suggested itinerary for 2 1/2 days?

We%26#39;ve never visited this area before and will have only 2 1/2 days once we arrive. We%26#39;ll be driving in from Norfolk, NE on Thursday and should be there (wherever ';there'; is, we haven%26#39;t figured out yet!) by late Thursday afternoon.

Can anyone suggest an itinerary for us? Of course, we want to see Rushmore, but can we also fit in Devil%26#39;s Tower? What would you do given our time constraints?

Thanks!

suggested itinerary for 2 1/2 days?

Hi Fiji,

In order to help you in the best way we can, we really need more information from you. I assume you are heading home after the Black Hills, or are you going elsewhere? I was just trying to figure out if we could divert you over to Devil%26#39;s Tower on your way either home or elsewhere.

Looking at Mapquest, if you are heading back to Denver, it would take about 6 hours from Hill City, in the heart of the Black Hills. If you diverted to Devils Tower on the way home, it would be a little over 2 hours to the tower and then about 6.5 hours home. This doesn%26#39;t include stops. It would be a longer drive, but worth the trip, IMO. Plus, it will give you more time to focus in SD.

You should look to base out of Keystone, Hill City, or Custer, as these towns are central to the sights.

Here%26#39;s my list of must sees of the area:

Mt Rushmore (can take up to a 1/2 day, not including the lighting ceremony, which is a must see)

Custer State Park (Iron Mountain Rd, Wildlife Loop, Needles Hwy, Sylvan Lake--takes most of a day unless doing a very fast drive through)

Crazy Horse (can take up to a 1/2 day)

Wind Cave (2 hour tours)

Jewel Cave (2 hour tours)

Badlands National Park (daytrip)

Devil%26#39;s Tower (hopefully you can see this on your way home)

You ask us to suggest an itinerary. Instead of doing this, I have listed rough time frames for seeing each item. Your times may or may not fit in the time frame I used. It%26#39;s kind of difficult to set an itinerary as your lodging is not set, and we really don%26#39;t know what you enjoy doing. I have my list of must sees, but you may not be interested in all of them (i.e. caves). I base my list of what I enjoy doing and the overall popularity of these attractions. With 2 1/2 days, you probably won%26#39;t get to everything on the list I provided, but you can do what you can comfortably. Everyone comes to see Rushmore, and I would also try to get through Custer SP. It%26#39;s one of the many jewels of the Black Hills.

I don%26#39;t know if you have researched the area, but a great website to visit is travelsd.com. Request a travel guide so you can see what%26#39;s in the area, and then narrow down some choices. Reading other threads on the forums may assist you as well.

I hope this helps some. Please feel free to come back with more questions.

suggested itinerary for 2 1/2 days?

SLR, your advice is really helpful. You%26#39;re right, I certainly didn%26#39;t post enough info to make a response easy (oops!), but the time frames you provided were really all I needed.

A friend who just went to the area this past weekend came back and gave me some great maps. So, your comments plus hers will enable me to plan a great trip. Thanks for all your help!

I%26#39;m so glad my post was helpful for you. I%26#39;m sure your friend%26#39;s input will be very helpful as well. I find some of the best feedback is from friends and from this site. Enjoy your trip, and please post a trip report when you return! We love hearing about others%26#39; travels.

Slightly off topic, where did your friend get the great maps?

Thanks,

Druid

Druid, I don%26#39;t know exactly where she got them. She went up there last weekend and picked them up somewhere up there.

One of them is the Badlands map that%26#39;s available at www.nps.gov/moru/planyourvisit/maps.htm

Druid,

There%26#39;s a great double page map of the Black Hills in the South Dakota travel guide. I refer to it frequently. You can order one at travelsd.com.

Perhaps you can have some luck at AAA if you are a member?

That%26#39;s a tough calls. Definitely do one full day in Badlands National Park:

parkcamper.com/Badlands-National-Park/Badlan鈥?/a>

I would spend the other day doing a Wind Cave/Custer State Park combo which is just west of Badlands.

Both areas are very scenic. I don%26#39;t think you can go wrong.

Honestly, it%26#39;s hard to figure out what your goals are because you haven%26#39;t single out a specific interest. With that in mind, focus on Badlands, Wind Cave and Custer State Park(Wind and Custer border each other).