What are the best places to visit?

My husband and I are planning a 5 day vacation to the Black Hills sometime in late May or early June. We haven%26#39;t been there in over 20 years. Of course, Mount Rushmore, but are there any suggestions as to what would be some must-sees for a couple of oldsters like us? We are from the Twin Cities area, so one day will be used up just driving.

What are the best places to visit?

Hoping you%26#39;ll get enough other responses despite the post getting tagged as Badlands NP.

';Must see'; is a pretty individual thing but our favorites have been....

1. Driving through the wildlife areas of Custer State Park. Especially in Spring.

2. The Needles Hwy (when not in RV) for the scenic views and tunnels.

3. Crazy Horse...if never been there before or even in last 20 years....well worth visiting the museum(s) and closeup viewing the carving progress.

4. Deadwood is interesting for some history and if you like casinos. Not sure if the rates have gone up but without kids we found Hickok%26#39;s Iron Horse Inn really interesting in a restored historical sort of way. It%26#39;s old and small but nicely renovated.

5. Never actually gone in the caves but Jewel Cave and Wind Cave are still on our ';must do someday'; list. Part of the reason we%26#39;ve not done them yet are my wife%26#39;s physical disabilities meaning she would have to sit and wait while I spelunk (tourist type...not hard hat type). Many years ago we did Rushmore Cave and it was interesting.

6. Mammoth Site near Hot Springs in the far south Black Hills has always sounder interesting. Hot Springs too is sort of cool with the really different sandstone architecture. Hot is a misnomer...the springs are only warm. Really nice trail along the river with a warm waterfall. http://www.hotsprings-sd.com/

7. Devils Tower just over in WY is a nice side trip. If you go also stop at exit 199 on I-90 to view the Vore Buffalo Jump (free but donation requested). Big sinkhole the Indiands drove buffalo into. Bones are something like 30 feet deep. It%26#39;s a research site now.

Late May - early June expect chances of cool weather and rain/wind. We drove from Hot Springs to Saratoga, WY one year on June 7 that started as wind driven rain and ended as whiteout near Laramie. The Black Hills are high enough it was probably snowing there too.

What are the best places to visit?

Fronnie,

Here is a short list of the must sees of the Black Hills area:

Badlands National Park (can be seen enroute from MN)

Custer State Park (Sylvan Lake, Iron Mt Road, Needles Hwy, Wildlife Loop)

Mt Rushmore (day and night viewing)

Crazy Horse

Wind Cave

Jewel Cave.

Devil%26#39;s Tower

What activities do you enjoy? Do you like walking/hiking? Museums? If you give us some ideas, we can possibly help you more.

Visit travelsd.com to receive your SD travel guide for a full listing of attractions.

Some other activities we did with our family included:

Bear Country

Reptile Gardens (both in Rapid City--kids love both!)

Mammoth Site (Hot Springs)

Wild Horse Sanctuary (Hot Springs)

Rushmore Cave--as mentioned by Sequim---The Black Hills has many privately owned caves if they interest you; however the ones operated by NPS (Wind/Jewel) are best.

1800 Train

Deadwood

Spearfish Scenic Byway--very nice drive

Do you have a town in mind for lodging? Custer, Keystone %26amp; Hill City offer convenience to attractions and a wide selection of hotels. Rapid City is a bit further outside the attractions, but it does have more dining selections.

Hopefully you can provide us with more specifics so we can help you better. Have fun planning!

If you decide to visit one or both of the caves mentioned, be aware that the tours of Jewel cave are smaller groups and they fill up. Make reservations for the time you want or you may not get to go. Wind Cave didn%26#39;t seem to be as likely to fill it%26#39;s tours but it wouldn%26#39;t hurt to reserve there too.

Excellent point by RM. We visited Jewel Cave in late August, and we waited close to 2 hours to get on a tour. At Wind Cave, we got on a tour almost immediately. Jewel Cave has nothing to do on the surface, and the visitor%26#39;s center is quite small, so you run out of activities quickly. Advance reservations are a great idea!

Thanks! Appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks for your suggestions. We are both in our (very) late 60%26#39;s, so not too much hiking. We like museums, etc. that doesn%26#39;t required excessive walking. Husband just had another knee replacement so can%26#39;t overdo it too much.

Fronnie,

Thanks for the info. on yourselves. First of all, I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d recommend taking full cave tours right now with your hubby%26#39;s knee. Full cave tours have over 450 steps. However, you can get an abbreviated tour at Jewel Cave that is only about 20-30 mins. and involves minimal walking and only 15 steps (It%26#39;s called the Discovery Talk). It leaves in and out by elevator. This might be of interest to you. The shortest tour at Wind Cave is 150 steps (Garden of Eden tour) and lasts about an hour.

I think you would enjoy driving through the Badlands, which can be enjoyed with minimal walking.

Crazy Horse has a great native American museum, and the story behind the monument is every bit as fascinating as Mt. Rushmore, imo. Of course, I doubt Crazy Horse will ever be finished, but just hearing the story and seeing the exhibits is interesting.

I also think you would enjoy seeing the Gutzon Borglum museum in downtown Keystone. This facility provides a bit more insight into the life of Mt. Rushmore%26#39;s sculptor. You can also learn about him at Mt Rushmore%26#39;s visitor%26#39;s center.

The drive to Devil%26#39;s Tower would be neat for you. There%26#39;s a great prairie dog town there, and seeing the climbers on the tower is fascinating. It%26#39;s about a 1-2 mile walk around the base, but it%26#39;s all flat, which is nice.

You would also probably enjoy the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs to see the skeletal remains of these amazing creatures.

Custer State Park is another good possibilty for you, especially if you enjoy scenic drives and wildlife. Sylvan Lake is a great picnic spot if weather permits. (you may very well be too early in May/June) You could walk the shore, which can be as long as you like. Once again, it%26#39;s flat...good for knees! Needles Hwy %26amp; Iron Mt Rd are great scenic drives, and the Wildlife Loop will afford the opportunities to see wild burros, big horn sheep, prairie dogs, bison, pronghorn, and deer. Iron Mt. Road is known for it%26#39;s pigtail bridges and tunnels that frame Mt. Rushmore.

The Adams House %26amp; Museum in Deadwood is interesting as well. You also might enjoy enjoying the western ambience of the town itself, and maybe playing the casinos.

Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is a very drive that has a couple of pretty waterfals, and once again, hiking is optional.

I hope this gives you some ideas. I think you will find plenty to do during your visit. Please let us know if you have any more specific questions.

If you are around Rapid City the Journey Museum is a great stop.