Black Hills Itinerary for early June... family of 5.

I%26#39;d love input and suggestions for our trip to the Black hills area. I have literally spent about 20 hours trying to make sure this is good and I%26#39;d love feedback, suggestions and recommendations from those who%26#39;ve been there/done that... We have 3 boys ages 6,9,11...

Day 1 (Sat. morn): Depart St. Paul MN for Wall Drug for first night. (hotel recommendation? clean and cheap?)

Day 2: a.m. make loop through Badlands enroute to Rapid City for night #2. Explore Rapid City. Any must sees/dos? Relax after long drive. Lodging w/ pool would be good.

Day 3: Drive to Deadwood via Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. Stop in Lead. Mining attraction? Explore Deadwood and stay for night. Lodging? Other activities?

Day 4: Do the 1800%26#39;s Train Ride, Aerial Tram?, check in to lodging near Mt. Rushmore (someplace w/ laundry about now would be good- only pack 3 days of clothing). Go to Mt. Rushmore for evening lighting ceremony.

Day 5: Crazy Horse Memorial in AM. Sylvan Lake Lodge for accommodations (Lodge room sleeps 6.) Drive Needles Scenic, check out area, lake, hiking, etc.

Day 6: Sylvan Lake Area another night. Wildlife loop/drive or Jeep Drive? Jewel Cave? (these both doable in same day?)

Day 7: Mammoth Site in AM. Wind Cave after? Check in to Bluebell Lodge( 2 bed sleeping cabin-- youngest on floor...) Cowboy dinner thingy...

Day 8: Bluebell again. Horseback riding trip. Relax and prepare for drive home.

Day 9: Drive home bright and early.

Black Hills Itinerary for early June... family of 5.

Here%26#39;s a slight modification I just made to the above itinerary... just found out that Bluebell Lodge and Campground in Custer has Camping Cabins that sleep 5... (only $45! per night vs. $200 in the resort cabins). I know they are simple, but I think they sound perfect for us. I booked us there for the last 3 nights. Still might splurge on the Sylvan Lake Lodge Room for one night...

Now that we will be doing the Camping Cabin thing, that opens us up for other places along the trip that offer them... Any suggestions for a family of 5 would be greatly appreciated!

Black Hills Itinerary for early June... family of 5.

Hello MN Capital,

Welcome to the forums. It%26#39;s good to see you have been doing research. I see you saw Accomodator%26#39;s recent post about the less expensive cabins. I%26#39;m sure they are a fine option for those who like a more rustic experience. That%26#39;s not my cup of tea, so I will leave camping suggestions who are more familiar.

For Day 2, you will find plenty of chain lodging/restaurants in the area. You might be able to find cabins in the Badlands/Interior for the 1st night. If you have time and feel up to it after all the driving, I%26#39;d recommend possibly seeing Reptile Gardens, maybe starting early evening. I believe they remain open until around 8 during peak season. I think your kids would enjoy the shows and exhibits. We really enjoyed the chicken that plays tic tac toe. :) There%26#39;s also Bear Country, a drive through safari concept with a small walk around area at the end, or for just plain fun, there%26#39;s Putz N Glo Mini Golf (indoor) with it%26#39;s flourescent lighting.

Day 3-I have heard good things about the mining museum here but didn%26#39;t get to experience it. Honestly, I%26#39;d rather see you make the drive to Devil%26#39;s Tower from Deadwood. You can still see Spearfish coming or going. It%26#39;s only about 1.5 hours from Deadwood. It%26#39;s an amazing must see, IMO. The boys will love the prairie dog town. If you ';hotel it'; in the Deadwood/Lead area, I think you will find cheaper lodging in Lead. When we visited, we stayed at the Palace Express in Lead. It was nothing fancy, but clean and basic. We tried to get in the Golden Hills Resort, but they had no availability when we visited. The Golden Hills gets good reviews and certainly looked nice from the outside.

Day 4-Unless you are really into trains, I%26#39;d skip the 1880 Train ride. It%26#39;s not overly scenic, and I%26#39;ve been on several train rides, so to me, it was no big deal. I hear the alpine slide is nice, but I have no personal experience. Be sure to see Mt. Rushmore in the daylight hours also so you can experience the Presidential Trail. For nice lodging with the kids, I%26#39;d recommend Roosevelt Inn in Keystone (rosyinn.com). They have an indoor pool, family game room, and laundry!!

Day 5 sounds fine. Although I haven%26#39;t seen it, Crazy Horse has a laser light show that might be entertaining for you and the kids. You are going to LOVE Sylvan Lake. The kids will love climbing over the rocks that surround the lake.

Day 6--Yes, Jewel and the Wildlife Loop are do-able in one day. I recommend advance reservations for your tour at Jewel. Without advance reservations, you might wait 2 hours for a tour, and when you have plans and antsy kids, that%26#39;s no fun!

Day 7-You can easily see both Mammoth %26amp; Wind on this day. The Bluebell Lodge has excellent food, BTW. The service was great also. We enjoyed the bison burgers/meatloaf here. Ahh..I just noticed you want to do the Chuckwagon dinner thing. That should be fun, so maybe you could eat at the lodge on day 8.

Day 8 can be a day for any loose ends you might want to tie up after taking your horseback ride. Maybe you could do the souvenir shop thing. :) You are really covering the highlights.

Overall, you have done your homework well; I have only added some minor details. Feel free to ask any more questions, and please post a trip report when you return. We%26#39;d love to hear how everything went.

Sounds like a fun trip. We had a good time panning for gold near Hill City, Wade%26#39;s Gold Mill, my son even found some gold! www.wadesgoldmill.com

Thanks so much for the great suggestions and input!!