Stop At: The Black Hills, South Dakota
As the audio guides play commentary based on your gps location, you can create your own itinerary along the tour route(s) to match your interests and schedule.
Or you can use our trip planners for our suggestions on half, full or multi day itineraries.
Some of the many highlights are listed below;
Duration: 1 day
Stop At: Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 13000 Hwy 244, Keystone, South Dakota 57751
The most famous and recognizable memorial celebrating the nationhood of the USA must be the 4 presidential faces that look out from Mount Rushmore. Though you will have seen it many times depicted on TV, movies and photos, there is no equivalent to seeing it with your own eyes and feeling the scale and depth of the sculpture.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Custer State Park, 13329 US Highway 16A, Custer, South Dakota 57730
Take a leisurely drive through an enormous area of natural habitat of rolling prairie hills with open grasslands and some pine forest.
Though the drive is officially only 18-miles long, expect to spend at least 1 hour, but if you enjoy spotting wildlife, its easy to spend 3 or more hours watching. Also explore some of the side roads that branch off the main route.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Devils Tower National Monument, Highway 110, Devils Tower, Wyoming 82714
Devils Tower was always a place of intrigue and fascination since it became the nation's first National Monument. For a multitude of generations before that, and continuing to this day, Native Americans celebrate the site for its spiritual importance. The Tower was thrust into pop culture in the 1970's sci-fi classic as the geographical star of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Western South Dakota delivers a wide variety of spectacular landscapes ranging from the prairies grassland and rock formations of the Badlands National Park, through to the mountains, canyons and forests of the Black Hills for you to explore.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Crazy Horse Memorial, 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, South Dakota 57730
In 1948, Sioux Chief Henry Standing Bear approached a Polish sculptor about creating another larger than life sculpture on Thunderhead Mountain - this time celebrating Sioux and other Northern Plains native groups through a depiction of Crazy Horse.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Keystone, Keystone, South Dakota
Once a mining boom town, Keystone today is the nearest community to Mount Rushmore. It is filled with hotels, restaurants, cafes and stores to find your perfect Mount Rushmore souvenir.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Rapid City, Rapid City, South Dakota
The hub of the three best scenic drives in this part of South Dakota is Rapid City and it is the ideal place to base your accommodations, and to do some exploring in this lively town.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Sylvan Lake, Custer, South Dakota
Located along route 87, Sylvan Lake is described as the Jewel of Custer State Park.
If time allows, it's very worthwhile to allocate 45 minutes or so to enjoy the relatively easy 1.1 mile trail around the lake. The combination of grassy shores, still lake water and granite formations rising from the water are truly scenic.
For more dedicated and prepared hikers, this is also the starting point for the Black Elk Peak trail, a 7 mile loop that rises 1100 feet to South Dakota's highest point.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Iron Mountain Road, Custer State Park, Custer, South Dakota
The final 45 minute approach of the recommended direction to Mount Rushmore follows the amazing Iron Mountain Road. We'll encounter tunnels, pigtail bridges, superb lookouts and 314 curves. It is a scenic delight!
The most magical moment of the drive is the view through the Scovel Tunnel where 4 presidential faces greet you at the other end, like a postcard.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Bridal Veil Falls, Spearfish Canyon Highway, Spearfish, South Dakota 57783
This 60 foot, narrow, wispy spray of water sits right beside the road in Spearfish Canyon. It's easy to capture that perfect photo right from the viewing platform.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Deadwood, Deadwood, South Dakota
One of the most famous wild-west towns in the entire country - Deadwood became legendary for it's gold rush boom and the multitude of characters who we recognize to this day.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Roughlock Falls State Nature Area, 10619 Roughlock Falls Rd, On FDR 222 near Savoy, Lead, South Dakota 57754
From the tiny ex-sawmill town of Savoy on the Spearfish Canyon Road, Roughlock Falls is an easy and popular spot to visit with an attractive waterfall easily accessed by boardwalk. Extend your visit with a 1 mile stream-side walking trail to the falls from the Spearfish Lodge.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, Alt Route 14, Spearfish, South Dakota
Spearfish Canyon is a superb 19 mile stretch of road with stunning waterfalls and 1000 foot high limestone walls.
This scenic drive connects the town of Spearfish with Savoy and Cheyenne Crossing, following the Spearfish Creek all the way.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Badlands Wall, South Dakota
At different times during the drive through the Badlands, we will pass through the Upper and Lower Prairie. The barrier that separates these 2 levels is known as the Wall.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Door Trail, South Dakota
The 3/4 mile Door Trail is the most popular as you follow a boardwalk until reaching a notch in the rock - the Door. Through the Door, hikers can venture into the amazing rock formations, characteristic of the Badlands. The shorter option is known as the Window Trail, just 1/4 mile long.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Fossil Exhibit Trail, South Dakota
This easy 0.25 mile boardwalk is dedicated to the stories of fossils that have been found throughout the park.
During its history, what is now the park has experienced perfect conditions leading to animal, plant and insect life forms to be quickly buried in silt of mud. When these events are timed just right, bones, teeth and shells especially are preserved to provide us a window to past times.
Fossil finds are active to this day.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, 24545 Cottonwood Rd, Philip, South Dakota 57567
For a complete change of theme in the Badlands, there is an opportunity to experience an important location from the Cold War arms race era. The Minuteman Missile Visitor Center serves as a museum and an opportunity to visit now decommissioned nuclear missile silos and control centers.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Roberts Prairie Dog Town, Sage Creek Rim Road, South Dakota
The Roberts Prairie Dog Town on Sagecreek Rim Rd at the western end of Badlands is the perfect place to watch a whole community of these fun creatures doing their thing.
As we approach, there are many stories and tips of unique behavior to watch out for. The more time you have available to simply stay and watch, the more you will enjoy how the town works together.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Yellow Mounds Overlook, Badlands Loop Road, South Dakota
One of the best vistas in Badlands National Park, the view from this overlook reveals classic buttes and erosion.
The unique coloring in bands across these mounds, ranges from yellow and beige through to pink. The formation originated as black, ocean mud which has weathered through exposure to air into this highly photographic yellow display.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Needles Highway, Custer State Park, South Dakota
A fantastic section of the Black Hills driving loop takes us on an enjoyable winding route through beautiful terrain and impressive rock formations.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Wind Cave National Park, Beaver Creek, South Dakota
These 2 cave systems are incredible and if you have time in your itinerary, should not be missed.
Both locations require driving on side trips off the Black Hills Loop tour route. If you follow the loop, the commentary will include descriptions of where to turn off for these these places, and details of how to visit. Simply return to the tour route when you are done.
Duration: 6 hours
