Mt. Rushmore, Custer and the Badlands, SD 2004

While visiting South Dakota, you could keep yourself busy for days while visiting tacky Roadside America sights like the Mitchell Corn Palace or Wall Drug, or historical monuments like Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, or historical recreations like Deadwood and Native American museums. Outdoor enthusiasts will be very pleased to see the challenging trails in Custer National Park and the abundant wildlife throughout the forests. Kids will love climbing Harney's Peak to see the Black Hills from up high and will be amazed by the wonderous landscape of the Badlands. There really is something for everyone in South Dakota.

Quick Tips:

I can't verify the five-star rating that the Econolodge claimed that they had, but the Holiday Inn was very modern and nicely decorated. We were given a room with two queen-size beds and an adequate bathroom. Since it was so late at night, we couldn't use any of the hotel's amenities, but we did walk around and take them in. The pool was medium-sized and indoors, and the pool area had a whirlpool, sauna, and a large wall picture of Mt. Rushmore. The hotel also has an exercise room, which we didn't see.

A complimentary breakfast is served from 6am until 9am. This breakfast goes beyond your average hotel continental fare with fresh fruit, English muffins, cereals, donuts, juices, coffee, hardboiled eggs, and toast. The dining room is small and often full, but you can take your breakfast back to your room.

Since we had booked a room at the Econolodge, we didn't pay the Holiday Inn rates. Our room was only $59.00 for the night. Their online reservation system shows a double/queen room to be $66 to $149, depending on the season. You can certainly find rooms for much less money in Keystone, but I do recommend that you book well in advance if you plan to visit during the summer months.

We stayed at the Econolodge for our second night, and we were placed in the Washington Suite. It sounds fancy, but it really was just a slightly bigger room with a couch. The hotel needs to be updated, as its decor is quite old and has a lot of wear and tear.

Amenities include a pool (not heated, brrr) and whirlpool, which were both very nice. There also is a small putting green, which can be used by getting a club and ball at the front desk. The hotel's website lists a exercise center as an amenity, but we did not see one.

Breakfast is served from 7am until 9am in a small dining room. The breakfast was below average with only fruit, donuts, coffee, and juice. There is a television in the dining room for your entertainment.

This hotel suited our needs just fine, and the price was right too. I have only two complaints about our stay there: 1) There is not adequate parking for all of the guests, and 2)The hotel is a bit dirty and worn-looking with out-of-date decor.

We were seated in the garage area of the restaurant, which was very atmospheric. I believe that there were heat lamps along the walls, but it was so nice outside that these were not needed yet. There was a birthday party of girls in their early 20s next to us, so it was quite loud. It quieted down after they left.

I ordered the Cajun Jambalaya, which had sausage, chicken, and shrimp in it. It was marked as being extra spicy, but I would call it moderately spicy. My husband ordered a buffalo burger, which he described as being a "nice burger, very lean meat." The food was very good and the portions were perfect. The prices were average. My dish was about $10 and the burger was a bit less. I would highly recommend visiting this restaurant if you find yourself in Rapid City, South Dakota sometime!!!

This is what everyone told us before leaving on our vacation. We couldn't resist. After seeing Wall Drug on the Travel Channel and other tv shows and movies, we had to stop.

I had heard stories about the numerous signs along Interstate 90 for the tourist attraction, but it was more than I could have imagined! Every few miles, and even few feet, as you get closer, the store advertises their, "Free Ice Water," or how they have been, "Featured on NBC's Today Show." It is hillarious! The signs not only dot the South Dakota countryside, but they are also in the London Underground, Paris, and now in Zaire, Africa.

