Often referred to as “God’s Country” or a “fly over state,” it is easy to see why both perspectives apply to South Dakota. The countryside is vast and sparsely populated compared to many other states, but it has some of the most gorgeous land you can find in the United States. Beautiful scenery, lots of wildlife, friendly people and a different pace of life can all be found here.
From the prairie lands to the Black Hills, we had the opportunity to spend a week visiting my grandfather (“Papa”) and my Uncles, Aunts and cousins. We stayed with my Papa in Spearfish, SD, where one of my Uncles owns his own auto repair shop (Kimbell’s Auto Repair, if you’re ever in the area) 
and my other Uncle works as a butcher in a local grocery store (say hi to Brian at Leuders!). Most people seem to know each other, whether from work life, kids in school together or from church, it just has that feel of a small town where everyone treats each other like family and knows you by name (insert the song lyrics “Down Home” by Alabama, LOL). While this town is a bit bigger than the song lyrics suggest, it is not much larger, nor busier. The slow pace is exactly what we needed for our vacation this time!
Another great thing about Western South Dakota is all of the wonderful tourist stops: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil’s Tower (nearby in Wyoming), Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood, the Open Cut Gold Mine, Needles Highway and Custer State Park. Some of these are obviously man-made, while others are natural – all remarkable! Read further for tips and time recommendations!
We wanted to visit in late September because once you get into October, the weather becomes much less predictable. Late September is usually a nice time to catch the leaves turning and less chance of snow and cold weather. However, my Florida Uncle and Aunt beat us to the punch and visited during that time this year, so we chose a couple of weeks later, starting October 5th.
Note: Early August is Sturgis Bike Rally where hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of people visit the area with their motorcycles, so you may want to avoid then if that’s not your thing.
As luck would have it, we really were fortunate! The leaves turned a little late this year and we had the opportunity to see some amazing scenery of golden trees all through the mountains. Absolutely gorgeous!! However, as mentioned, October can be unpredictable in weather and the weather forecasted up to a foot of snow the last couple days of our visit. That’s OK, all part of it! We were able to get the big highlights of tourist trips done in our first three days, leaving the last few days as relaxing and hunkering down time. The rest was much needed and appreciated! Hubby Joe was excited to shovel snow for a couple of days (then he had enough, LoL). I enjoyed the weather from the cozy couch. We even had several opportunities to visit with various family members and enjoy a big family dinner on our last night, which we enjoyed some magnificent steaks cut and prepared by my Uncle Brian! Mmmm!! (And a surprise birthday celebration for Hubby Joe, and a birthday song for Aunt Deb!)
Now, without further ado, let’s jump into four of the must-do while in the area, along with some tips to help you on your visit:
1. Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills in Keystone, SD: It is part of the National Park system. At the time of this post (2019), there was a lot of construction going on in the actual memorial. My grandfather knew this before going in, so he took us to some excellent viewpoints to avoid being in the middle of the ugly construction. If you travel along Iron Mountain Road, you have several places you can see the faces, including through some of the very narrow tunnels. If there is not any traffic, you can snap a few pictures from in front of the entrance. The point is, if you are short on time or do not really care about anything inside the facility, you can catch glimpses and pictures in several places without needing to go in.
Time to spend here:
If you go in, judging by what there is to do (when everything is open), I would suggest 3-4 hours (especially if you do the trail). If you just want to get some photos, 1-2 hours. Or you can drive by and spend 30 minutes altogether at the various stops to snap some pics (note: the driving of Iron Mountain Road is AMAZING, but very windy, tight and slow, so plan the drive taking a while – not to be missed!).
2. Crazy Horse Memorial is similar to Mount Rushmore. You can see the unfinished carving from outside of the actual park, but they do have a nice museum (you can even pick up a rock to keep!), a small restaurant and a very fascinating movie about the history and current progress of the memorial. I enjoyed the video and seeing some of the Indian artifacts. I also have a little extra interest in this site because my grandparents were friends with the wife of the sculptor, so I have heard about this place and their experiences for many years. Also, I think it is important to note that this memorial is 100% privately funded and has not received any government funding.
Time to spend here:
The video is about 20 minutes long and great to see when you arrive as an orientation. If you do not do the bus or helicopter tours and only spend time in the museum and admiring the sculpture from afar, then about 2-3 hours would be plenty. There are a lot of artifacts to see and read about in the museums, plus the video, and there is a restaurant to get a snack or a full meal.
One of the bus rides (rustic one) lasts about 25-30 minutes (extra fee), so be sure to add that into the above if you decide to do it.
There are helicopter and van rides that take you to the top, but be sure to check out the weather and their hours of operation prior to planning this trip. These have additional fees of course.
3. Devil’s Tower National Monument located in Wyoming is a neat place! Especially for those who have seen it featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which Hubby Joe was excited to see. The tower is ginormous, standing over 1,200 feet, and has a great 1.3 mile paved hiking loop around the base (there are additional trails too). It’s easy to spend several hours at the tower just exploring the museum (when open) and hiking the trail around the tower. The terrain is hilly and a little taxing if you do not hike often or are used to flat land, but there are benches around the trail (along with some large boulders) so you can rest as needed. A lot of time people forget about the elevation causing additional challenges. Regardless, it is well worth the time and effort to go around, as the countryside views are spectacular and the boulders around the tower are SO big!
Also in the park is a prairie dog field. They are so cute! I’m told they can be very destructive to farmers’ fields though. Either way, be sure to stop and watch them play! Don’t feed them (or any wildlife)!
