Yellowstone, Custer SP, N & S Dakota

Are you flying or driving?
 
A detour to the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument right off of Interstate 90 would be worthwhile. I spent a couple of very enjoyable hours there a number of years ago on my son’s and my drive from Denver to Glacier NP.
 
A little way east of the infamous Wall Drug in SD (not worth a stop), you can get a bit of Cold War nostalgia by seeing an actual Minuteman missile silo and launch control facility.
 
GoBears said:
A detour to the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument right off of Interstate 90 would be worthwhile. I spent a couple of very enjoyable hours there a number of years ago on my son’s and my drive from Denver to Glacier NP.
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That's what we did while making our way from Yellowstone to the Black Hills. I also enjoyed it greatly. And if you pass through Sheridan, Wyoming, I would also recommend the Brinton Museum in Big Horn. https://thebrintonmuseum.org/
 
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Chuckanut said:
So, back to SD.

It looks like I will miss the biker rally in Sturgis. Thanks for the warning. What a shame. No biker mama for me this year.

How many days should I allocate to Custer SP, and Mount Rushmore?

I am thinking of skipping Wind Cave NP. I’ve been to Mammoth Cave NP and others similar to it. So unless we can ride or pet the Bison, I’m not sure I want to go there. :D

I did add one full day at Grand Teton NP. I would have liked a few more but hotel rates are absolutely stratospheric, both in and out of the Park.
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2 full days minimum IMO Custer SP and Rushmore together. Rushmore doesn’t take long to visit, although driving back and forth will take time - an easy few hours in total. Custer SP is large and lots of scenic drives and wildlife viewing.

If you’ve never been to Grand Teton NP 1 day does not do it justice.
 
audreyh1 said:
2 full days minimum IMO Custer SP and Rushmore together. Rushmore doesn’t take long to visit, although driving back and forth will take time - an easy few hours in total. Custer SP is large and lots of scenic drives and wildlife viewing.

If you’ve never been to Grand Teton NP 1 day does not do it justice.
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To give you an idea of timing, when we went in 2019, we spent 3 nights in Grand Teton National Park (Jackson Lake Lodge); 4 nights in Yellowstone (2 at the Old Faithful Inn, 2 at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel); 1 night in Billings, Montana (Northern Hotel); 1 night in Sheridan, WY (Sheridan Inn); 1 night in Deadwood (Bullock Hotel); 1 night in Rapid City (Hotel Alex Johnson). If I had to do it again, I would have stayed another day in the Black Hills.
 
Our last visit was 5 days Yellowstone (2 in park, 3 West Yellowstone), 3 GT (Jackson Lake Lodge).

In separate trip did a week in Custer etc.
 
braumeister said:
A little way east of the infamous Wall Drug in SD (not worth a stop), you can get a bit of Cold War nostalgia by seeing an actual Minuteman missile silo and launch control facility.
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+1 Wall Drug seemed to me to just be a Western version of South of the Border. We had lunch there but it wasn't anything special.
 
Look at the cabins in Colter Bay park on Jackson Lake in the Tetons. I think we paid $250/night for a really nice cabin that was walkable to the lake. Stayed there 3 nights and it was the most stunning scenery at every turn!
 
Chuckanut said:
... So unless we can ride or pet the Bison, I’m not sure I want to go there. :D
....
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As a SD native...

4cgc6r.jpg
 
Spock said:
As a SD native...

4cgc6r.jpg
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Agreed! I’ve had two close encounters, one with a bear wandering through my campsite and another with a bison just off a geyser trail in Yellowstone. Both caught me by surprise when I was looking the other way. Thankfully, both simply wanted to scare me away from them using a loud snort. It worked.
 
If you have time in Rapid City, there’s a Museum of Geology at the South Dakota School of Mines that is well worth a visit. Lots of skeletons, fossils, and minerals. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5.

Regarding bison, we came upon one of the herds in Custer State Park and parked to let them continue their journey. One of the largest ones kept eyeballing our black SUV as if he thought it was a competitor. We were prepared to make a run for it if he decided to challenge us!
 
audreyh1 said:
Highest US Highway is US 34 through Rocky Mountain NP. Around 12,100 ft.

I see it’s even higher than that. From Wikipedia:
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Note the statement "highest continuous", as in you go up and then down. If you have a dead end paved road, you go higher on Mt. Blue Sky (recently renamed from Mt. Evans). Elevation 14,140 ft. per one site, 14,130 per another. Note that Pikes Peak is close, at 14,115 ft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Evans_Scenic_Byway#:~:text=The byway ascends to 14,140,feet (8 m).)

Just did a quick google search to see if any unpaved roads are higher, and got a hit on White Mountain Peak in CA at 14,261.

https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/8261-highest-roads-of-united-states.html

"Tucked away within the Inyo National Forest, a rough 4x4 dirt road past Barcroft Research Station leads directly to the summit of the mountain, also known as White Mountain. This is a long and windy road very bumpy. Access is restricted by a locked gate about 2 miles before Barcroft station, but White Mountain Research Station usually opens this locked gate at 3.560m (11,680ft) twice each year. This section of trail is not for the faint hearted – it is steep, and there are spots where a slip or fall could cause serious injury. The University of California operates a small hut at the summit called White Mountain Research Station Summit Laboratory. It's one of the highest roads of California."

Not sure if there are any others.

