Badlands and Black Hills Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

The Badlands and Black Hills are in the western part of South Dakota. This beautiful region consists of the Badlands, with canyons and rugged terrain; and the Black Hills, a mountain range with forests and the famous Mount Rushmore.

The hub of western South Dakota lies at the center of this region:

• 44.081056-103.2286671 Rapid City — The second-largest city in South Dakota

The Northern Hills:

• 44.6675-103.8502782 Belle Fourche
• 44.376667-103.7291673 Deadwood — The legendary Old West frontier town
• 44.350833-103.7658334 Lead — Deadwood's Twin City, home to the Historic Homesake Gold Mine
• 44.489722-103.85255 Spearfish
• 44.410278-103.5186116 Sturgis — Host of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held each August

The Southern Hills:

• 43.768333-103.59757 Custer — Near Jewel Cave and the Crazy Horse Memorial
• 43.933611-103.5713898 Hill City
• 43.431667-103.4741679 Hot Springs — Home to the world's largest mammoth research facility
• 43.893333-103.42555610 Keystone — At the base of Mount Rushmore

The Badlands:

• 43.835278-101.51222211 Kadoka
• 43.025556-102.55638912 Pine Ridge — Headquarters of the Oglala Indian Reservation.
• 43.294444-100.65611113 Rosebud
• 43.1719-101.95214 Swett
• 43.991667-102.24083315 Wall

• 43.75-102.51 Badlands National Park – 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes and jagged spires that create a moon-like surface. Thousands of fossils of prehistoric creatures have been uncovered in the park. Archaeological and paleontological digs continue today, with some open to public participation.
• 43.9364-103.7282 Black Hills National Forest – 1.2 million acres of pine and spruce forest, granite peaks and outdoor adventure. Black Elk Peak is the highest point in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains.
• 43.729444-103.8294443 Jewel Cave National Monument – The second longest cave in the world at 217 mi (349 km). Its colorful calcite crystals create jewel-like formations giving the cave its name. The official length of Jewel Cave is continually growing as explorers find new passageways.
• 43.9311-102.1614 Minuteman Missile National Historic Site – The Delta One Launch Control Facility and the Delta Nine Launch Facility were ideal for long-term preservation because they were among the nation’s oldest – with technology dating back to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s. Only minor modifications have been made to the deactivated sites, and much of the original mechanical equipment and historic furnishings remain intact.
• 43.878889-103.4591675 Mount Rushmore National Memorial – America’s “Shrine of Democracy.” In 1927, sculptor Gutzon Borglum came to the Black Hills to carve his sculpture into the side of a granite mountain. Today, visitors from all over the world come to the Black Hills of South Dakota to see the four faces of U.S. presidents.
• 43.55635-103.478656 Wind Cave National Park – Named for its sacred cave whose air which is either sucked in or blown out, depending on atmospheric conditions. Its thin calcite fins and honeycomb rock structures stand in contrast to the 28,295 acres of mixed-grass prairie, ponderosa pine forest and roaming buffalo above ground.
• 44.47582-103.426857 Bear Butte State Park — This formation of magma never erupted and looks like a giant sleeping bear. Now a state park, Bear Butte is still used as a place of worship for more than 60 Native American tribes.
• 43.7458-103.4188 Custer State Park — With nearly 1,500 free-roaming buffalo and numerous prairie dogs, deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorns and burros. Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road offer spectacular views, unique rock tunnels and winding pigtail bridges.

The Black Hills are isolated mountains rising from the Great Plains on the west edge of South Dakota (and extending into Wyoming). The name comes from the Lakota name Pahá Sápa, as they are covered in evergreen trees that give them a dark appearance. It formed as a result of an upwarping of ancient rock, which has been heavily eroded by water to the present-day topography.

East of the Black Hills, amongst arid plains and rolling hills, lie the loose cliffs of the South Dakota Badlands. Erosion from the Black Hills, marine skeletons from the bottom of a large shallow sea and volcanic material all contribute to the geology of this area. Early French fur traders called the terrain surrounding the White River les mauvaises terres, perhaps influenced by the Lakota people who referred to the terrain as mako sica, meaning 'bad land' or 'eroded land'.

