On July 1, 2024, we left the Badlands of South Dakota and arrived at Comanche Park Campground. We had a reservation for this campground, but we only had it until July 3rd, and we were concerned about finding another campground before the Independence holiday. Fortunately, the camp host showed us available first-come, first-served sites. We took site six and ended up staying until July 5th. This site is reasonably private, has a nice view, and minimal noise from the highway. The campground is west of Custer, South Dakota, and was a reasonably convenient base for Black Hills activities.
We wasted no time having fun in the Black Hills. We set up our campsite and immediately rode the 1880 train. The locomotive is steam-driven and made for an aesthetically pleasing way to have our first glimpses of the Black Hills. We love trains, and this one had great views and was a lot of fun. Afterward, we had a nice dinner at the nearby 1885 Steakhouse and Saloon.
On July 2nd, we enjoyed the Jewel Cave National Monument, which had exciting cave features and a fascinating history shared with us by a college student intern; she did a great job.
We also drove the Needles Highway scenic drive. This is a gorgeous drive with amazing views. On this road, there are several tunnels that are very tight for our truck. We also enjoyed the views of Sylvan Lake.
On July 3rd, we took a one-hour helicopter ride that gave us a birds-eye view of the forest, lakes, Crazy Horse, and Mount Rushmore monuments. The views were great, and the fact that we were the only two passengers enhanced them. The helicopter took off north of Custer, flew northwest, turned east, then south, and made a loop back past the famous monuments of the Black Hills.
We also went on the Iron Mountain drive and saw the Mount Rushmore memorial. The drive was very nice and had some really interesting bridges. Mount Rushmore was pretty crowded, but it was easy to find places of solitude that provided opportunities to reflect on our nation and the people who have been instrumental in its construction and well-being. It’s incredible to consider both the art and immense effort that went into creating this monument. It is like art meets major construction.
After visiting Mount Rushmore, we drove through Wind Cave National Park. The caves were closed for maintenance, and we saw almost no wildlife. However, we did see many grasslands filled with prairie dogs.
As if our day wasn’t full enough, we went to the Mammoth Site near Hot Springs, SD. The dig site was pretty interesting. The entire dig is inside a substantial warehouse-type structure that protects it and visitors from the harsh winter and summer conditions outside. The signage was instructive and interesting. This is a fascinating site worth visiting.
Hot Springs, South Dakota, was not worth the difficulty of driving due to road construction. Soaking in hot springs isn’t possible without an appointment, and the environment seems more like a hotel spa, which isn’t bad, but it’s not our thing.
On July 4th, Independence Day, we went on a tour of the Crazy Horse monument. We took the extended tour where you can go out on Crazy Horse’s arm and get close to his face. You travel from the visitors center up the mountain via van, then park and walk out on the flat area near Crazy Horse’s chin. During the tour, you walk right up to the face, touch the rock, and nearly reach the end of his right arm.
The figure is far from done. I hope to go back before my days are over and see it complete, but I may not live long enough to see that accomplishment. When done, it is supposed to look like the model we viewed at the visitor center. Like Mount Rushmore, it is pretty amazing to experience art at this scale.
We ended our day with dinner in Custer and then fireworks. We watched the fireworks from the bed of our truck and had an enjoyable evening. Afterward, we returned to Comanche Park Campground and prepared to leave the following day.
On July 5th, we left the beautiful Black Hills and headed for Rawlins, Wyoming, on our way home. We love the Black Hills and will return in the near future. We want to ride the 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail from Deadwood to Edgemont, but that will have to wait another day.
| Nights | Total Nights | Miles | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 262 | 123 | 24520 |
