Road trip to Mt. Rushmore
 

Hi

My wife & I are planning to fly into Minneapolis/St. Paul from England in the late summer of 2010, rent a car and spend three weeks in the States. The main point of this trip will be to visit Mount Rushmore and spend a few days in that area.

Does anyone have suggestions for places that we might visit on the way there or back, please?

Our key criteria are that we shun interstates and try to do loops, avoiding covering the same route where possible. This will be our tenth visit to the USA and we are used to working out itineraries once we know what not to miss. We can get route details from the net, so what we need is to hear some enthusiastic advocacy of places to the north or south of the direct route.

Thanks!

My suggestion is you should post this on the USA board.

I'll move this over for you Roger---looks like you posted in Europe by accident. I'm sure you'll get good advice!

Rushmore will take less than a day to visit, once you get there. I'd go to some of the other National Parks/Monuments in the area. Yellowstone will be about a day's driving west and would be my first choice of places to see. This can be done mostly on back roads. You would need to make reservations to stay in the park as soon as possible. Wind cave NP and Crazy Horse Memorial are both quite close to Rushmore if you don't want to go to Yellowstone.

I agree with the above poster. Mt Rushmore will take less than a day. Custer Park is near and Needles Hwy in the Park has scenes of Mt Rushmore and is quite lovely especially at night when the momument is lighted. Also, Iron Mountain Rd, in the Park has wildlife and is a scenic drive. There are numerous lodges to stay in at Custer State Park.

However, I too would suggest Yellowstone National Park if you've never been there. It is superior and has tons of wildlife and beautiful views with, Old Faithful lodge with Old Faithful gyser and boardwalks all around to walk to other gyser's being my favorite. There is a lot of information here if interested. Be sure to check out Chief Joseph Hwy, it is one of the most scenic hwy's we have traveled.

There is lots to see in the Rushmore area including The Badlands, Minute Man Missle, Crazy Horse and the two cave NP's as well as Custer State Park for wildlife. I would go to NPS.gov and just try to hit as many national Parks and sights as possible. Since you listed Wyoming of course include Yellowstone and Grand Teton, but fit in some time in Cody. Theodore Roselvelt in ND has some beautiful herds of wild horses as well as other wildlife. Enjoy!

Might be helpful if you could tell us when you are coming. I haven't been to Rushmore and as bad as I hate to fight crowds I plan on seeing it on July 3rd sometime. This is the day of the big fireworks display.

You should also know that the 70th Annual Sturgis Motorcyle rally will be taking place from August 9th throuth the 15th which means tens of thousands of motorcyles on the roads at that time. Don't know if this is when you are thinking of coming and not to scare you off just information. All of the scenic rides and local attractions is exactely where they will be also. That being said, it is an amazing part of the country and well worth the trip!

If you wait until after our Labor Day holiday , Sep 6, 2010, when amost all kids and families with kids will be at home for school, you will experience way fewer crowds, and not need reservations anywhere.

While the best access is from the interstate, a visit to the Little Big Horn Battlefield (Custer's LAst Stand) is worth the time en route from Mt. Rushmore to Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP

Thanks for the ideas so far.
I'm refining my ideas as a result. Post-Labor day seems like a good idea. Yellowstone can wait for another trip, it's on our list.
If our circuit starts & ends at MSP, with Mt Rushmore being the farthest point, what about some other places that we might visit on that sort of loop?

IMO, and I could be wrong, but the drive from Minn/St Paul, other than the Mall of America in Minneapolis, has nothing of interest until you get to the Badlands, Custer STate Park, Crazy HOrse, Mt Rushmore area. Deadwood SD for a day and night, I found to be of interest. http://www.deadwood.org/

I second the recommendation for Little Big Horn and don't forget Devil's Tower (a short drive from Mt. Rushmore). We have been out there twice and stayed at Custer State Park both times. It's well worth a trip through it. There are lots of buffalo and wild burros that will come up to your car for snacks (you might want to take carrots).
And who can forget Wall Drug (I won't stop again but it was fun for one time) and the Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota? I wouldn't normally think of South Dakota as a "fun" place but there really is lots to do, especially in the southwest area where you are going. Have a great time.

Interstate 90 is the quickest route from Minneapolis to Rapid City, and it is 9-10 hours. I prefer the drive on hwy 169 through Mankato to Worthington to I90 as a more scenic route, rather than I35 to Albert Lea & I90. Or west from St. Petersburg to New Ulm and traveling across Minnesota & South Dakota on hwy 14, if you want to drive through a lot of small towns.

Highlights driving across South Dakota on I90 would be the Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, the Corn Palace in Mitchell, crossing the Missouri River at Chamberlain. Then there are about 2- 3 hours of western SD being rolling grasslands and little else until the Badlands. You can do a short loop through the Badlands leaving the interstate at either Kadoka or exit 131 and then either back to the interstate at Wall (home of the famous tourist stop Wall Drug) or continue on hwy 44 into Rapid City.

Custer State Park is beautiful, Sylvan Lake, the Needles hwy, Iron Mountain Rd (driving north Mt. Rushmore will be framed by the small tunnels you drive through), the wildlife loop.

