Mt. Rushmore in Sept
 

We have vouchers for airline tickets on Delta, so will be able to slip in an unplanned trip somewhere...have been wanting to see Mt. Rushmore, but realize there are oh so many other things to see in that area... where would you suggest we fly into, from Detroit, and what are absolute "must sees"...once there would you recommend a guided tour or on our own? We will rent a car and stay about a week.

Delta flies into Rapid City, SD, which is very near to Mt. Rushmore. You will have a stopover in Minneapolis, Salt Lake or Cincinnati.
Its a short drive to Mt. Rushmore from there.

South Dakota is a great place to visit; all kinds of caves, rock formations (Needles), the Badlands are spectacular, there's even casino gambling. Just get a state map, a car, and National Parks pass at the first entrance.

I worked in Keystone, SD for a summer (home of Mt. Rushmore). I dont especially care for all of the redundant souvenior shops and tourist attractions, but I would love to tell you a few places in the area that you MUST see! Halley's General Store is in "old keystone" just around the bend from Mt. R. If you love antiques, history and a great opportunity to meet lovely old men who really know a lot about the area, it's a great place to stop and look around. Make sure you take the time to look through some of the boxes of old black & white photos and the books upstairs. The store has been around since the mid-1800's, I believe. The Badlands are pretty phenomenal also. Enjoy!

A definite must-see is Custer State Park. Great drives and you will be able to see wildlife, including buffalo. If you don't mind a day trip, go to Devil's Tower--it's truly impressive and there's a prairie dog community there.

-Rapid City : one day -Journey museum,
the town itself,(there is a nice indian artifact shop...) and a meal at the corn exchange is a must.

The Badlands(east of Rapid City) : one day-there are some nice short hikes(window,door,notch..on the east part), an easy 7 miles hike joining east and west part(castle) and a lot of overview.
You can drive by the north(a stop at
Wall, turist trap but funny, and another stop at the homestead site) and back by the south border with a stop in Scenic(railway ghostown, with an old trading-merchandise shop...like in a moovie).

Custer Park : 2 days : one in the Sylvan lake part(needles, hikes,...)
one day in the game lodge part(wildlife loop, some easy hikes, some lakes : legion lake,...).

Spearfish canyon : one day+++

Deadwood and Devil's tower : one day.

Mt Rushmore and Crazy horse memorial : one day.You have to choose /night ceremonies.For me the Crazy Horse is nicest in term of "show"...but the Mt Rushmore one is more emotional...
The hike at the foot of Mt Rushmore is easy and worth the times, the "bus" excursion at Crazy horse is not necessary but the indian museum there is terrific...
In Keystone, the "old town" part is nice to visit and have some nice shops.
Some restaurant : Corn exchange in Rapid City.
The Pheasant room in the game lodge in Custer Park.
The Laughling restaurant in Spearfish Canyon.
The Midnight star in Deadwood is not necessary...
Some hotels :
In Rapid City, the Alex Johnson is historic, and we find it very convenient(the family suite was a good deal).
The Spearfish canyon lodge is a must and you can easely drive to Deadwood and Devil's Tower from there.
The Legion lake resort have very nice and not expensive cabins...
Clicking on my name, you can find my report of our 2 weeks vacation there in 2006...and also in 2005...
Erik.

I forgot to notice the mammoth site , and we didn't have anytime to visit Jewel or Wind caves...It will be for another year..
Erik.