As an aside, I live an hour from RMNP and visit there regularly, driving Trail Ridge Rd. a few times a year. My fun car is an Audi convertible with elevation listed on the maps. Can't vouch for its accuracy. Haven't paid close attention to the highest elevation it registers, but there are two peak points that I have seen it go above 12,200. :)
 
Chuckanut said:
It made the list of dangerous highways!!! :eek:
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They close it if there is snow on the road, which happened two days before we drove on it (in September). But it is a very good and well maintained road in terms of pavement surface, lane width, grade, shoulders, visibility and such.
 
Chuckanut said:
It made the list of dangerous highways!!! :eek:
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Yeah, but that's just trying to get hits. The road up Mt. Blue Sky/Evans is just a paved switchback road (I've driven that, albeit 25-30 years ago), no big deal, and they listed that. Trail Ridge is no big deal, paved, nothing that steep. The White Mountain road sounds like it might warrant the designation. There's a 4 wheel road outside of Ouray that crosses Black Bear pass, if you want to read about dangerous roads, google that! Though I put the Black Bear closure as a problem with people trying to do things they don't have the experience to try. I've done a little 4 wheeling out of Ouray and don't consider myself experienced and would never consider trying it. And, for some entertaining reading on the subject of "what was he thinking" check this out... someone tried to drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle up a hiking trail... :facepalm:

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/ne...-hiking-trail-stuck-four-days-above-treeline/

Edited to add... I should have stipulated that when I said no big deal, I meant in terms of driving. They are very scenic and wonderful drives, and I enjoy them and would recommend them!
 
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Book early or as soon as possible for Yellowstone, if you are planning to stay in the park. Hotels inside park get filled fast. You'll want to stay at Canyon. Don't miss the Beartooth Mountains going over to Billings or the Chief Joseph Highway. Both well worth it.
 
Badlands can be enjoyed in one long day

Custer State Park is another day at least

Mount Rushmore is a short visit.

Spearfish Canyon is worth visiting.

Minuteman Missile Silo also cool

We stayed in Custer. I believe at a very reasonable and nice Holiday Inn Express. 4 nights. And it did not see like too many. We arrived late on the first night, after stopping at Devil’s Tower on the way.
 
Thanks for the updates on the Beartooth Hwy. I've seen some pretty scary roads in my time, and the photos of the Beartooth Hwy look pretty civilized in comparison. Based on the photos, the Million Dollar highway in Colorado is a lot more 'interesting' from a driving perspective.



I have bagged my reservations for Yellowstone and The Grand Teton NPs. Any changes will have to work around those dates.
 
Chuckanut said:
I am considering a trip next year to Yellowstone, Custer SP and then other parts of North and South Dakota. We will be staying at hotels.

I am thinking of three days in Yellowstone, mostly near the Eastern part of the two big driving loops. Then Custer SP for a day ( or maybe two?), then to other places in the two Dakotas.

Where would be a good place to book a room near Custer SP?

What other sites in the Dakotas are worth a stop? I have seen Badlands NP and therefore don't need to hit that again.

Thanks.
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When we visited Yellowstone we stayed for 8 days in West Yellowstone. Best national park imo! Didn’t even get to see it all!

We just did a tour of South Dakota in June. We stayed in Rapid City- Residence Inn- . Went to Chapel in the Hills, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse memorial, Deadwood, Wall Drug, Badlands, Custer State Park, various museums, and some small towns and Devils Tower in Wyoming. That alone was a week.
 
gailwinters said:
If you have time in Rapid City, there’s a Museum of Geology at the South Dakota School of Mines that is well worth a visit. Lots of skeletons, fossils, and minerals. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5.

Regarding bison, we came upon one of the herds in Custer State Park and parked to let them continue their journey. One of the largest ones kept eyeballing our black SUV as if he thought it was a competitor. We were prepared to make a run for it if he decided to challenge us!
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We stopped at the Museum of Geology last October on the way back from Pennsylvania (DW's niece's wedding). If you like that sort of thing, it is great. Even DW, who isn't all that into Geology, liked it. Lot of good hiking in the Black Hills; we had several planned but we had been gone for 3&1/2 weeks from Reno driving to and fro; had hiked in the Badlands and a cold front came in so we only did one hike. I would go see the Little Bighorn and Devil's Tower, along with doing the hikes in the Black Hills if we go back; we might do it next Fall. It's a one and a half day drive from here (we do drive like the Dickens, however; the cabin in Colorado was 16 hours from Houston and we would drive it routinely in a day. I'd drive it by myself, although now that I'm Medicare age that might not be prudent).
 
We saw Mt Rushmore in 1997 and it was a short visit. We stayed in Hot Springs SD. I had a sabbatical and we rented an RV and saw many sites on a circle trip that included Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, parts of Colorado, WY, SD, Montana, visiting my sister near Seattle, then back through WA, OR, and northern CA to our home in Silicon Valley. Dragging along a 5 year old on a 3 week road trip is not for the faint of heart.

For a diversion, we visited Evans Plunge in Hot Springs. There are hot tubs and saunas there but the main attraction is a gigantic indoor pool that is fed by spring water that comes out of the ground at 87 degrees. It is the cleanest pool I have ever been in. We loved it so much we spent 5 hours straight in the water and my son literally learned to swim there. It was one of our best days on that road trip.

http://www.evansplunge.com/#home
 
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