Road trip to Mt. Rushmore
Feb 5th, 2010 | 08:25 PM
#21
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,025
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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.
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.
Feb 8th, 2010 | 09:01 AM
#24
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,130
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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.
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.
Feb 8th, 2010 | 04:27 PM
#25
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,596
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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."
"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."
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