay the night

the longest day 11 hours of driving + Badlands

Day 2 Drive from Rapid city

- stop in Spearfish canyon and hike

- drive to Devils Tower and do the mile hike

- drive to Custer via Deadwood, stop to look

around

- stay overnight in Custer

Day 3 Drive to Crazy horse

- go to Mount Rushmore

- shop a bit in Custer

- stay over night in Custer

Day 4 Jewel cave

custer state park

Needles ( I think in CSP)

Day 5 head home, stop at wall Drug

stop at Mitchell Corn palace.

I am still waiting for the info From the tourism Dept 2 weeks + so if you have any additions or alterations please feel free to add them

thanks

Yoshi%26#39;s dad

5 day itinerary - comments

Hi Yoshi,

I know you said in another post you were ok with it, but Day 1 seems long to me. I think I%26#39;d take Accomodator%26#39;s advice and not go as far as Rapid City the 1st day. You could stay in Wall as was mentioned, or there may even be lodging in Interior/Badlands National Park. Keep in mind you will need around 3 hours to adequately see the Badlands.

Day 2 is certainly do-able. Don%26#39;t miss the prairie dog town at the tower. Young children probably won%26#39;t be overly interested in Deadwood, except for the shoot-outs that occur on the street. It%26#39;s mostly gambling and history. Our family enjoyed the historical parts, including the Adams House/Museum.

Day 3 is fine, but I hope you are planning on the lighting ceremony. We visited Custer, but didn%26#39;t find the shopping too exciting. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. We enjoyed the shops of Hill City the best.

Day 4--Definitely make advance reservations for Jewel. Needles Hwy is part of Custer SP. Try to include as much of the park as you can, especially Sylvan Lake, the Wildlife Loop, and Iron Mountain Rd.

Did you decide against the Reptile Gardens? It really is a classic ';roadside Americana'; attraction well worth seeing, especially with kids. I would try to fit it in if you can. Maybe you could skip Deadwood on day 2 and do a short stop there before you leave for Devil%26#39;s Tower.

Overall--not a bad plan, but you may find yourself fine tuning once your area guide arrives. It%26#39;s amazing how much the area has to offer.

5 day itinerary - comments

Doing the badlands AFTER the long drive doesn%26#39;t sound fun. Sequim88 suggested staying in Wall, then getting up to tour the Badlands in the morning instead for another poster. That sounds like a good plan. That poster is also traveling from WI...

I, too, saw Sequim%26#39;s suggestion that Ainwa mentions. I agree that it sounds like a good plan, though it will add another day to the trip. Yoshi, if you can add the day, I%26#39;d highly recommend it. Day one really is a LOT of driving, even though you said you were ok with it.

Thanks for all the comments, We booked a hotel in Wall, it is the econo inn, only for the pool. We figured we will leave around midnight, drive the 12 hours, then if we feel like it go to the badlands, if not go to walldrug and lunch, check into the hotel and sleep, there are two drivers so we will nap before we go and one will sleep while the other is driving, we figured 6 hour shifts. The boys will sleep all night so they should be fine. We are used to flying 14 hours and then having a full day ahead of us, so hopefully this won%26#39;t be so bad.

Has anyone stayed at the econoInn, the reviews are so so but looks nicer than the others pictured.

thanks

Yoshi%26#39;s dad

We stayed at the Econolodge in Wall 4 years ago because we wanted a pool. I thought it was great. We were traveling close to Sturgis time so room prices were at a premium and this was one of the cheaper places. The pool was very nice and the rooms were larger than I expected. Nothing fancy of course, but definitely clean and adequate. I was just praying it wouldn%26#39;t be a roach motel and it wasn%26#39;t--I think my review is still on TA and at that time I said I would highly recommend it. I guess things can change in 4 years, but if you%26#39;re not expecting too much, I bet it will be just fine. We%26#39;re not staying there this year because we chose the Sunshine Inn based on reviews and price, but they don%26#39;t have a pool. I do think there is a municipal pool in Wall however. My biggest complaint about Wall is that the dining choices have always been extremely limited. I think there is a Subway in town and that%26#39;s probably the best of the bunch unless something new and wonderful has opened up.