Road trip From St.louis to South Dakota. Is it Safe?
Jan 27th, 2016, 04:47 PM
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Road trip From St.louis to South Dakota. Is it Safe?
Hi,
We are planning to take a road trip from St.louis, Mo to the Black hills and Badlands, SD in the last week of March 2016.
Well originally the trip is planned from St.louis to Kearney, NE and the places around North platte like Mullen etc. We have planned to go there to view the Sandhill cranes migration, so the trip has to happen in March. Firstly i would like to get any advice from people who know these places, about how would this road trip be, considering the weather and road conditions in this route. Will there be any extreme conditions or safety issues around this time of the year? Of course the weather is unpredictable, but if you could provide any inputs based on the past, i would appreciate it. If there are any safe routes/ roads and anything we should look out for etc.
Now to the next part of the question, since i see that the Black hills and Badlands is a roughly six hours drive to/from Mullen, NE, we were thinking if we could cover it in this trip. Would you advice if its ok to drive through this route in March. Also will the scenic roads, parks and other attractions be open at that time in SD? Which route is advisable? And if it is risky to attempt this trip?
As of now, We are thinking to drive from St.louis - Omaha/Sioux - Rapid City - Mullen - Kearny - Kansas city - STL. Planned like reaching the farthest city first and then travel backwards to cover NE and back.
We are a young couple and not very experienced in driving in heavy snow/cold.
Any suggestions regarding this will be helpful and be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
We are planning to take a road trip from St.louis, Mo to the Black hills and Badlands, SD in the last week of March 2016.
Well originally the trip is planned from St.louis to Kearney, NE and the places around North platte like Mullen etc. We have planned to go there to view the Sandhill cranes migration, so the trip has to happen in March. Firstly i would like to get any advice from people who know these places, about how would this road trip be, considering the weather and road conditions in this route. Will there be any extreme conditions or safety issues around this time of the year? Of course the weather is unpredictable, but if you could provide any inputs based on the past, i would appreciate it. If there are any safe routes/ roads and anything we should look out for etc.
Now to the next part of the question, since i see that the Black hills and Badlands is a roughly six hours drive to/from Mullen, NE, we were thinking if we could cover it in this trip. Would you advice if its ok to drive through this route in March. Also will the scenic roads, parks and other attractions be open at that time in SD? Which route is advisable? And if it is risky to attempt this trip?
As of now, We are thinking to drive from St.louis - Omaha/Sioux - Rapid City - Mullen - Kearny - Kansas city - STL. Planned like reaching the farthest city first and then travel backwards to cover NE and back.
We are a young couple and not very experienced in driving in heavy snow/cold.
Any suggestions regarding this will be helpful and be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Jan 27th, 2016, 06:18 PM
#2
Yes stick with I-29 through Sioux City to Sioux Falls and then west on I-90. Make a stop in Mitchell to see the Corn Palace if it is open.
Only take the detour to Mullen on the way back if the weather is good.
Late March or early March? Do you have good snow tires and an emergency kit including some food and water?
If the weather is bad, you probably won't see any Sand Hill or Whooping Cranes.
Only take the detour to Mullen on the way back if the weather is good.
Late March or early March? Do you have good snow tires and an emergency kit including some food and water?
If the weather is bad, you probably won't see any Sand Hill or Whooping Cranes.
Feb 7th, 2016, 06:12 AM
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My adult son and I drove from St. Louis to the Black Hills in March 2005. It was during spring break, so it was mid to late March. We were driving a four wheel drive Tahoe, so we didn't worry much about the weather. It was snowing when we got to the town where we picked up the keys for our cabin, but it was just flurries. I recall a "blizzard" at the end of March 1990 in Missouri that caused all sorts of havoc along I-70 for about 12 hours. So, you just never know. If you don't have a real four wheel drive (that goes into low 4), maybe you can borrow one? That would make me feel better about any bad weather.
