Week in Rapid City area
 

We are flying into Rapid City in July for a 6 day stay. I found tour packages which seem to bundle everything into a 9 hour tour, so now I'm confused on how much time I need to see various things. We'll have a rental car and don't mind travelling through the area changing hotels if that gives us the best trip. What's a workable itinerary? What are some nice places for lodging along the way? (We love seeing the country side, shows, sites but don't do a lot of hiking, etc.)



Thanks.

We visited this area last May and only had 4 days due to my daughter's limited vacation time, but were able to do a lot. 6 days should give you plenty of time to really enjoy the area.

Day 1: Arrived at 10:00 in Rapid City, drove through the Badlands, stopped at Wall Drug, drove back to Rapid City and stopped at the Journey Museum and some of the stores selling Black Hills Gold Jewelry. Drove onto Keystone, stopped at the Wild Animal Sanctuary along the way. Dropped off things at hotel in Keystone. Finding something decent to eat wasn't easy - high prices and low quality. Went to the evening lighting certmony at Mt. Rushmore. It was beautiful, but cold (this was over Memorial Day weekend).

Sunday: Went to Mt. Rushmore. Ate breakfast at their cafe - it was surprisingly good at a reasonable price. Drove on Iron Mountain Highway and then went to Custer State Park. From there we drove the Needles Highway and went to Crazy Horse. Ate late lunch there. It was okay, but nothing special for the price. We greatly enjoyed both Mt. Rushmore & Crazy Horse. Also enjoyed drive through Custer, although we have seen large herds of Buffalo before. Prairie dogs were quite interesting - never seen so many before. We spent Sunday night at the Super 8 in Hot Springs. It was clean and neat - a good value for the price. We arrrived in time to visit the Mammoth Hot Springs site that is next door. Another interesting place to see.

Monday: We drove about 10 miles south of Hot Springs to the Wild Horse Sanctuary. My daughter is a horse lover and she greatly enjoyed our tour there. We left there around noon and drove to Deadwood. Deadwood is a neat place. Nothing like the gambling places in Vegas. We stayed at Cadillac Jack's Americ Inn. Our room was very clean and spacious. Got a very good rate booking through their internet site. Rate included a voucher for breakfast. After checking in we went downtown to the visitor's center. From there we went to Mt. Moriah cemetary where Calamity Jane & Wild Bill are buried. We then went back downtown and walked around. There were people on the street dressed as Wild Bill, Calamity Jane and other assorted characters. They were friendly and posed for pictures. We went to the reinactment of the shooting of Wild Bill and then to the trial of Jack McCall. The trial was fun. People from the audience were chosen to participate. Even though we had limited time, we were able to see and enjoy Deadwood. Didn't have time to go the Leed.

On Tuesday we had to drive back to Rapid City to fly home. For only having 3 full days we were able to see a lot and have a very enjoyable trip.

With your extra time I think I would consider a trip to Devil's Tower and Spearfish Canyon. Our friends have been to these places and really enjoyed seeing them.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

I too am planning a trip through the Black Hills this summer. Check out the book the Insiders guide to South Dakota's Black HIlls and Badlands. I found it in my local library but also have seen it in some bookstores.

Six days will give you a nice vacation at a relaxed pace. If staying in RC, there's basically a couple scenic drive loops that will return you to your "base" at the end of the day.
A very general itinerary would be:
Day 1: Custer State Park (could do Jeep safari/see bison), drive Needles Hwy, see Wind Cave, visit town of Keystone/Mt. Rushmore (stay for night viewing).
Day 2: Drive to Mammoth Hot Springs site to see prehistoric mammoth dig site (enclosed in nice bldg), visit Jewel Cave (my favorite), visit Crazy Horse memorial site, shop & dine in Hill City. (They also have an 1880's scenic train ride there).
Day 3: Drive east to SD Badlands & drive/tour, briefly stop at Wall Drug
(very cheesy/touristy). Drive back to RC where you could visit the Journey Museum, Black Hills Gold stores, etc.
Day 4: Drive the north loop up to Lead/Deadwood. Take the Lead mine tour, take the old Deadwood bus tour thru old homes,Deadwood cemetery. Walk around Deadwood/visit the museum/gamble/shop.
Be sure to attend "The Trial of Jack McCall" - it's quite fun!
Day 5: Drive over to Devil's Tower (Close Encounters of the Third Kind site). Visit Spearfish, SD & attend
evening outdoor "The Passion Play".
Day 6: Catch whatever you missed so far - horseback rides,helicopter to Mt. Rushmore,scenic drives,caves, etc.

You could re-arrange this itinerary to your liking based on where you're staying - we stayed two nights in Deadwood & the rest in RC. (We had very nice lodging at the Holiday Inn Express/Casino in Deadwood.) We also enjoyed good meals in old downtown RC at the Firehouse Brewery & the Alex Johnson Historic hotel. Hope this helps!

I forgot to add that I believe Deadwood has "Days of '76" Rodeo and also "Hot Summer Nights" street car show sometime in July - check with their chamber of commerce or website!

Here's another vote for Devils Tower. Take the road through Spearfish Canyon. It is a glorious drive.

I appreciate the information you've offered. It all looks quite helpfu.

I've traveled to Rapid City with my husband the past 6 years (he has a job there every March-2days of work while I explore). I simply never get tired of the beauty of the area. We found the best lodging this past trip in March. We stayed at Newtonfork Ranch just outside of Hill City. Newer log cabins, ours had a view of Harney Peak. Very tranquil, horses nearby, deer (many of them) wander through the yard, peaceful. Nice central location to all of the attractions.

I recommend Custer State Park wildlife loop, Spearfish Canyon, Needles Highway (it's always closed in March for snowmobilers only, but I've seen it in the past), Badlands, and so much more.

We also loved the cabins at Blue Bell Lodge in Custer State Park, they do not allow pets though.