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Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:26 pm
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:26 pm
If I were to road trip it all the way up to the Black Hills, departing from Lafayette, La., it looks like about a 20 hour drive.
This is for potentially a future trip in the next year or so with my wife and kids. I like the idea of taking my kids on road trips like my family did when I was a kid. Are there any must see attractions along the way?
ETA: We are road tripping it to the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Durango in a few weeks. My kids are old enough now to where they will hopefully remember these summer trips viviidly for the rest of their lives. Family summer vacations are some of my greatest memories!
This is for potentially a future trip in the next year or so with my wife and kids. I like the idea of taking my kids on road trips like my family did when I was a kid. Are there any must see attractions along the way?
ETA: We are road tripping it to the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Durango in a few weeks. My kids are old enough now to where they will hopefully remember these summer trips viviidly for the rest of their lives. Family summer vacations are some of my greatest memories!
This post was edited on 5/19/23 at 1:33 pm
14
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:33 pm to PillageUrVillage
quote:
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse is a rip off hole in a mountain that will never be completed. I don't think it's had any progress since I went as a kid in the early 80's.
Custer State Park to see bison.
Falls Park for the waterfalls.
Mammoth Hot Springs for fossils.
Badlands National Park
Corn Palace is neat to drive past.
Prairie Dog Town to see those crazy animals.
Go check out Wall Drug. 1000 times better than a Buc-ee's
This post was edited on 5/19/23 at 1:40 pm
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:37 pm to Shexter
quote:
Custer State Park to see bison.
Falls Park for the waterfalls.
Mammoth Hot Springs for fossils.
Badlands National Park
Corn Palace is neat to drive past.
Prairie Dog Town to see those crazy animals.
Go check out Wall Drug. 1000 times better than a Buc-ee's
Noted! Thanks
quote:
Crazy Horse is a rip off that will never be completed
Probably not in my lifetime. Although they have made a good bit of progress since last time I've been there. Maybe my grandkids will see it completed..
This post was edited on 5/19/23 at 1:54 pm
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:38 pm to PillageUrVillage
Hopefully there is something along the way, because there is no way Mt Rushmore is worth 40 hours of driving on its own.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:45 pm to PillageUrVillage
There are a lot of things to do around Rapid City, SD and the Crazy Horse site is at the bottom of the list. Mt Rushmore is a must see, IMO, because of what it is but it does not take much time. We went for the sunset “show” and were there about an hour; mostly waiting for the sun to go down.
As far as stops along the way; what are you and the family interested in?
As far as stops along the way; what are you and the family interested in?
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:48 pm to Hermit Crab
quote:
opefully there is something along the way, because there is no way Mt Rushmore is worth 40 hours of driving on its own.
Exactly
Trying to see if would be worth the trip. Black Hills National Forest has quite a few landmarks. We could even make our way into Wyoming and see Devil's Tower.
If there isn't much else along the way, I can include Yellowstone in the trip. That might make it worth it. But I'd need more than a week for that. Luckily I have plenty of time to sort that out.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:52 pm to nctiger71
Don't forget Devil's Tower. It's just a 2 hour drive into Wyoming.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 1:52 pm to nctiger71
quote:
As far as stops along the way; what are you and the family interested in?
We mostly like to see natural landmarks, national parks, nature related stuff. Not too big on tourist trap stuff.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 2:05 pm to PillageUrVillage
Visited there as a teenager. My uncle was the highest ranked non-politician in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, so we stayed just across the border at Chadron State Park.
Wind and Jewel Cave National Parks are worth visiting for sure. Custer was interesting too.
Wind and Jewel Cave National Parks are worth visiting for sure. Custer was interesting too.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 2:40 pm to PillageUrVillage
We did a similar trip a couple summers ago.
Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Devil's Tower, Custer State Park, Badlands, Wind Cave National Park, Mt. Rushmore, Iron Mountain Road, etc.
Several places if you have the time and endurance for that drive. For us it was about 2.5 wks and 6000ish miles.
Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Devil's Tower, Custer State Park, Badlands, Wind Cave National Park, Mt. Rushmore, Iron Mountain Road, etc.
Several places if you have the time and endurance for that drive. For us it was about 2.5 wks and 6000ish miles.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 2:56 pm to Tiger_n_Texas
I don't mind the long drive as long as I can break it up. But that may be the best way to go. I'll just have to see if I can get 2 weeks off.
