On to the Black Hills of South Dakota, south of Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We leave the grasslands behind and the road winds into the mountains – tall granite peaks covered with dark green pines. This stop is a whirlwind of national monuments and parks– Devil’s Tower, Jewel Cave, Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave. In addition, we want to see the towering Crazy Horse Memorial, the old west city of Deadwood and are hoping for some exciting wildlife viewing!
We are staying in the Black Hills Whispering Pines RV Park in Silver City, about a half hour outside Rapid City. We have four days and five nights here. The small, family-owned campground is situated in the heart of the Black Hills – not close to anything but equidistant from everywhere we wanted to go. Sites are a bit close, but we had an end site so we were happy with our view, and Elle loved the pool and playground.
Our first full day in the area we drive over the state line to Wyoming to visit Devil’s Tower National Monument, about two hours from our campground. We drive there via Roughlock Falls, which has been recommended to us by a neighbor at the RV park. Disappointingly, this water feature turns out to be a rather small, underwhelming waterfall and, to add insult to injury, our navigation takes us there on a dirt road that is being re-graded — covering our clean truck with bright orange mud that quickly hardens on!
We soldier on to Devil’s Tower. We can see the Tower as we approached, a monolith rising from the earth. It is a hot day and, after getting Elle’s junior ranger booklet from the Visitor Center and stamping our passport, we take the short hike around the base of the Tower. The Tower is really impressive. There are falcons soaring around its striated sides and we also see climbers slowly scaling up the side of the Tower. As we walk around the base of the Tower we see prayer flags fluttering from many of the trees. Devil’s Tower is a sacred site for Native American tribes that live in the Black Hills.
It is time for lunch so we make our way to a nearby restaurant (aptly named Devil’s Tower View) that advertises “Welcome to Bikers and Tourists!” on a large sign outside. Tourists are us, so in we go. We treat ourselves to juicy buffalo burgers and homemade peach pie and then head back to our home base of the Whispering Pines.
It is a long two hour drive back, but we manage to take a quick drive through the very touristy town of Deadwood and stop at the Mount Moriah Cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried right next to each other.
The next day we explore Jewel Cave National Monument. We take a ranger-guided tour, the Scenic Tour, 1 hour and twenty minutes, 750 steps. We hadn’t purchased advance tickets so we arrive at 8:30am and get tickets for the 9:30 tour. Jewel Cave is a cold (a consistent 49 degrees year-round) and damp cave and we were glad we were wearing long sleeves. The cave was filled with strange and sometimes colorful formations.
After Jewel Cave we drive to the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial. The memorial is an enormous mountain sculpture of the famous Lakota Sioux chief. Although you can see the sculpture from the road, we pay the admission ($30 for the car) and visit the museum to see the documentary and exhibits, which are worthwhile. The Memorial itself was started in 1948, is not yet complete and probably will not be completed in our lifetime. But even in its half-done state it is quite impressive to see the Indian chief riding out of the rock.
We drive home via the Needles Highway through Custer State Park. The 14 mile scenic road was narrow and windy but allowed intimate viewing of the tall spires of rock. Really breathtaking vistas of these eroded granite pillars.
On day three, we drive to Bear Country USA in Rapid City. Bear Country is a 250 acre outdoor zoo where you drive through (windows up of course). We arrive when they open at 7:30am and have the animals to ourselves. It is so fun to see all the animals wandering about: elk, reindeer, wolves big horn sheep, buffalo and of course bears! Lots and lots of bears. And even more fun in the baby section of the park. All sorts of baby animals, including about a dozen bear cubs frolicking and climbing trees. Adorable. We love this place as touristy as it is.
Afterwards we visit Mount Rushmore National Monument. This large-scale mountain sculpture of the faces of the four presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt) is impressive. The Visitor Center is amazing, doing an excellent job telling the story of the monument, its history and how it came to be. We take a Ranger-led walk and Elle earns her Junior Ranger badge. We take lots of pictures of the inspiring cliff sculpture.
Our final day in the area, we kick off by driving to the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop, where we see a buffalo, deer, pronghorn and towns of chattering prairie dogs. It is like a mini version of Teddy Roosevelt National Park.
On to Wind Cave National Park. Wind Cave is one of the longest caves in the world and one of the earliest national parks. It’s named for the winds at its entrances and known for its honeycomb like boxwork formations found in the cave.
Similar to Jewel Cave, we take a ranger-guided tour of the cave. Wind Cave is dryer and slightly warmer than Jewel Cave (53 degrees versus 49 degrees) and seems more intimate. We follow our guide through winding rock pathways and caverns. The ranger even allows Elle to hold the flashlight and lead the tour group for a little while. It is a highlight for Elle. Next off to Badlands National Park!
