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Old 10-13-2014, 11:53 AM   #1
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Smile Mount Rushmore

Hey guys next year we are going to go to mount rushmore! What is a great place to do stuff down there! We are going to see if we can stay at the Koa campground! We might go to that blike place too! I need help with ideas?????
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Old 10-13-2014, 03:25 PM   #2
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The state park south of Rushmore is worth a visit. There's a scenic drive through tunnels and stuff, and wildlife along the road.

The national forest in that area is quite nice. You could fish in one of the lakes, hike some trails, that sort of thing.

Deadwood is a very interesting town, although it's a tourist trap so hold onto your wallet. But at least drive through it if nothing else.

I personally was underwhelmed by the Crazy Horse Monument and associated museum/gift shop.
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Old 10-13-2014, 05:09 PM   #3
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My husband and I find Crazy Horse the better one. Take a bus ride around the base of it. Cheap and worth it! And go see Custer State Park. Get off on the gravel roads to find the animals. We go to these places every year as we volunteer on the reservation at Pine Ridge. Last year, it was raining, so we found that downtown Rapid City was nice to visit. And Devil's Tower is not too far away either. Hubby told me to be specific and say a couple hours.
We have stayed at the KOA nearest Mt. Rushmore. It was nice, but we were there early before the crowd. If you are going with a young family, there is a lot to do there, but make reservations early. Otherwise, we usually stay at the KOA at Custer. It is quieter but not as much to do for kids.
Wind Cave is close too, but we found our tour guide offensive and disrespectful of the native beliefs about Wind Cave. You might have a different guide and enjoy it.


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Old 10-13-2014, 05:13 PM   #4
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Oh, and Hot Springs is a neat town with a dinosaur excavation museum and a neat local historical museum.

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Old 10-13-2014, 07:22 PM   #5
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I love the KOA in the Badlands NP, particularly when traversing at night under a moon. The KOA in Deadwood and Spearfish are both nice and a day trip to Devils Tower in Wyoming is also advised. Stay away though the first week in August, Sturgis occurs then and traffic is a nightmare.
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Old 10-22-2014, 01:16 PM   #6
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The Needles Highway in Custer State Park was one of the top four highlights of our 25 day trip from Chilliwack to our home in Florida. (The others were Devil's Tower, and Morain Lake and Lake Louise in British Columbia.) We weren't all that impressed with Crazy Horse, it seemed too commercialized, but worth the visit if you've never seen it before. We visited it about twenty years ago and very little progress can be seen except for the huge facilities that sell you things, (but they also show historical and cultural items).

We stayed in the KOA in Custer City and found it good. Nothing exceptional with the KOA, and there were other campgrounds in Custer City that looked just as good. The KOA at Devil's Tower was about the only place to stay that had full hook-ups; the campground at the tower didn't even have a dump station!
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Old 10-22-2014, 01:25 PM   #7
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We took our trip up there last year and stayed in Custer SP. Really enjoyed it. I wrote a blog post about our trip and some of the things we did while there and on the way.

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Old 10-22-2014, 04:17 PM   #8
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We stayed at Custer State park. Very nice and the cost was similar to the NFS campgrounds but had showers. The Black Hills is a wonderful area. The Needles highway was well worth the time. We headed for Mt Rushmore, but passed. While to see the monument is free, you have to pay a private concern to park and there is no way to see the monument otherwise. We decided the money was better spent buying the Hitchcock movie. Have a safe trip, Raz
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Old 10-22-2014, 05:02 PM   #9
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If you are into caves, both Jewell & Wind caves are not too far away. 2X on a visit to Devil's Tower. One of my favorite views of the tower was at night from the Joyner Ridge Trailhead:
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Old 10-22-2014, 08:15 PM   #10
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The July 2014 issue of Trailer Life magazine has a good article about camping and touring the area.
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Old 10-22-2014, 09:39 PM   #11
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Hill City & Keystone near Rushmore are also interesting. There is an old time railroad the runs between the two cities. Nice short day trip. If you like honey many tourist traps sell flavored honey. I really like the raspberry & huckleberry. Also check out the Reptile museum just South of Rapid City. Out side the hills is Wall, SD & the badlands.
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Old 10-22-2014, 09:42 PM   #12
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By the way since you appear to be coming from the North check out Medora, ND. The outdoor amphitheater play is very good.
Medora - Explore it. Adore it.
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Old 10-23-2014, 06:32 AM   #13
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You really should check out the other side of the monument, alot more went into it.

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Old 10-23-2014, 08:43 AM   #14
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Mineral museum at SD Tech (Go Hardrockers!) is fabulous.

I do miss the old facilities at Mt. Rushmore. Before they Dinsneyfied (or Albert Speerized, if you prefer...more apt to what they did) it there was a wonderful rustic dining hall and trails. I remember going up there when I was at college in the middle of winter with a date. I'd bring a powerful flashlight and illuminate the monument all by myself! Yeh... simpler times back then.
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Old 10-24-2014, 09:42 AM   #15
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When we went to Mount Rushmore, we got up and went VERY early. When we got there we parked where a couple other cars were. There was no one to take any kind of admission.

We walked in, walked around, took pictures and saw no one until we were ready to leave. Then we say a guy hosing down the walks, so we stopped and talked to him a bit.

Custer State Park, Bad Lands, Devil Tower, Keystone, and Spearfish Canyon are at the top off the list, but there are so many things to see and do, I hope you have plenty of time.

If you are going from the east, a stop at the Corn Palace is interesting, but I wouldn't make a special trip. It was just on the way.
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Old 10-24-2014, 10:27 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry R. View Post
When we went to Mount Rushmore, we got up and went VERY early. When we got there we parked where a couple other cars were. There was no one to take any kind of admission.

We walked in, walked around, took pictures and saw no one until we were ready to leave. Then we say a guy hosing down the walks, so we stopped and talked to him a bit.

Custer State Park, Bad Lands, Devil Tower, Keystone, and Spearfish Canyon are at the top off the list, but there are so many things to see and do, I hope you have plenty of time.

If you are going from the east, a stop at the Corn Palace is interesting, but I wouldn't make a special trip. It was just on the way.
....and Wall Drug...
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