Most of our family vacations when I was a kid were a week long. But we had one vacation that was 2 weeks and that was to the Rocky Mountains. My dad drove all the way up into Canada (Glacier National Park). On the return trip we stopped at Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, etc. That was in 1994.
Most of our family vacations when I was a kid were a week long. But we had one vacation that was 2 weeks and that was to the Rocky Mountains. My dad drove all the way up into Canada (Glacier National Park). On the return trip we stopped at Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, etc. That was in 1994.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 4:35 pm to PillageUrVillage
quote:Get the National Park Service app. The one that looks like this; it list all the Parks, monuments, battlegrounds, etc in all the states. You can create a personal list of the places you have been. You can search by state.
As far as stops along the way; what are you and the family interested in?
We mostly like to see natural landmarks, national parks, nature related stuff. Not too big on tourist trap stuff.
[/url][/img] We have used this to stop at many places and most of them are well done and don't take a lot of time. For example, last spring on a road trip we stopped at For Larned which is about an hour south of Hays, Kansas.
There are other places not in that app as well such as Dodge City, Hays and Abilene. There is a fort site at Hays and the D. Eisenhower home site and museum in Abilene.
We did a road trip to Rapid City from NC about 5 years ago and stopped in KC for BBQ, spent the night in Sioux City, Iowa and then took the back roads across NE and SD to Chamberlain, SD. The Destiny statue is at Chamberlain and there is a small Lakota Indian museum there. Chamberlain is about 3 hours east of Rapid City on I-90 and you pass Wall, and the Minuteman Missile site near Cactus Flat, and the exit to the Badlands on the way.
[/url][/img]; 
[/url][/img] There are so many different ways to get to RC from Lafayette that it's hard to give specific recommendations. But, you do need more than a week regardless of the route you take.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 5:20 pm to nctiger71
Crazy Horse is a waste of time. It is a family business going as slow as possible to make as much money as possible. Go to Custer, Drive Iron Mountain, Spearfish and many other wonderful roads in the area. Riden motorcycles there 8 times and the rides never disappoint. 
This post was edited on 5/20/23 at 9:15 am
Posted on 5/19/23 at 6:09 pm to PillageUrVillage
quote:
I don't mind the long drive as long as I can break it up.
If you're a college baseball fan you could plan a trip around the World Series and stop in Omaha for a few days to catch some games. That's supposed to be a cool experience.
I would also shoot big for a trip like this - two full weeks and loop over to Wyoming and down through Colorado.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 6:18 pm to PillageUrVillage
Did this trip with kids last year. Do it! They had a blast. Get the National Park passports and stamps for them from Eastern National
Mt. Rushmore is great. Check out the profile view of Washington. Closing ceremony very patriotic still.
Badlands - stop at Badlands Ranch store and feed peanuts to the fatarse prairie dogs
Devil's Tower. Hike around the base
Reptile Gardens in Rapid City is great. Walk around with giant tortoises and there is a guy who wrestles gators basically. Huge collection of venomous snakes
Minuteman Missile Historic site silos and visitor center
Swim in Sylvan lake or hike around it or take the trail up Black Elk Peak
Custer St Park is hidden gym and more beautiful scenery than a lot of national parks. Do the wildlife loop and bring carrots for the begging burrows. See the lodge that was summer white house for Coolidge
Kids really liked chuckwagon dinner show at Ft. Hays and the train from Hill City to Keystone.
Spearfish canyon, Lead Homestake Mine and the fish hatchery in Spearfish was a good day trip
We stayed one night in Wall then used Hill City as a hub for like 4 nights. It was a good location.
On the way up from AL we were able to do Gateway Arch and Omaha Zoo, a great zoo
hope this helps. It was a great trip!
Mt. Rushmore is great. Check out the profile view of Washington. Closing ceremony very patriotic still.
Badlands - stop at Badlands Ranch store and feed peanuts to the fatarse prairie dogs
Devil's Tower. Hike around the base
Reptile Gardens in Rapid City is great. Walk around with giant tortoises and there is a guy who wrestles gators basically. Huge collection of venomous snakes
Minuteman Missile Historic site silos and visitor center
Swim in Sylvan lake or hike around it or take the trail up Black Elk Peak
Custer St Park is hidden gym and more beautiful scenery than a lot of national parks. Do the wildlife loop and bring carrots for the begging burrows. See the lodge that was summer white house for Coolidge
Kids really liked chuckwagon dinner show at Ft. Hays and the train from Hill City to Keystone.
