Is October 8-18 a good time to visit Badlands?

I am planning my vaction for this year. I would like to see Badlands National Park, Blackhills, and Custer State Park. I would also like to see a Powwow. I like to trave in the fall of the year when it is not so crowded. Will there be snow? Would I be better of in the middle of September? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Sharon

Is October 8-18 a good time to visit Badlands?

Those dates in October will work for you, but I%26#39;d pick mid-September given a choice. Mid-October starts to get iffy on weather. Enter Custer, SD into this website and the dates you%26#39;ll be here and you%26#39;ll see what temperatures can do. www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp

The number of visitors really falls off after Labor Day so there isn%26#39;t a lot to be gained by going even later. You%26#39;ll find a few more tourist-oriented attractions open in September--nothing significant but small things. Although most of the trees in the Black Hills are pine, there are some nice areas with leaf trees to see some color. Timing it just right can be tough but sometime around the end of September is pretty good for Spearfish Canyon.

I don%26#39;t know if many powwow schedules have been made yet. The Black Hills Powwow will be Oct. 9-11. http://www.blackhillspowwow.com/

Here is a listing of 2008 powwows to give you an idea of how many are held annually. http://www.state.sd.us/oia/powwow.asp