Black Hills in July with family of 4

We are planning a trip to Black Hills with an 9 and 11 yr. We have a week to spend out there. Is it too much time? Any suggestions for staying in a cabin? We no longer do tenting but saw that Custer State Park has rustic cabins. Anyone stayed in those before? Suggestion for places to visit would be great. We plan on going to East Wyoming for a day to visit friends. Thanks in advance.

Black Hills in July with family of 4

There seems to be plenty to do in the Black Hills area to use up the whole week. Do you enjoy hiking? Fishing? Sightseeing? History? Spelunking? Animals?

Custer State park has an abundance of animals. There are 2 caves that are National Parks. Driving some of the roads is an adverture in itself. I enjoyed The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs at the southern end of the Black Hills. Reptile Gardens is one of the attractions I enjoyed many years ago and they are still operating and wowing tourrists. Ask about other activities too. Try to make time in your schedule for Devils Tower in eastern Wyoming too.

Black Hills in July with family of 4

I have no personal experience staying in the cabins, but at the website, custerresorts.com, they look quite nice. Legion Lake Lodge, Sylvan Lake Lodge, %26amp; State Game Lodge offer cabins, I believe. Blue Bell Lodge is also one of Custer SP%26#39;s properties, but I don%26#39;t think they offer cabins. I%26#39;m sure if you check out these properties on this site and look at the review, you will get some insight.

Definitely include a side trip to Devil%26#39;s Tower when you visit your friends in E Wyoming. It%26#39;s fascinating to watch the climbers. There%26#39;s a great prairie dog town there.

RM offered some very good suggestions for activities. Wind %26amp; Jewel Caves are the ones operated by NPS and would be interesting for your family. A week is a great amount of time for you to see the sights. You should visit Badlands National Park, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, the 2 caves, %26amp; Devil%26#39;s Tower at minimum. The week time frame will allow you to also see Reptile Gardens metioned by RM, Bear Country, the Mammoth Site, and maybe even the Wild Horse Sanctuary if this would fit your budget and interest. I always recommend visiting travelsd.com for ideas of what is in the area. Gold Panning, mine touring, hiking in Custer SP, and some of the fun kid attractions like the Cosmos Mystery Area would be fun for the kids. Keystone has an alpine slide, and Rapid City has an indoor mini golf course on Rt. 16 called Putz %26amp; Glo.

You could include Deadwood %26amp; Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway enroute to E Wyoming.

Have fun planning, and be sure to stop back with any additional questions.

We were there in June 2008. There is plenty to do including Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Wind and Jewel Caves, Custer State Park as well as Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood and Devil%26#39;s Tower. We stayed at the K Bar S Lodge so cannot comment on the cabins at Custer State Park. I will recommend the lunch buffet at the State Game Lodge. The bison stew and homemade desserts are great. Enjoy your trip planning.

The Custer State Park cabins (custerrestorts.com) can make for a good place to stay. You can find cheaper cabins in the Black Hills but the Park%26#39;s cabins are generally worth it if it doesn%26#39;t break you budget.

Ask four different people which cabins to pick and you%26#39;ll get four different answers. I like the Sylvan Lake Resort because of the proximity to the Needles, Harney Peak and Hill City. The high altitude makes for cool (sometimes cold) nights.

Families tend to like Legion Lake because it%26#39;s the most kid friendly lake--the water is warmer than Sylvan.

The Blue Bell cabins are probably the nicest. It%26#39;s a quieter area closer to the Wildlife Loop. The horse stables are at Blue Bell so you can take horse rides there.

Some love the Game Lodge area.

Some of the cabins have air conditioning and some don%26#39;t. Most of the time you won%26#39;t need it at night...but there%26#39;s always that chance you%26#39;ll be here for the hottest week of the year since you%26#39;ll be here in July.

One thing to consider when reading reviews of the resorts is that renovations have been ongoing for about two years. Most of the lodges and cabins have been updated so some of the older reviews that mention the condition of the cabins may not apply anymore.

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.

bike week 1 week with wife and 7 year old 1 week with frei

i would like to stay some were there is alot to do with the family but i also want to stay with my freind for bike week were there is all the venders and bike things to do i have a thirty four foot toy hauler and I will be driving up from florida my family will be fly into rapid city on july 26 2009 they leave on augeust 2 and my freind flys in on the 5 i would have stayed in two diffrent parks but they are having min night stays does anyone have the best of both world or if you have drive her before and have any tips for me that would bew great

bike week 1 week with wife and 7 year old 1 week with frei

Rbhrt,

Forgive me, but I am a little confused. Your ';34 foot toy hauler';---is that the one that is a travel trailer that has a section for bike storage? I%26#39;m not a camper, so I just need some help on the terminology. LOL!

