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Badlands / Black Hills - Should we overnight at Badlands Nat'l Park?

Badlands / Black Hills - Should we overnight at Badlands Nat'l Park?

Old Jul 28th, 2013, 12:43 PM
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Badlands / Black Hills - Should we overnight at Badlands Nat'l Park?

Hello - We are planning a trip to the Badlands / Black Hills area next June (2014). I have booked at Custer State Park - had to split between Creekside and Sylvan Lake lodges as I already could not get all of my nights together and some rooms were selling out. But I've been wondering if I should add in the Cedar Pass cabins as everyone says such good things about them. Is Badlands an ok day trip from Custer? Or are the cabins/Badlands worth packing and unpacking an extra time? If so, just an overnight or how many days? We have10 days in the area. I appreciate your help. Thank you.
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Old Jan 11th, 2014, 09:01 AM
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Whoa, 10 days! Did you make a decision? We're panning our 2014 June trip and are going to do Badlands on our way back home to Minneapolis. We are spending three nights in Custer area then going to Devils Tower then staying at Cedar Pass Lodge for Badlands.
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Old Jan 11th, 2014, 09:40 AM
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We are at Sylvan Lake for 5 days the last week of May. We are just going to do a Day Trip to Badlands. We will take in Wall Drug that day also. It just depends on what all you want to do in the Badlands NP--How much hiking one plans on doing.

We are also considering a Day Trip to Devils Tower or even a super long Day Trip to Devils Tower and Battle Of Little Bighorn Monument.
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Old Jan 11th, 2014, 11:11 AM
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Spirobulldog--We were in the Black Hills last summer and visited both Devils Tower and the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn (on separate days). If you decide to do both of these sites on one day, plan your schedule carefully so that you don't end up short-changing your time at either site. We found there was a lot to see at the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn and ended up spending at least 4 hours there. The walk around the base of Devils Tower (2km) will probably take at least an hour since it's not the kind of walk you want to rush. Fortunately, Devil's Tower is open 24 hours a day (but not the small Visitor's Center), so you could go there to do the walk anytime after sunrise and before sunset.
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Old Jan 11th, 2014, 12:19 PM
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I have booked the Cedar Pass Lodge to explore the Badlands. I was very im(patiently) waiting for the resevations to open. I really like the idea of the new cabins, they get good reviews and the pics look good. So our hotels are an overnight in Rapid City as the flight gets in late, 2 nights Cedar Pass, 4 nights Creekside Lodge in Custer State Park, then final overnight in Rapid City to head home.

Next I need to plan the itinerary but we are leaving in 2 weeks to go to Captiva Is., FL to escape New England weather.
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Old Jan 11th, 2014, 01:46 PM
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Badlands is best done as an overnight. The Badland formations look better when the sun is lower in the sky - shadows give them some definition and contrast, otherwise mid-day they look washed out and not as dramatic. You will also see more wildlife during the early morning/late evening hours. I spent 5 days there last fall and saw at least one porcupine (of all things) every morning and every night. I didn't even know they existed in the park...and I think I saw more of them in those 5 days then I have in the remaining 40+ years of my life.

Not that its all about seeing porcupines lol. Truly, the Badland formations are much more scenic with some shadows, and the sunrise/sunsets can be very nice.
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Old Jan 11th, 2014, 08:05 PM
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We stayed at the Cedar Pass Lodge cabins last June and they are, indeed, very nice. Are you hikers? If so, you will have plenty of time to do lots of hikes if you stay 2 nights. If you are not hikers, then you might find 2 nights there one night too long.
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Old Jan 11th, 2014, 09:10 PM
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Have you been to Custer State Park before? If not, you're going to have a lot to explore there. The Needles Highway is otherworldly and has awesome hiking. Sylvan Lake is a crazy little lake. The wildlife loop is very cool. And the two major caves in the area are worthwhile. Mt. Rushmore is nice as a drive-by. The Badlands, for me, is a day trip...everyone's different. Part of the deal for us was that it had been raining and you really can't hike as much when the ground is wet there. It gets really slimy. I'd also much rather hike up Spearfish canyon and check Deadwood out than go to Wall Drug, but again, everyone's different.
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Old Jan 12th, 2014, 06:04 AM
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We haven't been to that area at all before so I am really looking forward to it. We do like to do some hiking and also like to settle in and get to know a place so I think 2 nights will be ok for us. Then the rest of the time will be to explore Custer and the area there although I would like to go to the Spearfish area as a day trip. Do you all think going to both caves is worth it or should we just pick one?
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Old Jan 12th, 2014, 08:01 AM
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With only 4 days in the Custer area, I would only choose to tour one cave. You'll want to spend most of your time above ground.
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Old May 27th, 2014, 07:03 AM
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The last leg of our June trip takes us from Deadwood to Cedar Pass Lodge, via Rapids City for touristy kid stuff. I recently broke my foot and won't be hiking much so it'll mostly be about the scenery not far from the car for me.

What route is best to drive through Badlands from Rapids City (to Cedar Pass Lodge)?
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Old May 27th, 2014, 08:19 AM
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The shortest route is Hwy 44 from Rapid City to Interior.

Your other options are to take I-90 east to Wall, then head south on 240 to enter at the Pinnacles entrance OR continue on I-90 east to the next 240 exit (240 makes a loop through Badlands), and head south on 240 to enter at the east entrance of Badlands.

It depends on how long you are going to be staying at Cedar Pass and what you are all doing there. The Hwy 44 option will take you on a route that most people don't see. You'll miss out on driving through the park and seeing the badlands formations, but since you're already staying there overnight I'm assuming you'll do the drive through the park once anyway.

Entering at Wall (Pinnacles) means you'll drive through much of the park before getting to Cedar Pass. Right after you enter you could take a right on Sage Creek Road and drive a few miles to the prairie dog town, possibly seeing some bison. That may or may not be interesting if you've already visited stuff like that earlier in your trip.

Entering at the eastern entrance means you'll exit right at the Minuteman Missile Site and you could/should stop there for a visit. If you're early enough you could see about getting tickets for a tour of the underground missile site (assuming your foot allows you to do that). It's a relatively short drive from that entrance to Cedar Pass.

So, I can't really say which route is best, it does depend on what else you're seeing and how much time you have. Personally, I think the optimal route would be entering via Hwy 44 because you'll see a side of the park that most people don't see. Then just make sure you drive at least as far as the eastern entrance and Pinnacles and you will have seen most of the northern part of the park.
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Old May 29th, 2014, 07:59 AM
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Thanks for the great info WhereAreWe! We plan on arriving in the Badlands around 4pm so we want the most bang in a short amount of time. Since we are heading home to Minneapolis the next day, this will be our last excursion and probably a little tired. The prairie down town sounds neat, but I agree that we may have already seen much of this at Custer and surrounding areas.

Taking Hwy 44, the road less traveled, would be interesting. How long would it take to come in on 44 (from Rapids City) then drive up to the eastern entrance and back, then over to Cedar Pass Lodge?
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