Time to spend here:
The museum can take around 30 minutes to look around, including the gift shop. The 1.3 mile trail can easily take 30 minutes to an hour or more, depending on your hiking speed on the up and down terrain, how often you stop to enjoy the scenery (or rest on a bench). Do not forget to watch the prairie dogs, too! I would plan to spend about two to three hours in the park, more if you want to do additional hiking.
4. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is a BEAUTIFUL drive down Highway 14A and is about 20 miles or so in total length with various stops along the way to take photos, rest and picnic. It travels along the Spearfish Creek, and waterfalls can be seen along the route. Roughlock Falls is a must stop, and if you can catch the sun just right, it can produce some great photos. For the Dances with Wolves fans, there is a spot on Forest Road 222 (clearly marked) that was a filming location. There’s a beautiful lodge (Spearfish Canyon Lodge), a restaurant (Latchstring Restaurant) and a gift shop in the area as well. Be sure to check hours before planning your trip because it can vary throughout the seasons. Snowmobilers like to stop at the restaurant in the winter, so it is open year round.
Time to spend here:
This varies on what you want to do. The speed limit is 35mph, so you could technically do the drive one way in about 35 minutes. However, there are so many places to pull off to take photos (falls, scenery, rocks, etc), plus watching out for animals, bicyclists and hikers. We spent about half an hour at Roughlock Falls, without picnicking, which was a good amount of time to take photos and walk the trail to the bottom of the falls. Bridal Veil Falls only took 5-10 minutes to snap some photos and read the signs, same for the Dances with Wolves spot. All in all, we spent about 2 hours in and out and did not visit the lodge indoors, gift shop or restaurant.
5. Custer State Park is HUUUGGE!! And very neat! Because it’s all wildlife, like actually wild animals, you never know what you may see during your visit. For the best chance to see wildlife, drive the Wildlife Loop. It’s not uncommon to see bison, antelope, deer, prairie dogs, turkey, birds, burrows and other animals. We were fortunately to see many of each of these (excluding the burrows).
The park practices wildlife management to keep the bison herds at a healthy number, so each year they do a big roundup using park volunteers and staff, vehicles and horses (usually sometimes around September). They gather the bison into corrals, then check to see if some of the females are 
pregnant or nursing, check the bull’s reproducing quality and brand, tag and vaccinate the babies. They separate out some of the herd and sell them, often sending them to herds owned by private ranchers. My grandma and grandfather used to volunteer for this park and participated in many roundups, which they said was truly an experience of a lifetime. We were so lucky to visit while they were processing the bison prior to selling them, so we got the opportunity to watch them do all of the above. It was so interesting! What an experience this was for us! I also want to note that it really is important for the well-being of the herd as a whole and the bison individually to do this so they keep overpopulation down, prevent diseases and keep the herd thriving.
While you’re visiting the park, there is a visitor center that has a free movie that lasts about 20 minutes or so, narrated by Kevin Costner, and is a great history of the park and provides a lot of great information. Be sure to stop by and watch this video!
We did not take time to hike any trails, but there are plenty throughout the park, along with camping and a lodge.
Time to spend here:
If you just do a drive through on the Wildlife Loop and stop by the visitor center, you could easily spend 2-3 hours since you will want to stop along the road to take photos. If they are processing the bison, factor in another 30-60 minutes. You could easily spend half a day in the park and see just a fraction of it, so if you have time, stay over or visit it for a couple of days to be able to fully enjoy all that is has to offer – site seeing, wildlife viewing, hiking, visitor center, photography, etc. So many wonderful things to see and do here!
Additional Tips
Months to visit:
Reminder: Sturgis Bike Rally is the first week of August every year, so all lodging sells out, restaurants are insanely crowded and the whole surrounding area is chaotic. If you like the motorcycle scene, it is definitely an experience of a lifetime (along with the other 700,000-800,000 people). If not, avoid it at all costs!
For the most part, September is a great month to visit because you are ahead of the freezing cold, but getting into the fall season with the potential to see leaves change. Of course, Mother Nature does what she wants, so you cannot guarantee anything. October was good for us because we were fine
with the snow the last few days and relaxing. If we had wanted to do more outdoor activities, we would have needed to pack warmer clothing and been mentally prepared for the colder weather. Fortunately, we had three fantastic weather days (40s-60s degree Fahrenheit) before the cold and snow hit, so we were golden.
June, July and August tend to be the hottest months of the year to visit, but also very popular. March through May can be a nice time due to lower numbers of visitors, but the weather can vary if the winter lasts longer or if it’s a wet spring. Due to being less busy, sometimes good deals can be found though. Same for winter months (November through February), but be prepared to be very cold (average high is around 35 degrees Fahrenheit) with a lot of snow. It would be great for winter sports though!
Passes:
A couple of the places that I mentioned are part of the National Park Service and require an entrance fee, unless you have an annual pass, which my grandfather does. Something that I think a lot of people do not know or forget is if you are a United States citizen and active military, you can get a FREE annual pass to the national parks. Also, if you are a citizen and a senior (62+), you can pay $20 for an annual pass or get a LIFETIME annual pass for $80 (this is what my grandfather has). If you have a permanent disability, you can get an annual pass for free, too! See the NPS website for current guidelines.
Also note, some places may not have a park fee, but they may have a parking fee, which can vary per the concessionaire operating the place. Mount Rushmore is an example.
There are so many other great areas to visit in the area, but I wanted to highlight a doable amount of sites to see in a few days for those traveling to the region, and to give you a taste of what you are missing if you have not visited the wild and beautiful SoDak.