With this being said, are you looking to camp or stay in a hotel, or a combination of both? Hotel rates are very high during Bike Week, as I am sure you already know. Here%26#39;s a website to check out in case you haven%26#39;t already done so:

rallyinfo.com

Here they post hotel rates and campground listings. Many are listing no availability already for bike week, but there is a bit more availability when your family comes in. Even though they are coming before the rally, there will still be crowds, as many arrive early.

The key areas to stay in the Black Hills are Keystone, Custer, and Hill City. These are central to the attractions and would be good choices to stay with your family. As for Sturgis Week, the northern towns of the hills are more central for here and include Sturgis, Deadwood, Lead, and even Spearfish.Of course, they are the first areas to book up. Even Rapid City isn%26#39;t a terrible choice, as you can get up around Deadwood in about an hour.

The longer you wait to book accomodations of any type, the worse off you will be. Sometimes people end up in Hot Springs, which is significantly south of Sturgis away from the action. Some people just book here to be ';somewhere'; in the area.

Do you have any ideas on what you want to see with your family? Give us an idea on what you like to do,and we will do what we can to help you out. A great website to view attractions of the area is travelsd.com. There%26#39;s a large variety of attractions all within a close radius, so commuting from place to place is very convenient.

bike week 1 week with wife and 7 year old 1 week with frei

From what I can tell you%26#39;ll be here for a couple weeks? I don%26#39;t think any place would have a minimum stay for over a week or so.

I%26#39;d pick somewhere in the Black Hills (further in than Sturgis) for when your family is here. It looks like they%26#39;ll be here before the Rally and there isn%26#39;t a huge reason to stay near Sturgis before the Rally. Then pick up and move to the Stugis area when the Rally begins. If you think staying in one spot is a good idea for the whole time, pick something in the northern Black Hills. Something in the area of Spearfish to Deadwood to Sturgis.

Not sure what you%26#39;re looking for in a campsite--you%26#39;ll have to be more specific to get better recommendations.

For the money and convenience to Sturgis and other great attractions my favorite place is Lake Park Campground just west of Rapid City on Highway 44. It is so pretty and your%26#39;e just a short distance from 16 to Keystone and the monuments and everything in between. The folks there are very nice and the sites are shaded with two laundry facilities within a block, the lake with paddle boats, a lovely park within a few blocks (as well as a really nice golf course)and you are not far from Hill City, Deadwood and all the great riding in between. I think the website is Lakeparkcampground.com. Good luck.

teenagers to have acene

Hotels close to I-90

hi

i see this post from before but its dated in 2006! Does anyone know if there are any newer or nice hotels that are easy to find when you exit 1-90? Thanks!

Hotels close to I-90

There%26#39;s a newer Holiday Inn Express in Brandon if you%26#39;re just passing by and need a place to stay.

Hotels close to I-90

For hotels close to I-90 on Cliff Avenue are:Cloud 9 605-338-6090, Super 8 605-339-9212, Comfort Inn 605-331-4490, Days Inn 605-331-5959 Homewood Suites is at the sw side of Sioux Falls on I-29 605-338-8585

thanks all. Will it be difficult to find the Sheraton hotel? I can get a great rate there but if its gonna be hard to find in the dark then perhaps i should just go with the holiday inn??

No, you shouldn%26#39;t have any trouble finding the Sheraton in the dark. It is 6 stories tall so it isn%26#39;t hard to spot. Also,it is connected to the Sioux Falls convention center

To get to the Sheraton take I-29 south from I-90 and then take the Russell Street Exit east--you can%26#39;t miss it.

Take I-90 East to I-29 South and take Exit 81. Take Russell Avenue East to West Avenue. The hotel is located on the corner of Russell Street and West Avenue and next to the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

Thanks all! Lets just hope the weather is good! I hope the roads arent slick.

rimmel

best time to visit

I%26#39;m newly retired and my hubby and I plan to take a roadtrip from NH to include the Badlands, Yellowstone and Banff National Parks. Weather wise and site-seeing wise, when is the best time to go? Also, how long should we plan to spend in each park. Hubby can%26#39;t walk far (knee replacement) so it%26#39;s basically a sight seeing trip. Thanks.

best time to visit

Crysabel,

I would also post in the Yellowstone %26amp; Banff forums to get input as well. I have not been to Banff, so I can%26#39;t comment there. The Badlands is mainly a drive through park, so it will be good for your hubby, as not much walking is involved. If not hiking, you can really see the park in about a 1/2 a day. There are many scenic overlooks in the park with lots of photo ops.

Yellowstone, on the other hand, is much larger. If not hiking, I would allow a minimum of 2-3 days. We are planning to spend 11 days in this area this coming July and August. There are many ';boardwalks'; at Yellowstone that are flat and very navigable, but they can be long. They are handicapped accessible if he has a scooter or wheelchair, or he could just do what he can. Yellowstone is more of a park where you really have to leave your car to experience it.

