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SOAK IN THE SCENERY
Road Trip Through the Black Hills of South Dakota
Scenic Drives
The Black Hills region is one of the country’s most beautiful areas for viewing fall foliage. Drives through Highway 385, Vanocker Canyon and Spearfish Canyon National Scenic Byway reveal flowing waterfalls surrounded by vibrant autumn colors and wildlife. The fall colors usually reach their peak in early to mid-October.
Rapid City is a base camp for driving in and around the Black Hills area. Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway winds in front of Mount Rushmore through the pigtail bridges of Iron Mountain Road and the granite spires of the Needles. Nemo Road runs alongside pine forests, meadows and mountain creeks and joins with Highway 385 leading to the historic mining town of Deadwood.
Road warriors can also enjoy unique autumn events such as the annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, one of many events featured on Autumn Expedition.
At the Buffalo Roundup, visitors will feel the thunder of 1,300 buffalo as they are gathered by cowboys and park staff and placed in corrals. Following the roundup, guests can watch park crews brand, sort and vaccinate the herd.
Carve out Time for Memories
Take a short drive south of Rapid City to visit our nation’s Shrine of Democracy, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, located just 30-minutes from Rapid City. Visitors can take a guided or audio tour of the memorial, visit the museum, sculptor's studio, gift shop and bookstore to learn more about the history of the carving. You may also want to watch the nightly program featuring the history of our nation and concluding with the lighting of the memorial.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain carving in progress. The sculpture of Lakota leader, Crazy Horse, will stand 563 feet high and 641 feet long when completed. Visitors will enjoy learning about Native American cultural heritage by viewing the exhibits of the Indian Museum of North America, housed in the huge visitor complex at the base of the carving.
The Closest Thing on Earth to the Moon
Taking a half-day trip through the Badlands will expose drivers to stunning landscapes that are often compared to a moonscape. With more than 244,000 acres, the Badlands National Park showcases jagged buttes, canyons, spires and mixed-grass prairie. The rugged Badlands terrain also contains one of the richest fossil beds. Visitors can travel the Highway 240 Loop Road for a 60-minute drive and visit the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to watch the award-winning park video, tour exhibits and browse the gift shop.
Embark on a Midwestern Safari
Driving through Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop gives drivers the opportunity to see a variety of freely roaming animals. Buffalo, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats and prairie dogs can all be spotted along the 18-mile loop. A friendly burro might even stick his nose in your car’s window. Custer State Park is just over 50 miles from Rapid City. The best time to spot the park’s inhabitants is early morning or late evening.
Zig and Zag
As one of the 10 Most Outstanding Byways in America, the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway will not disappoint those looking for breathtaking scenery. Made up of the Needles Highway (SD 87), Iron Mountain Road (US 16A), Horse Thief Lake Road (SD 244) and Sylvan Lake Road (SD 89), the 70-mile stretch is lined with ponderosa pines, tight turns and tunnels.
Along the 14-mile stretch of the Needles Highway, you will encounter hairpin turns, granite spires and tunnels. Along Iron Mountain Road, you can catch a glimpse of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Three pigtail bridges built in the 1930s also line the route.
Devils Tower
Just across the Wyoming border, Devil’s Tower was declared America’s first national monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The tower rises 1,267 feet out of the floor of the Belle Fouche River Valley.
The just under two-hour trip is well worth the drive. The site is home to a visitor center and several trails also circle the tower. The Tower Trail makes a 1.25 mile loop around the tower’s base. Hikers along the three-mile Red Beds Trail have the chance to see deer and prairie dogs. Devils Tower also offers a challenge for mountain climbers.
Devils Tower is a sacred place of worship for American Indians. The tower is also called Bears Lodge after a Native American legend saying the rock rose from the earth to save two boys from an attacking bear. The bear left at the base clawed away at the rock, creating the formation’s scratched appearance.
Cold War Destination
Declared by Congress as a National Historic Site in 1999, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is one of the U.S.’ newest national parks. Located east of Rapid City just off Interstate 90 exit 131, the Minuteman Missile site is the only location with the intact components of a Cold War nuclear missile field.
The site helps visitors grasp the gravity and reality of nuclear warfare during the Cold War. Visitors will also see the launch control capsule and topside support for the Minute Man II intercontinental ballistic missiles.
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