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So 4 years ago my wife said how about we go to South Dakota for a camping trip. My response was "ugh South Dakota?, what in the world is in South Dakota?" she said The Black Hills. My response "Never heard of 'em".
Fast forward 4 years, just got back from our 4th consecutive trip to Western South Dakota. It's an easy trip from Milwaukee about 12 hours of set the cruise and stop once for gas. So it's a easy trip for us with no traffic and at 80MPH in Wisconsin and 75 in MN and 85 in South Dakota you can make great time. We camped at Custer State Park and a little campground outside of Sturgis. We have explored so much of the Western part of the state and still feel like we need a lot more trips to see it all. We made our way to Devils Tower and back in a day, explored some grasslands and badlands. Mt.Rushmore was cool but to me it's on of those things you see once and you're good. We haven't been back there since year 1.
I'm a big fan of the Native American culture and having some family members that are Native Americans it's cool for them to come out to SD as well. We like Sturgis although some refer to it as run-down, big fan of Rapid City and Spearfish. We had one little incident while walking down an alley in Rapid City, a drunk Native came up to us around 9am and said "you like it here?" "welcome to my country" as he then followed us down the alley until he tripped and fell down and just layed there. We asked him if he was okay and he said comically "I don't look okay to you?" .
It's a great state I love coming out there and spending 1 of my 3 weeks out there every year. However I have two friends that live east of Chamberlain and one lives in Brookings and the other just east of Chamberlain and they both hate the state and especially the eastern portion. They claim it's western Minnesota but poorer. In any case I think you have a great state especially west of the river.
I think South Dakota is very underrated in terms of vacationing, and I tell everyone that they should go out to SD. See ya next year!
consider getting off the Interstate next time and travel the highways instead. Takes just a bit longer but driving through the vistas instead of looking at them from the freeway at 85 mph is more enjoyable. Check out US 18 that runs just south of I90 sometime.
consider getting off the Interstate next time and travel the highways instead. Takes just a bit longer but driving through the vistas instead of looking at them from the freeway at 85 mph is more enjoyable. Check out US 18 that runs just south of I90 sometime.
Oh I have spent plenty of time on dirt roads and back roads in South Dakota so far, my wife is an ultra runner so to access some of the trails we head off the beaten path. My friends in eastern SD advised me to stay off the Pine Ridge reservation, claiming as a out of state tourist I am a target. Don't know if this is just paranoia or what. We did travel 44 out of Rapid City to Murdo though, early morning hours I think we passed 2 cars.
I also agree that visiting South Dakota is underrated. I thought it was one of the best trips I ever made. Both Sioux Falls and Rapid City has a lot of nice things to see. Even walking in to the oddities of Wall Drug and the Corn Palace was pretty interesting.
Oh I have spent plenty of time on dirt roads and back roads in South Dakota so far, my wife is an ultra runner so to access some of the trails we head off the beaten path. My friends in eastern SD advised me to stay off the Pine Ridge reservation, claiming as a out of state tourist I am a target. Don't know if this is just paranoia or what. We did travel 44 out of Rapid City to Murdo though, early morning hours I think we passed 2 cars.
Driving thru the rez on the main highways in the summer and during the daytime I feel you're quite safe. At night, should you have car trouble, not quite as much. During the winter it can be dangerous more because of the weather, wide open spaces, and the possibility no one may come by to help if you have car issues. Throw in the fact that there's very few places to get repairs and your short little jaunt through the rez can turn into an adventure you'd rather do without.
We are planning a drive through and a couple of days stop in S D and naturally want to see Mt Rushmore. A friend also suggested we stop in Deadwood. Can you tell me anything about that town? This is all part of our move from California to the East Coast... We want an interesting journey across the country.
Deadwood is full of history....and gambling. It's a fun place to spend a day unfortunately I have a little trouble with the altitude. They used to reenact gunfights on the streets...don't know if they do that anymore. A big event in Deadwood is the Days of '76 which will be July 26-30 this year. It totes one on the best PRCA mid-size rodeos in the nation. Schedule and Results | Days of '76 Rodeo - Deadwood, SD
Days of 76 Rodeo is about the only thing I like about Deadwood. All the other times there's nothing special about that down. I do not like Deadwood.
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