The Black Hills is considered sacred ground to many tribes across the country. The Lakota Nation believes all life comes from “Paha Sapa,” and they fought fiercely to protect it during the Indian Wars of the 1800s. In 1868, the federal US government established the Great Sioux Reservation west of the Missouri River, and exempting the Black Hills from all non-indigenous settlement "forever"; however, when American settlers discovered gold here as a result of George Armstrong Custer's Black Hills Expedition in 1874, a gold rush swept in miners. The US government conquered the Black Hills and forcibly relocated the Lakota, following the Great Sioux War of 1876, to five smaller reservations.

• Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association website

From the sky, you will likely have only one viable option for a point of entry: Rapid City Regional Airport RAP ^IATA. Flights arrive regularly from Denver, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Minneapolis, as well as a twice weekly nonstop from Las Vegas.

Without a car, you won't go far. Interstate 90 (I-90) is the sole interstate in the region, running east-west, skirting Black Hills NF and Badlands NP to the north, and passing through Rapid City. It goes on to Sioux Falls in the east, and west to Wyoming to connect with I-25, which leads south to Denver.

This is beautiful, big, wild country. To appreciate it, you'll want to spend days driving or hiking around to take in the glorious scenery, gawk at wildlife, wonder at the night stars, and enjoy the fresh, clean air.

The main sights are indisputably the cyclopean sculptures at Mount Rushmore National Memorial and the embryonic Crazy Horse Memorial, both of which are close to Custer.

• Bear Country USA near Rapid City is a "drive-through zoo" containing many animals you otherwise would not want to be in proximity to.
• The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs is a museum built around an in situ mammoth dig.
• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site near Wall stood ready to launch nuclear missiles throughout the Cold War.

• Highway 16, off of which are conveniently located many of the area's numerous attractions.
• Needles Highway and Wildlife Loop through Custer State Park
• Badlands Loop through Badlands National Park

• Enjoy Evan's Plunge in Hot Springs, a mini-water park fed by town's namesake hot springs.
• Watch the Old West Shootout in Hill City

• Badlands National Park features a number of day hiking trails.
• Black Elk Peak is the highest point in North America east of the Rockies. The peak itself resides in Black Hills National Forest, but the most popular trails start from Custer State Park.

Wind Cave and Jewel Cave are both well worth a visit. If you're not able to snag a reservation, there are also private show caves throughout the Black Hills.

• Sturgis, a.k.a. "Motorcycle City, USA," is home of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally every August.

Rapid City and the other cities along I-90 offer a range of lodging options, as do Deadwood, Keystone and the rest of the Black Hills. Lodging around the Badlands is more sparse, especially away from I-90. Wall is the only stop east of Rapid City with more than a few options.

• 43.69904-102.042671 Circle View Ranch, 20055 E. Highway 44, Interior (6 miles from Badlands NP), ☏ +1 605-433-5582. The 3,000-acre Circle View Ranch offers a unique view. 

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a massive event, so book early if you plan to be anywhere near there in early August.

Much of the area is part of the Black Hills National Forest or the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Both groups of federal lands maintain a number of campgrounds, and allow dispersed camping. There is also no shortage of private campgrounds in the region.

South Dakota residents all know at least one story of a tourist being attacked by bison because they ignored repeated warnings about getting too close. Bison are best viewed from the car or from a distance — do not approach them. They look slow, but they can cover a good distance in short time.

Prairie dogs may be cute and fun to watch, but don't let your kids try to pet them. They will bite.

You're not far from some interesting, less visited places across state borders.

• Devil's Tower National Monument is just west in Wyoming
• Teddy Roosevelt National Park is just north in North Dakota.

If Badlands National Park and the North Dakota Badlands just don't slake that deep, deep thirst of yours for poor quality lands, you could point your car northwest towards the thematically significant Alberta Badlands.