How to Have the Perfect Week in South Dakota

Last updated on May 19th, 2023 at 08:58 pm

There are many sites to see in South Dakota and all are worth spending some of your vacation time. Keep reading to find out what you must do have your perfect week while in South Dakota.

Mt. Rushmore

South Dakota and Mt. Rushmore are almost synonymous. It is hard not to think of this iconic sculpture nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is worth your time to spend 1-2 hours exploring this piece of American history. There are several options for how to spend your time depending on the length of your visit.

• Walk the Presidential Trail. This 0.6-mile trail takes you right under Mt. Rushmore, and who doesn’t want to look up the noses of our founding fathers?
• Visit the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center for more information on how Mt. Rushmore came to be.
• Visit the sculptor’s studio.
• Take the Mt. Rushmore self-guided tour.
• Dine at the Carver’s Cafe. Make sure to get the vanilla ice cream–it’s Thomas Jefferson’s recipe.

Custer State Park

Custer State Park is a 73,000-acre wilderness that offers wildlife viewing, hiking and scenic drives. You could easily spend a day in the park and more if you want to hike the trails. The following 4 Must Do’s are all located within Custer State Park and will help you have a perfect week in South Dakota.

Sylvan Lake

This beautiful lake is worthy of a visit while you are in Custer State Park. Take a good look and see if it looks familiar. The Nicolas Cage film, National Treasure Book of Secrets was filmed at Sylvan Lake. The lake area offers swimming, picnic areas, small rental boats and hiking trails. There is a gentle 1.1-mile trail that loops around the lake providing beautiful views of the natural rock formations. If you are looking for hiking trails, the popular Black Elk trailhead and Sunday Gulch trailhead are both located at Sylvan Lake. If you head out thinking you will just walk the trail around the lake, but then find yourself at the Sunday Gulch trailhead, make sure you have water! Trust me!

Needles Highway

This scenic 14 mile drive is a must do when in the park. It provides stunning views of granite formations high in the hills of South Dakota. The name is derived from the granite formations that look like needles piercing the ground. There are 2 narrow tunnels on this drive, Needles Eye Tunnel which is 8’9″ wide by 9’8″ high and Iron Creek Tunnel that is 8’9″ wide by 10’10” high. There are areas to pull off so you can take pictures and you are going to want to take pictures. This is a popular route, so take your time and enjoy the gorgeous views.

Iron Mountain Road

Iron Mountain Road is another scenic byway in Custer State Park. In case you are wondering–yes, you should do it! It’s a 17 mile drive that connects Custer State Park with Mt. Rushmore. The road is famous for it’s pigtail bridges. My favorite part is the 3 tunnels that frame Mt. Rushmore in the distance. If you travel north on the road, you will see Mt. Rushmore as you are driving. If you are heading south or just want that perfect picture, you can pull off and take your time enjoying the view or capturing the moment.

Wildlife Loop Road

Just as it sounds, this is a loop through the park that offers wildlife viewing. The 18 mile loop is a great opportunity to see bison, white tail deer, mule deer, elk, prairie dogs and the resident begging burros–make sure to take carrots. Bighorn sheep also inhabit the area, but are much more elusive. This loop is best done in the early morning or at dusk when the animals are more active. Don’t get frustrated if it feels like you have driven forever and haven’t seen many animals. We had this feeling and then all of a sudden we were in a bison stampede. They walked right down the road towards us and were so close to our car, I could have reached out a touched them. However, that is frowned upon.

Badlands National Park

This is an oft overlooked national park. I admit, I had not given it much thought until we were planning a road trip to South Dakota. Looking out over the vast landscape, I found myself musing about how amazing place is in the US. There are many ways to explore the Badlands.

• Drive the Badlands Loop Road (HWY 240)- The vistas from this drive are stunning.
• Drive Sage Creek Rim Road for opportunities to view wildlife.
• Hike one of the many trails in the park. They range from easy to difficult so there is something for everyone. The most popular trails are
  • Notch Trail a 1.5-mile moderate trail
  • Door Trail a 0.9-mile easy trail
  • Saddle Pass Trail a 0.7-mile moderate trail
  • Window Trail a 0.3 easy trail
  • Fossil Exhibit Trail a 0.4 easy trail

• Stargazing- The park offers a night sky viewing at the Cedar Pass Ampitheater. It’s free and lasts 30-90 minutes.
• Sunrise and Sunset- The most stunning views happen at sunrise and sunset in the park. The Door and Window trailheads are prime spots for sunrise viewing. Sunset is best viewed from the Pinnacles overlook. We opted to stay in the national park so that we could easily take part in the stargazing and the sunrise and sunset views. We also wanted to get an early start on hiking since it was July. We chose to stay at Cedar Pass Lodge and I would recommend it.

Conclusion

This isn’t an exhaustive list of things to do in South Dakota. They are some of the highlights and things that shouldn’t be missed. I hope this helps in your travel planning or inspires you to visit the Mount Rushmore state so that you can have a perfect week exploring South Dakota.

Looking for detailed information on Mt. Rushmore? Read HERE for more information on the National Monument

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