The store began in the 1900s as a small-town pharmacy. How it grew to be a multi-building souvenir and western-wear store, is a mystery to me. It has restaurants, a theatre, a backpacking store, bookstores, and an art gallery. Millions of visitors cram into the small aisles of the stores in the summer. We lucked out and came there on a slow day. I bought a clearanced t-shirt, we picked up our complimentary bumper sticker (yet even more advertising), had a glass or two of free ice water, and took some pictures. I can imagine that kids would get quite a kick out of the faux-styled western town with the enormous jackalope and other photo ops. Visit Wall Drug for the novelty of the place, but don't expect to get much more than they promise on their many signs: "Free Ice Water."

After driving all over trying to find the free parking (my husband refuses to pay for parking), we finally gave up and went to the car entrance line. The woman working at the booth informed us that the free parking was closed, so we paid our fee (not without grumbling) and parking in the first spot we could find.

It was close to dinnertime for us, so we headed to the cafeteria first. Though we are well traveled and know the exorbitant prices of museum and monument food areas, we resigned ourselves to eating here. The menu didn't hold anything exceptional, so we settled on the special, spaghetti and meatballs, salad, a roll, a fountain beverage for under $6. We were very surprised to see that the plate of spaghetti we were given was HUGE and that we could get free refills on our sodas. It turned out to be a great meal for a great price! We were very impressed. The dining area is large, clean, and very modern.

After our meal, we visited the very informative and well put-together museums. We also walked the Presidential Trail, which is a boardwalk trail with stairs up and down, but isn't too strenuous. The trail takes you directly under the monument and also to the Sculptor's Studio, which had closed by the time we got there.

The nighttime lighting of the monument begins at 8pm. Unfortunately, it began to rain while we were sitting in the amphitheater, waiting for the show to begin. The rain at first was on and off, but soon a thunderstorm began to roll through. The ranger who was giving the presentation decided to shorten the program and simply turned on the lights for us. I have been told since that they normally play classic, American songs during this, but our lighting was accompanied only by the soft sounds of rolling thunder. It was quite eerie. After my husband spent some time taking great care to snap the photos you see below, we walked to the gift shop. The gift shop is quite large and had many of the souvenirs that we had seen in many other shops throughout South Dakota. Since the rain began to pick up, we had to cut our visit short with a dash to our car!

The trail starts out on a flat forest bottom and begins to climb after about one mile. We encountered some fellow hikers, who I think were from Spain, who said that they lost the trail and had to turn around. This made us a bit nervous, but we kept on hiking anyway. We never strayed off of the trail and found our way to the summit quite easily.

The hike splits to Little Devil's Tower just after the ascent begins. Trail number four connects with trail number nine for the last mile of the hike to Harney Peak. Though this trail did not compare to the trails we took in the later part of our trip in the Rocky Mountains, I thought it was still quite strenuous. This was until I saw a woman who must have been around 80 years old with a cane at the top of the peak. If she can do it, anyone can!!

As you approach the summit, the climb gets more technical with many rocks and boulders. Just below the peak, the park service has built metal and stone steps to make the climb easier. At the top of the peak is an old stone ranger station that is now used as a lookout point. There were many many small bugs up on the peak, which I could not identify. They didn't bite, but they seemed to stick to everything and everyone. You can climb out a bit further on the peak's stones to see a 360-degree view of the Black Hills.

It took us about 5 hours to complete the trail from start to finish. Make sure you bring enough water, as there are no lakes or streams for water along the trail. Also bring along rain gear, as the weather can change unexpectedly.

The trailhead is along the Needles Highway, about 2.5 miles from Sylvan Lake. There is a small parking area at the trailhead. The trail begins a semi-steep climb up the hill, where it leads you to a walk between two sets of the spires. It does get a bit technical with rocks and bolders, but isn't too strenuous. The map and the marker at the trailhead clearly state that this trail does not connect with any of the Harkey Peak trails. However, we ran into a couple with their dog who were convinced that it did. The trail ends quite abruptly with no signs or notice. It was only then that they realized that they could not go any further on it.

I would consider this hike to be a great warm-up to a hike up to Harney Peak. The Cathedral Spires are a registered National Landmark and are very beautiful. There is no lookout on this hike, but you are surrounded by the scenery.