We visited the Badlands in late August and actually had cool weather. It can actually get hot here, especially in July, but I think sometimes the temps cool down a little in later August. Although I have not visited here then, I would imagine early September would quite nice.

I can say that early September is a wonderful time to visit Yellowstone! Crowds are light, as kids are back in school, and the weather is pretty nice. When we visited the first time, we had the luxury of going when we wanted, as our daughter hadn%26#39;t arrived yet. We are now roped into the July/August vacations.

Hope this helps some. Posting in the other forums will allow you a wider variety of responses. Have fun planning.

best time to visit

I agree that late August or early Sept. would be the best time to visit. We also like late May/early June for Black Hills and Yellowstone but that is too early for Glacier. We are doing Glacier and YNP/GT in late August this year. We did YNP and GT in May, 2007 and Black Hills, YNP, and Cody in June, 2008.

Enjoy your trip planning and if you have more questions just let us know.

Snowpack and road closures at higher elevations make any time short of mid-June iffy beyond the Badlands and Black Hills. Even up through early July passes may have a lot of snow on the sides of the roads and in viewpoint areas. The Bighorns, Beartooth Pass, Glacier and especially farther north into Banff later in the season all face this.

We are planning to drive to Seattle via Banff this year and have selected mid-August. On the flip side though late June can mean any waterfalls along the route will be running heavier and be more spectacular than say, September. Also...beyond mid-September it starts to get cold and windy more often even in Yellowstone.

We were in Laramie, WY once on June 7 in a blinding whiteout. Later the same year on Sept 30 in Yellowstone we found many roads closed due to snow.

Thanks for the info...it will help. Seems like the weather out there is just like New England...wait a minute and it will change. Hope your enjoy your excursions...

Thanks for the info...it will help us to decide.

Thanks for the extensive info...I will take your advice and checks other forums.

Assuming this is a 2 to 3 week trip, my preference would be to start in South Dakota in mid-June and go west from there. You%26#39;re not quite at peak season but it%26#39;s close.

You don%26#39;t mention the Black Hills. If you%26#39;re going to the Badlands, you%26#39;ll want to include the Black Hills--Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore at a minimum. Also include Grand Teton with Yellowstone.

Thanks....appreciate your input.

Best Time to Visit

When is the snow over. What would be the best time to visit. Thinking of going to Deadwood next year with my two sons for a father and son vacation. Also wondering how many days would be needed to really enjoy everything that Deadwood has to offer.

Best Time to Visit

We were there in the first week of June. The mornings were very cool but temps warmed up nicely each day. We only spent a day in Deadwood since we had just spent several days in Black Hills and were on our way to Cody and YNP. We enjoyed the museums and the cemetery but we were not into the gambling.

Best Time to Visit

Average snow depth in deadwood goes to zero in May and lasts until October.

www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?sd2207

By June it would be safe. Temps are sumemr average for there by June. Note the higher precipitation amounts in May/June...mostly afternoon thunderstorms more so than all day rain. The Black Hills are amzing thunderstorm generators.

Aside from Deadwood there are many touristing options in the Black Hills that can make it an OK base so the total time depends on if those will be involved or just Deadwood. Depeending on the age of the sons Deadwood alone might not offer that much if not old enough (21) to gamble. Some things to see %26amp; do around Deadwood...http://www.deadwood.org/OfficialGuide/AttractionsTours/

For just Deadwood two days would be sufficient. Besides gambling there are some good history aspects. Check out the calendar of events to decide if something appeals....or busy dates to avoid. http://www.deadwood.org/DeadwoodEvents/

We were there a couple years ago when they were setting up for Wild Bill Days and it looked like it would be really fun (for adults). But the only reason we got the room we did (at Iron Horse Inn) was because we were checking out the day before it started. Very busy.

To me, Deadwood wouldn%26#39;t have enough to offer to be a major component of your vacation. The Black Hills, however, have endless opportunities for recreation and exploring. Deadwood is set in the northern region of the Black Hills and is an ideal base for seeing Devil%26#39;s Tower %26amp; Spearfish Canyon. You could stay here for a couple days and then move to one of the more central towns of Keystone, Hill City or Custer. The Badlands to the east are well worth a look also.

How much time do you have to spend on your vacation? You could easily spend a week exploring the Black Hills and not see it all. Let us know your interests, and we can make some recommendations for activities.

No craps--just cards and slots. Craps supposedly doesn%26#39;t fit the historic nature of Deadwood gambling.

Blackjack limits are $100 per hand--most places will let you play two hands at once if there%26#39;s room on the table. Most tables are $5 minimum, some $10 but there are some $2 tables depending on how busy it is.

Mostly five deck shoes. I can%26#39;t think of any single deck but I think there are some 2-3 deck tables around. What each place offers seems to change by the hour depending on what kind of crowd they have.

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