kdrogers

My summer opened up unexpectedly at work so we are planning a last minute road trip--there will be four of us, including my 10 and 7 year old boys. My tentative itinerary has us spending two nights near Badlands and three nights in Black Hills. Based on my research to date, my first choice in Black Hills would be Custer, but I can't find any cabin availability at vbro. Should I still be focusing on the southern region, to include Hill City and/or Hot Springs, or are there reasons to stay in the northern area, i.e., Deadwood, Spearfish, Lead, Sturgis?

We are not planning to go to Devil's Tower, and we will be several weeks ahead of the Sturgis rally so that is not an issue.

All thoughts appreciated, I feel very far behind in planning, but am really looking forward to this trip. Also welcome thoughts on two nights near Badlands and three in Black Hills as I try to balance the desire to minimize driving (knowing we will be doing so much) with the obvious positive of not changing places. Thanks, I've appreciate all the advice I've read in the threads.

longhorn55

It would be helpful to know your exact dates.

We are going to the Black Hills next week and will be staying at the cabins at Cedar Pass Lodge in the Badlands. If those are not available, I have read that you can sometimes find accommodations in Interior, South Dakota (just south of the park) or Wall, just north of the park.

We are also staying in Custer at a cabin we found on VRBO called "Cabin in the Woods". I see that there is still some availability for parts of June and July. You also might look at the Chief Motel in Custer. They have a 2-bedroom option as well as an option with 1 Q and two doubles (so the boys don't have to share a bed).

I've always enjoyed staying in Custer, but if you can't find anything there, Keystone and Hill City are probably better situated than Hot Springs, Spearfish, Deadwood or Sturgis.

kdrogers

Thank you! We will be traveling the first two weeks of July, and have some flexibility as to when we are in South Dakota. Cabin in the Woods does not have availability that would work for us, but there is at Chief Motel. I think we'll be happier with a kitchen, which means I'll focus on Hill City and Keystone. I appreciate your feedback and hope you have a great trip next week.

Greenway

We stayed in HIll City. Nice, quiet and central and none of the tourist kitsch of Keystone.

trvlbliss

We were in SD the first week of June. We also planned this at the last minute. We decided to stay all 6 nights in Rapid City and chose the Sleep Inn and Suites . Very good location outside the city with easy access to highways going east to the Badlands and west o Custer and Mt Rushmore . We also had a microwave and empty fridge in the room and there is a convenience store across the street . Also a McDonalds next door ( although we did not go there as we were away all day). Breakfast is included and was quite good with eggs, sausage, pastries, bread, cereals, yogurt and a waffle maker . Also fresh fruit which we loved.
We are very glad we did not split our stay as it would have meant packing up and checking in again . Wasted time that could be spent exploring the area. Badlands was just an hour away and Custer about 45 minutes . There is road construction in a lot of areas there and that added to the time. We even did a day trip to Devils tower and on the way back stopped at Deadwood for dinner. A neat Western town that your boys will enjoy. There was a mock trial of Jack McFall who shot Wild Bill that is audience participation and they pick kids from the audience to be jurors . We enjoyed it and it was only like 4-5 $ each. Your boys may also like Minuteman Missile site which is near Badlands . You need to go to their visitor center early as they have timed tickets (free) which go fast . Very good tour with a glimpse into the Cold War era when th US and Soviets had missiles aimed at each other.