Spearfish canyon, Lead Homestake Mine and the fish hatchery in Spearfish was a good day trip
We stayed one night in Wall then used Hill City as a hub for like 4 nights. It was a good location.
On the way up from AL we were able to do Gateway Arch and Omaha Zoo, a great zoo
hope this helps. It was a great trip!
Posted on 5/19/23 at 7:02 pm to PillageUrVillage
I've made both of those trips with my wife and 2 kids, pulling a 24ft bunkhouse travel trailer. Good times. If you have the time, I recommend stopping in on Zion and Bryce canyons. Also, the 4 corners is between the canyons and Mesa Verde.
As for South Dakota. Badlands national park is a must stop. You can stop off at Wall grocery for some ice cream and shopping. We did some caves, and Devils Tower. Drive through Custer State Park. Needles highway is worth the drive. Keep a camera ready because there's plenty of opportunity to get some great photos.
I have plans for other destinations, but I'd love to re-live those trips.
As for South Dakota. Badlands national park is a must stop. You can stop off at Wall grocery for some ice cream and shopping. We did some caves, and Devils Tower. Drive through Custer State Park. Needles highway is worth the drive. Keep a camera ready because there's plenty of opportunity to get some great photos.
I have plans for other destinations, but I'd love to re-live those trips.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 7:26 pm to Sack531
quote:
If you have the time, I recommend stopping in on Zion and Bryce canyons. Also, the 4 corners is between the canyons and Mesa Verde.
I initially wanted to do Zion and Bryce as well. Not sure if we’ll have enough time to squeeze those in. But they will definitely be on my mind if we do have the time. We’ll definitely make a quick stop at Four Corners for a picture. That shouldn’t take too long.
Seriously, everyone. Thank y’all so much. Y’all have given me a lot to chew on and I definitely think I’ll be able to put together a great future family vacation. We will try to hit as many of the locations y’all recommended as possible!
I’m unfortunately on call every other week at work. So it’s difficult to try to take 2 weeks off. But being that I have plenty of time, I’ll try to plan ahead and see if I can talk to some of my colleagues about switching some weeks around with me.
ETA: If I remember, I’ll bump this thread in a year or two and share pictures.
Also, I’ll post some pictures from our Grand Canyon vacation afterwards as well.
This post was edited on 5/19/23 at 8:21 pm
Posted on 5/19/23 at 9:19 pm to PillageUrVillage
Rushmore was ok. Gotta see it at least once.
Crazy Horse was a rip joint
Devils Tower was pretty good. Well worth it.
Crazy Horse was a rip joint
Devils Tower was pretty good. Well worth it.
Posted on 5/19/23 at 10:33 pm to PillageUrVillage
If you're going to be in the Grand Canyon area go check out Monument Valley. Breathtaking views.
Posted on 5/20/23 at 8:06 am to Topisawtiger
Biggest and best KOA is Mt. Rushmore KOA.
For 5 years, we would have a group of 20 plus stay a week in the area. Had a great time.
Kayaking in the lakes, cliff jumping, waterfalls, horseback riding, patriotic ceremonies every night at Mt Rushmore, bike riding, train between Hill City and Keystone, a day in Keystone, helicopter ride, Deadwood, all the corny tourist traps between Rapid City and Mt Rushmore, ect.
Recommend getting to the area, and then start exploring. Not a lot along the way. Camping and hiking at the base of Devils Tower was cool only because I saw Close Encounters in the theater.
For 5 years, we would have a group of 20 plus stay a week in the area. Had a great time.
Kayaking in the lakes, cliff jumping, waterfalls, horseback riding, patriotic ceremonies every night at Mt Rushmore, bike riding, train between Hill City and Keystone, a day in Keystone, helicopter ride, Deadwood, all the corny tourist traps between Rapid City and Mt Rushmore, ect.
Recommend getting to the area, and then start exploring. Not a lot along the way. Camping and hiking at the base of Devils Tower was cool only because I saw Close Encounters in the theater.
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