Great Western Road Trip: The Many Treasures of Black Hills, South Dakota

The Black Hills in South Dakota are something of an oasis in the otherwise barren Great Plains. Amid the beautiful granite mountains and lush forests are located some great recreational activities and things to do. Some particular spots that stand out include: Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Badlands National Park.

The Black Hills are located in the southwestern corner of South Dakota, between Nebraska and Interstate 90 and bordered by Badlands National Park. Though everything surrounding the Black Hills is mainly flat or gently rolling plains full of yellow prairie grasses, the Black Hills automatically stand out with their dense evergreen forests and granite mountains. The name actually comes from a Sioux title describing how dark the hills looked from a distance.

The central launching point for the Black Hills is the city of Custer. In this small town there are plenty of lodging options and restaurants to relax at. It's also about 30 min. to an hour in every direction from the various major attractions surrounding it.

To the southwest is Jewel Cave National Monument, one of the world's longest caves. It receives its name because of the quartz and crystal decorations covering the caves walls and ceilings. Paid tours are available daily, but they fill up fast in the busy season, so make sure to show up early.

Southeast of Custer is both Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park. Custer State Park provides some great campgrounds right in the middle of the granite hills and evergreen forests. There are plenty of trail networks to explore the beauty of the Black Hills. You'll also find a huge variety of intriguing and often rare minerals right on the surface of the ground.

Wind Cave National Park has one main feature, Wind Cave, but it also includes the miles of prairie above ground. Wind Cave National Park's prairies are frequented by herds of buffalo that often come right up to the road. They're also covered in prairie dog towns. Though the prairie dogs are a bit shy, a visitor can wander onto the prairies in any direction they choose in order to see the prairie dogs and the extent of their towns. However, your best option for getting up close is actually just to drive by and look out your window from the roadside. Approaching on foot or even lingering for too long in your car is usually enough to scare them into their holes.

Wind Cave National Park's title feature, the Wind Cave, makes for an exceptional caving experience. It has the world's largest collection of 'boxwork' and is one of the few places in the world where it can be found at all. The boxwork covers the ceiling throughout the cave and basically looks like a huge mass of glittering spider webs. The cave network is also one of the world's longest and is definitely the world's most complex, with a series of small rooms interconnecting and intersecting along several different levels and hundreds of miles of passageways. Wind Cave got its name when it was first discovered as a little hole in the ground from which wind was rushing out. The difference in barometric pressure between the interior and exterior of the cave is what causes the wind to constantly blow from the natural entrance.

Guided cave tours at Wind Cave National Park are available daily. We had the opportunity to take the more intense several-hour cave tour that was lit only by our headlamps and included a lot of crawling and climbing. I definitely recommend it for any physically fit persons who are intrigued by caves as it will give you a much more intimate and rewarding experience. (The same type of tour is also available, though less frequently, at Jewel Cave.)

Mount Rushmore National Monument and the Crazy Horse Monument are both located directly north of the city of Custer. I hardly have to tell you what Mount Rushmore National Monument is, but I can tell you that seeing it in person certainly puts it into perspective. I actually found it to be a bit smaller than I expected, but it was impressive (as the world's largest sculpture and as an historical work) nonetheless. The morning-time is best for viewing Mount Rushmore and I'll let you in on something else I learned the hard way: July 3^rd is when to be there for a massively impressive fireworks display, not July 4^th. Nevertheless, every evening at Mount Rushmore includes a touching historical presentation that culminates with turning the spotlights on the monument.

The Crazy Horse Monument is still unfinished, but when it is, it will be a completely 3-D sculpture (not just sticking out of the side of the mountain like Mount Rushmore) and the world's largest. Even seeing it from the roadside (just south of Mount Rushmore) is impressive, but it also has its own visitor center and viewing grounds.

East of the Black Hills, and not technically a part of them, is Badlands National Park. I've included them in this article because they're so near the other great wonders of the Black Hills area and so wonderful in their own right that they should not be overlooked.

Badlands National Park is basically a huge series of valleys and hills that have been etched out of an even larger prairie grassland. The erosion has revealed the beautifully multi-colored layers of sediment that make up the geology of the park. It is very reminiscent of Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park except far more vibrant in color. The green grasses make a nice accent to the varied shades of red and yellow from the rocks.

The Badlands got their name because in earlier times, the series of gullies and hills were nearly impassible by wagons and other vehicles. Now, of course, roads have been carved through all the layers of the Badlands and even a quick drive through them reveals their beauty. But, if you have more time, you can camp in the relatively crowd-free park and enjoy exhibits of many of the fossils found uniquely in the Badlands.

Just north of the Badlands (south on exit 116 off of Interstate 90), visitors can view a remnant from the Cold War - a Minuteman nuclear missile, designed to reach its target worldwide within 30 minutes of launch. The command station is also located just near the eastern entrance to the park off of Interstate 90.

All in all, the Black Hills and surrounding area of southwestern South Dakota provide some exceptionally fabulous landscape views and many human and natural wonders to see and explore. If you ever have the chance to be in the area, plan on spending at least a few days to soak up the beauty and enjoyment of the Black Hills.