If you want to do a loop back to Minneapolis, you could travel hwy 44 back toward Sioux Falls, which will take you through the Badlands & Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

I suggest you check into flying open jaw out of Rapid City or even Denver (6-7 hours) rather than drive back to Minneapolis.

The weather in September is usually very nice in the Black Hills.

Not sure if you are still reading this, but here are some suggestions assuming a loop Mpls>>Rapid City>>North Dakota>>return via I-94.

Outbound in Minnesota:
Little House on the Prairie http://www.walnutgrove.org/museum.htm

Pipestone National Monument for hand-carved Indian pipes http://www.nps.gov/pipe/index.htm

North from the Black Hills:
Burning Coal Vein http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/h...s/burncoal.htm

Theodore Roosevelt National Park http://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm

Return from North Dakota in Minnesota:
St. Johns Abbey http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/abbeychurch/
and its manuscript library http://www.hmml.org/about06/about.htm

There are many highlights in Minneapolis as well.

Thanks tom-mn

I still occasionally check.

Those are really good ideas. I read Little House on the Prairie to our kids when they were small and a couple of years ago we called in at Rocky Ridge Farm [Mansfield MO]where Laura lived. Have you been?

Thanks again

Roger:
No, I have not, and I think that it is mostly reconstructed. The Pipestone NM is quite good though, as is the abbey at St. John's.

We had a very good trip in that area a few years ago, and I know you will enjoy yours.

I have to add this word of warning: watch the weather on the day you visit Mt. Rushmore!

The day was overcast when we went, and when we walked out to the viewing area, fog/clouds covered the whole scene. We stood there with a crowd of people just looking at the clouds. We really couldn't see anything of the mountain.

We looked at each other and started giggling. Soon we were in hysterical laughter, as were many people around us.

I took a picture, anyway, and I have it properly labeled "Mt. Rushmore" in the album. (I bought a postcard, too.)

Even today, any mention of "Mount Rushmore" can send us into silly giggles.

Have a wonderful trip!

Byrd

Tom has some good ideas, definitely check out Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

In Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park is great. You can and should spend some time in northern Minnesota - many state parks as well. Spend some time in the Ely area as well as the North Shore. Minnesota has a pretty diverse landscape (prairies, forest, lakes, bogs, 'mountains', etc.).

I am not a B & B person and avoid them, but you will probably enjoy a night or two in Minneapolis better if you try one of these which put you right in pleasant, walkable neighborhoods.

http://www.lanierbb.com/minneapolis-...breakfast.html

and there are many downtown or suburban hotels.

Minnehaha Falls is nice. Less than 10 minutes from Minneapolis airport.

Out of the way a bit, but Stillwater & Taylors Falls on St. Croix River is very scenic. About 45 minutes to an hour east of the airport. Don't know if you want to go that direction.

I second Devil's Tower. You can easily walk all the way around the tower.

The most scenic drive in Badlands Natl Park is the short drive from Cactus Flats, SD To Wall, SD through the Badlands.

Deadwood, SD is a nice town.

With three weeks you can continue to Yellowstone Natl Park & Grand Teton Natl Park. Spend a few days in the area.

Many thanks to all of you who have taken the trouble to submit ideas. We are going to be busy! I can't wait.

Click on my name to see a trip report of a road trip my daughter and I took through that area last year just before Labor Day. If you're interested in Little House on the Prairie sites, I recommend visiting DeSmet.

roger...Little House on the Prairie takes place in Kansas, but much of Laura's older childhood was spent in DeSmet. As a lifelong fan of her books, I had always wanted to visit there and did so several years ago...loved it.

Rocky Ridge Farm, which you mentioned in an earlier post, is indeed in Missouri, quite a drive from your intended route. However, it is NOT largely reconstructed. It is a lovely and charming spot which I greatly enjoyed on my several visits.

Roger, I agree that South Dakota is a very interesting state. We also enjoyed a stop at Buffalo, Wyoming, where we wandered through the Occidental Hotel, in business since the 1800s. Here is an excerpt from a trip report I did last September:

"At Spearfish, we got off the interstate and drove the scenic Hwy 14A to Deadwood. It was one of the prettiest drives I've ever made. The pine-covered mountains come right down to the highway, and a beautiful clear stream runs over big, smooth stones alongside the road.

"We spent the night in Deadwood, the town where Wild Bill Hickok was killed at a poker game. Saw his impersonator riding a horse down the street, toting his old 44 or whatever, and got a photo of him for DH who loves old Western movies. The next morning we went up the hill to Boot Hill Cemetery (Mt. Moriah, actually) and made pictures of his and Calamity Jane's gravesites. It was not at all morbid--rather, the cemetery is quite large, evidently for the whole town since the beginning, and very pretty.

"From there we drove to Mount Rushmore, which looks just like all the pictures you've ever seen of it but still inspires awe. Went on to Custer State Park and took the wildlife trail through it, seeing one lone buffalo (must have been nap time), a lot of Pronghorn antelopes, and some burros, one a young one with big, sad eyes.

"Drove on through the Black Hills and to Badlands National Park. It's easy to see where it got its name. Wind and water erosion have created a very strange landscape, and it's so odd because the road will be on a level plain and then the ground just drops away. Many of the formations look like crenallated castles. This was September 11, and all the national sites had the flag at half mast."