DH and I are flying into Rapid City the end of the month for a couple of weeks, returning mid June. Continuing work on our "National Park collection" and adding some new ones in SD (but I'm not really sure the trip isn't just an excuse to go back to our favorite, Yellowstone). Reservations are all made but am still tweaking Yellowstone since cancellations are starting - just got one night at OF Inn and two more nights in the (teeny, tiny) OF Lodge cabins to go with a couple of nights at Canyon. I'm trying to arrange it so the actual driving time each day is no more than 4 hrs. because we're not early getting out in the morning and we like to stop along the way to photograph or take a look at things we find out about en route.

First 2 nights are in Rapid City, with one day for Badlands NP and one day open. Then we're moving to Hill City, next morning and afternoon at Wind Cave, evening at Rushmore on Day 3. Day 4 we leave Hill City and go by Jewel Cave, then drive to Casper for the night. Day 5 look around Casper, then go to Riverton for a night. Day 6 to OF Inn. Days 7 & 8 at OF Lodge, the night of Day 9 in West Yellowstone. Day 10 to NV City, VA City, Big Sky (looking for advice here), Days 11 & 12 at Canyon Lodge, Day 13 to Cody and Buffalo Bill Museum. Day 14 maybe B B Museum in AM, then on to Buffalo. Day 15 we drive back to Rapid City, maybe via Devil's Tower or Deadhorse. Looking for advice in several areas.

1. Recommendations for the 2nd day in Badlands area. Crazy Horse? Custer State Park? Somewhere else? (If we really want to spend more time in Badlands NP after the first day, we'll probably go back. But most likely we'll be looking for something different.)

2. Since it's a short drive from Casper to Riverton, we should be able to spend several hours in Casper or on stops en route. Suggestions for things to see/do in Casper? Map indicates Rts. 220/287 more picturesque than the more direct Rts. 20/26. Any advice there? Unless we have lunch in Casper, it appears we might better take picnic stuff.

3. Skipping Tetons this trip but thought we might spend the day after our W. Y'stone night heading to Bozeman, VA City, NV City, Big Sky since we've never been north of Gardiner (except to the Glacier area). Suggestions for an itinerary for that day?

4. Think we'll probably stop by Devil's Tower on the way from Buffalo to Rapid City. What about Deadwood? Do we need to see a shootout or something? (Were in Tombstone for a few hours several years ago and cannot remember if we saw a shootout there or not, if that tells you anything about our shootout interests. And forget the casinos, have had enough of those in Vegas and Cherokee.) Have seen some reference to Lead but only that it's "interesting". Interesting how? Since our return flight out of Rapid City is not till after 3PM, we could spend the night in Spearfish or Deadwood (assuming there are motel rooms still available). Would that be a good idea?

Also any restaurant suggestions are welcome. After Wind Cave, should we try to eat before we get to Rushmore (looks like either Keystone or take the long way and stop in Custer City) or will cafeteria at Rushmore be as good as anything convenient along the way? We've spent a total of about 14 days in Yellowstone previously but have not been any of the other places.

Rushing off to work, so this will be short. We loved Badlands and wish I had a second day there. There are lots of trails and it's quite beautiful in a desolate kind of way.

As for Big Sky....I didn't love it. I remember there being boat launches and feeling like I would have enjoyed it I had a boat for the river. But we visited only a small section of it.

Gotta run..more thoughts later.

Go to the Minuteman Missile site near Badlands. They have more in-depth tours on weekdays I believe.

Which side of Glacier have you seen? Were you able to drive the whole GTTS road? Been to Many Glacier?
Have you been to Wall SD to see Wall Drug? East of Wall you have Mitchell SD with the Corn Palace.

You can include Crazy Horse on your Rushmore day, it is interesting and can be seen in a relatively short time.

Another vote for the Minuteman Missile HS near Badlands.

Since you seem to be on a whirlwind NP tour have you considered looping north on the return to Rapid City to take in Theodore Roosevelt NP in southwest ND?

Don't miss Custer State Park. Drive the Wildlife Loop road to see the free-roaming bison and prairie dog towns. In fact, you may want to stay in a park lodge rather than a 2nd night in Rapid City and the one night in Hill City.

Thanks for the SD suggestions. Guess what I've learned is that we didn't allow enough time in SD. (But what's new? Always more stuff than we have time to do.) Nope, tomfuller, never been to SD, so never been to Wall. What's the Corn Palace? No time for Glacier this trip. We were there 7 days in August '10, dates carefully selected to insure GTSR open (west half on Red Bus, whole thing in rental car); spent half the trip at Lake McDonald, half at Many Glacier. Probably our second favorite national park and would like to go back, maybe on an Empire Builder trip, but not this time. Probably not Roosevelt Park either. Have concluded we'll never get to all of them (about 29 so far and most of the "big names") and maybe shouldn't have, but I decided to do extra time in Yellowstone instead of going farther in the Dakotas.

Besides the NP project, we also have a "Marriott project" - DH for some reason wants lifetime Platinum status (already lifetime Gold) and this would be the best year to finish up the nights we need due to their rules. So the 2 nights in Rapid City at the start are "musts", but we have 2 nights booked in Hill City we don't "need. Thanks, longhorn, for mentioning the park lodges, which I hadn't noticed in my quick peruse of the Custer Park website. We could switch the Hill City for Custer Park nights (assuming they have anything) but for one thing. DH will be 71 and I am 68, ages at which sometimes s#*%t happens; while we have never had a medical problem that prevented a trip, we've had a couple that would have done so if a few weeks later or earlier. Thus, unless we're doing the occasional European river or AK cruise and get trip insurance, we tend to stay in hotels with flexible cancellation policies. Custer lodges appear to have about the worst cancellation terms I've seen. But what we could do is check for availability (cancellations?) once we get to Rapid City and if they have something, we could cancel our chain motel in Hill City. From past experience, we'll see a sufficient number bison at Yellowstone but would certainly would like to see a prairie dog town. In Pet. Forest NP briefly at the start of a Colorado Plateau loop last Sept and totally forgot there was a prairie dog town till we were miles away.

With regard to Big Sky, I meant the area, not the resort. Read somewhere that Nevada and Virginia City were interesting but now can't find any reference on travel forums - keep getting the ones in CA. Thought we might drive from W. Yellowstone up rt. 287, then maybe loop back on 191 (AAA map has scenic dots there) but not actually stop in Big Sky. But it's a kind of long trip if NV and VA Cities are NOT interesting and 287 isn't very scenic.