Mt. Rushmore & surrounding area - lodging opinions
 

The 1st leg of our 4 week road trip is Ann Arbor Michigan to Mount Rushmore (we'll stop along the way). We want to see Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Crazy Horse, Custer. Sounds like a good place for homebase (probably 2 or 3 nights) is Custer State Park. Has anyone stayed in the camping cabins there? Any suggestions are appreciated!

Come on...where are all my Mt. Rushmore experts? Also, anyone else getting totally annoyed by the Expedia pop-up that doesn't have a "close" bar?

We were just in this area for a conference a few weeks back. We stayed in Rapid City which was fine. We did spend alot of time in Custer state Park and the cabins looked fine. In fact, it's a much more central location to all those areas except the Badlands, which you can hit on your way in from MI. I highly recommend the Jeep Tour at Custer State Park as well. Have fun!

We've camped in Custer State Park but have never stayed in the cabins. The park is an ideal base, in my opinion. If for some reason you can't get the cabins, staying in Rapid isn't a bad idea. Our family has stayed in many a Rapid hotel (for sports stuff) so I can give you suggestions if you need them. One other idea if you don't mind driving and want to be in the hills--a night or two in Deadwood would be fun.

Watch for cops aggresively ticketing tourists for perceived violations near the border.

Avoid that area like the plague during the first two weeks of August.

We were in SD over Memorial Day weekend. We didn't stay in Custer, but visited lots of other interesting places in 3 days. Driving through the Badlands is neat and you must stop at Wall Drug, even though it is a tourist trap. We then drove into Rapid City and stopped at the the Journey Museum, which was worth a stop. From there we went to Keystone and spent the night. That evening we went to the lighting ceremony at Mt. Rushmore. It was great, but it was freezing cold that night. The next day we went back to Rushmore, drove through Custer State Park, on to Crazy Horse and then down to Hot Springs to spend the night. I think it's 30-40 miles south of Custer. That evening we went to the Mammoth Sight at Hot Springs and the next morning drove about 10 miles south to the Wild Horse Sanctuary and took the morning tour. It was wonderful, but we are great horse lovers. From there we drove up to Deadwood, probably about 2 1/2 hrs. Deadwood is a fun place. We saw the reenactment of the murder of Wild Bill Hickock and then went to the reanactment of the trial of his killer, Jack McCall. It was a fun trip and we were able to see a lot in just 3 days.

You absolutely must stop at Wall Drug. Although a tourist trap, it is a fun place, and "YOU CAN'T MISS IT! REALLY!"

We were there a few years ago (we're not campers, so can't help you there), and stayed at the Super 8 motel in Keystone. It was great. We had only short drives to many of the attractions, especially Rushmore, which is AWESOME in the day and SPECTACULAR after the sun goes down. We've been there three different times and have noticed new things each time.

It's too bad you weren't going to Crazy Horse the first full weekend in June for the annual Volksmarch. It only happens once a year and is fabulous because you get to walk right up to the face. UNBELIEVABLE!!

Anyway, I would suggest to stay in Keystone (I believe we paid like $79 per night in a room with double beds for three people). But if you guys are campers, give it a whirl.

There are enough things in the area to keep you busy for several days and nights. But you must see the lighting ceremony at Rushmore least once. Can you say, GOOSEBUMPS?

Hope all of this helps. Have a great trip.

Oh, Otis B. referred to the first two weeks of August to avoid the area. That's the annual pilgrimage to Sturgis for all of the bikers in the Universe. So, he might be right.

In my humble opinion, I think one night, two days is sufficient for this area. Yes, you can find many things to do there but most scream *tourist trap*. See Mt. Rushmore when you arrive, there it is, stare at it, then explore Custer. Hike Custer. Then go see Mt. Rushmore at night. Next day do a little more in Custer, then leave. There are many more worthy places to visit, The Badlands, Devils Tower, and you're probably heading towards Yellowstone or Glacier, just to name a few, and you'll be glad to have the extra time there.

Having said that about tourist traps, I do agree with the previous poster that a stop at Wall Drug is a must. Yes, it is also a tourist trap but one that is fun for a 1/2 hour or so. Have some of their delicious free ice water! ;) You'll see what I mean when you get there. Happy planning!

Wow, thanks so much!! I knew this site would come through! I think we will stay at the cabins in Custer, we love camping and the cabins seem a little rustic and a little more comfortable than tent camping. I've heard a lot about the lighting of Mt. Rushmore...but also heard it's great to see EARLY in the morning. Which one should we do? We are leaving from Ann Arbor in early Sept...so we'll miss the early August craziness.

Custer State Park is a good home base for your trip to the hills. There is lots to see in the park. A good day
would be to take the loop in the park,
take needles highway, and come back
around on iron mountain road and stop
at Mt. Rushmore. Another good area to
stop at in the southern hills is mammoth
site in Hot Springs. I would also
recommend spending a day in the northern
hills. Go through Spearfish Canyon and
stop in Deadwood. Stop at Mt. Moriah
where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane are buried. Soak up some history at Deadwood's Adam museum. There are also
several casinos to do a little gambling. Make sure you also stop at
both the Badlands and Devil's Tower.
Enjoy!