Day 1 – Mount Rushmore and Setting Up Camp
Mount Rushmore
The Black Hills trip is a continuation of my Badlands road trip. The Badlands are only ~2 hours away from the Black Hills, making it a super quick jump to a whole new terrain.
We had a gap between when we had check-out of the last campsite, in the badlands, to when we could check-in at our campsite in the Black Hills so we used that time to see a national treasure, Mount Rushmore! (Yes, pun intended. You should all watch National Treasure 2.)
Unfortunately, most of Mount Rushmore’s viewing platform and the hikes around the monument were closed off for construction so this is the closest we could get. It didn’t stop me from taking photos though!
After this visit, we had our drive to the campsite to check-in. On our way we spotted at a distance the Crazy Horse monument! Crazy Horse monument in progress and is a tribute to Native Americans who lived in the Black Hills. The monument of Crazy Horse specifically recognizes a man named Crazy Horse who notably led a band of Lakota Warriors against General Custer’s army, a battle now known as Little Bighorn or Custer’s Last Stand. Crazy Horse memorial is independently funded to recognize more about America’s history. Read more about Crazy horse here.
Setting up Camp
We finally arrived at our campsite, the Dutchman Campground! It was a beautiful drive and located in a lovely, remote spot in the Black hills. We didn’t get much cellular connection but it was a great opportunity to appreciate nature.
We were starving so we made some hot dogs over the fire, followed by s’mores.
We were exhausted from a long day of deconstructing and reconstructing our campsite in addition to visiting Mount Rushmore so we went to sleep immediately after dinner.
Day 2 – Deadwood and Custer State Park
Deadwood
We had a lot to fit in for our one full day, so we woke up at the crack of darn to visit Deadwood.
Deadwood is a historic Cowboy town in the heart of the Black Hills, South Dakota. When colonial settlers found gold in the Black Hills, nothing would stop them from illegally entering Native American land (which was considered the Black Hills at this time) to mine for gold. Because it wasn’t technically part of the United States, lawlessness ran unchecked that attracted all manner of gunslingers and outlaws.
This is where stories of famous cowboys like Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane came from. Wild Bill Hickock is the Cowboy with a reputation for gambling and shoot outs which ended up getting him killed here.
Deadwood looks like it has been preserved in the exact time it was founded. It was old fashioned looking shops and mining equipment all tucked away in the hills. Because it is a small town, it is a place where a couple of hours will do the trick. My dad loved it because he was seeing where all the cowboys he had heard about in his childhood actually are.
We walked around the town and then hiked up to Mount Moriah, the cemetery that included the final resting place of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok.
The views from Mount Moirah were stunning and gives you a good idea of how isolated Deadwood really is.
Custer State Park
We ate our picnic lunch in Deadwood before venturing off to our afternoon Black Hills adventure: Custer State Park.
If you remember from earlier in this post (or your American history lessons from grade school) General Custer is the man who battled the Native Americans in the Black Hills to give the land to the colonial Americans because they wanted the gold on the land. This state park in the center of the hills was named in honor of General Custer. It has all the attractions including campsites, lodges, gift shops, beaches, kayaking, hiking, and more.
It felt extremely touristy, but some of the hikes were pretty intense. My dad and I didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into because none of the maps on paper seemed that long, but quickly we realized that was because most of the hiking was up or downhill.
The hike was very hard and with all the heat we were not as prepared as we should’ve been. The hike was memorable though and had gorgeous views along the way. I would say the harder hikes are not for little kiddos because I found them difficult despite being relatively fit. I am glad I did the hike and it was a great experience!
Last Sunset
Exhausted from the hike, so no sooner had we made dinner we went straight to bed.
Day 3 – the 11 hour road trip home!
And just like that, a week later we made the 11-hour road trip back to Minnesota! We stopped periodically along the way for gas, bathroom breaks, and cool sites, but were determined to make it in one day.
Thanks for reading! This was a great trip for me because it was the last time in the foreseeable future to go camping with my dad. We used to go camping a lot and my dad has a bunch of neat camping equipment, but as we got older we started going less. Special thanks to my dad for agreeing to join!
Until next time xx
