The Black Hills of South Dakota is a great place to spend a few days. Two areas of particular interest are Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore National Monument.

Custer State Park is a 71,000-acre park and is easy to explore by car. There are three different scenic drives that provide amazing views. The park website recommends taking one to one- and one-half hours for each drive. We spent closer to 3 hours on each one, taking time to stop at different viewpoints whenever we could.

The Iron Mountain Road starts near the east entrance of the park and travels north toward Mt Rushmore. The beautiful pigtail bridges that you drive over and under are made of wood from the trees that were cleared when the road was constructed. Near the end of the road, there are three tunnels that frame Mt Rushmore in the distance. It is a breathtaking sight to drive through the tunnel and see Mt Rushmore looming ahead of you!

At the end of the Iron Mountain Road, you come to the Mount Rushmore National Monument. I had not visited since I was a kid, and it looks a lot different now. There is a beautiful promenade lined with state flags that leads to a viewing area. There are also gift shops, snack bars and a visitor center. The entrance fee was covered by our National Park Pass and we only paid $5 for parking in the covered garage. It is an easy walk from the parking garage to the monument which was appreciated on a very hot summer day.

The second scenic drive, the Needles highway is a beautiful drive but not for the faint of heart. The two-lane road twists and turns through granite formations with blind corners and very narrow tunnels. Driving through the Needle’s Eye tunnel was a white-knuckle experience in our large pickup truck.

After you pass through the Needle’s Eye tunnel, you will drive by Sylvan Lake. There is a lodge and camping area on the lake and it would be a great place to stop for a picnic lunch.

After leaving Sylvan Lake you will exit the park and continue on to Highway 16 which will take you past the Crazy Horse monument. We thought that the $30 entrance fee was a little steep and decided not to stop here, but the view from the highway was decent.

The third scenic drive is the Wildlife loop road in Custer state park. The landscape here is completely different from the forested hills and granite peaks of the other drives. This 18-mile loop is mostly grasslands and rolling hills. The best viewing is reported to be early morning, but we are not early risers. We drove the loop midday which is probably the worst time for spotting wildlife. We did see one lone bison bull, several antelope, prairie dogs, and a few burros. A stop at the Bison Center was worthwhile as they had a lot of information about Bison and how they were introduced to Custer State Park. We highly recommend a stop here.

During our stay we spent 4 nights at Buffalo Ridge RV Park on the outskirts of the town of Custer. This park was very nice and was a great base for exploring the area. The little town of Custer had plenty of amenities including groceries, shops, and restaurants.