Wind Cave national park bison south dakota

Amazing Places To Visit On A Wisconsin to Utah Road Trip

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I’ve done the drive from Wisconsin to Utah a lot. Like, so many times. We counted the other day and since moving to Utah in 2016, we’ve driven across the US 19 times. 19!

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The needles highway black hills south dakota

All About The Needles Highway In The Black Hills Of South Dakota

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I love scenic drives.  That’s no surprise if you’ve been here a while, so when we were in South Dakota in October I looked up as many as I could in the Black Hills. 

While we didn’t make it to all of them (that’s you Spearfish Canyon) we did make it to two and one of those was the Needles Highway in the Black Hills.

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Cathedral spires trail black hills

Hike The Cathedral Spires Trail On The Needles Highway In The Black Hills

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I loved the Cathedral Spires Trail in the Black Hills.  Like, I loved it so much.  This was such a cool hike and the area is so unique. 

It’s a trail that takes you up into these rocky spires and we just happened to have the whole thing to ourselves.  It’s pretty tough to beat that.

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bison in wind cave national park

Rankin Ridge Hike: The Best View In Wind Cave National Park

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The Rankin Ridge hike in Wind cave National Park offers the best views from the highest point in the park.  This was our first real activity when we got to South Dakota and I was so excited to see me some bison and prairie dogs.

The last time we were here we just drove through so this time we wanted to actually hike since we couldn’t do a cave tour as they are currently closed for repairs or something.

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Sylvan lake south dakota

Hike The Sylvan Lake Loop Trail Along The Needles Highway In South Dakota

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Well, we’re finally back to my South Dakota trip from.. October.  Today we’re looking back at the Sylvan Lake Loop Trail which is one of the best stops along the Needles Highway in the Black Hills. 

One of the hikes I knew I wanted to do was the Sylvan Lake Loop Trail, which is an easy 1.6-mile loop around Sylvan Lake.

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mount rushmore from Iron mountain road sunset south dakota

Drive Iron Mountain Road From Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore In South Dakota

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Our time in the Black Hills in October was packed full of hikes and scenic drives.  The first drive we did, well I guess second if the Custer Wildlife Loop counts, was Iron Mountain Road from Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore. 

While I wasn’t super excited about the beginning of it, I definitely loved the second half of it, closer to Rushmore.

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custer state park wildlife loop road

Bison, Burros, And The Black Hills: The Best Things To Do In Custer State Park

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One of the first things we did when we got to the Black Hills in South Dakota was head to the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop Road, well, right after visiting Wind Cave National Park.  At first, I really didn’t get the hype, especially with tons of people saying it should be a national park.  It wasn’t bad, but I definitely didn’t get it.

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Badlands Below Zero: Tips For Visiting The Badlands In The Winter

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Badlands National Park is awesome in the summer, but I wanted to see it in the winter, covered in snow.  Now that I’ve seen (almost) all the parks between Utah and Wisconsin in the spring or summer, it’s time to see them in the winter.  Everything just looks so different with a layer of snow.

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Wind Cave national park bison south dakota

An Afternoon With Bison In Wind Cave National Park

I don’t know how I missed it last year since I stayed 20 minutes away, but I did.  I missed Wind Cave National Park, a short drive from Hot Springs, South Dakota and a couple hours from the Badlands.  It’s neighboring Custer State Parkand close to Mount Rushmore.  I mean really, how did I miss this?  I would also say it’s an underrated national park, and much less visited than nearby Badlands.

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badlands national park south dakota

Back To The Badlands (For Real This Time)

Last year you may recall a post called Back To The Badlands when, in fact, it was my first time there.  Well, buckle up or get ready or something because I actually went back to the Badlands.  Twice.  I bet you’re already impressed and you haven’t even read about it yet.

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Wind Cave national park bison south dakota

Why South Dakota Isn’t Actually The Worst

I always saw the commercials at home for visiting South Dakota.  I always thought why would you want to go there for fun?  I always thought it was flat and boring with nothing to look at SPOILER ALERT: It’s not, that might actually be Illinois (at least until I visit again, maybe.)  Sorry, Illinois.  Sort of.  (Update 2020: It’s Indiana.  Indiana is the worst and I’m not that sorry.)  Anyways, today I’m here to tell you why South Dakota isn’t actually the worst.

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mount rushmore black hills road trip south dakota

Visit Mount Rushmore On Your South Dakota Road Trip

It was a busy day.  We left Brookings bright and early with the Badlands on our minds.  We figured since we were close, we would go to Mount Rushmore too.  I had heard some not so exciting things about it, that it’s not all that impressive, but I mean, we had to go.  It’s Mount Rushmore for goodness sake.

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Wall Drug

Wild West at Wall Drug

372 miles to Wall Drug!

243 miles to Wall Drug!

117 miles to Wall Drug!

9 miles to Wall Drug!

We couldn’t not go to Wall Drug when we were this close to it.  I saw the signs the first time I was in South Dakota, but it was all the way on the other side of the state.  Not happening.  This time we were going to the Badlands which happens to be right by it!  Perfect!

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