Rapid City, South Dakota
What better way to rekindle one’s faith in the patriotic ideals of freedom, democracy and the American Dream, than a pilgrimage to one of the USA’s most universally recognizable monuments. We recently spent a four-night break in Rapid City, South Dakota, gateway to the unbelievably spectacular Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Whilst there, we took the opportunity to visit some of the area’s other attractions including Crazy Horse National Memorial, Badlands National Park, and Custer State Park.
Dream
Finding luxury accommodation in Rapid City is challenging. Fearing disappointment had we stayed at one of the two hotels that hold themselves out to be high-end, the historic Hotel Alex Johnson (recently rebranded as a Hilton Curio Hotel) and The Rushmore Hotel, we opted for a more economic option, the Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza Hotel.
The Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza is in a good, easily accessible location. However, disappointingly our room was not up to the standard of other similar properties that we have stayed in recently. But it was fine for our needs and the staff were friendly and efficient.
Our recommendation would be to seek out whichever of the many chain hotels in Rapid City has most recently opened or been substantially refurbished, and opt for that one.
Dine
Delmonico Grill: Fine dining on Main Street Rapid City. We ate here twice on our trip. Well-cooked, tasty filet mignon, prime rib, fish and salads.
Blaze Pizza: Rapid City outpost of the innovative fast food pizza chain backed by LeBron James, serving thin crust made to order bespoke pizzas and salad.
Harriet & Oak Coffee Shop: Our favorite place in Rapid City. Great coffee, acai bowls and oatmeal for breakfast. Funky décor including a VW #Oakswagon (Volkswagon) inside the shop! Our everyday stop for breakfast and afternoon coffee.
Firehouse Brewing Company: Fast, family-friendly restaurant ideal for lunch.
Do
First on everybody’s list of things to visit near Rapid City is Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Located a 35-minute drive away in the town of Keystone, the memorial totally justifies its iconic status as one of the country’s national treasures. The 60-feet tall granite busts of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln, were carved high up on Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills, by Gutzon Borglum and his team over a 14-year period from 1927 to its completion in 1941.
This truly inspiring engineering and artistic marvel is well worth the trip to South Dakota alone. In fact, it is well worth repeated trips, as one visit is not sufficient to take it in. We bookended our South Dakota vacation with visits to the memorial on the first day and last day of our trip.
We spent another day visiting the other-worldly landscapes of Badlands National Park. The park is quite unlike anything else we have seen on our travels in the USA, and some would say reminiscent of the surface of the moon or some other far-off planet. Whilst in the park, we stopped at several of the marked viewing areas and overlooks. We also did the fabulous Notch Trail hike. This 1.5 mile round-trip hike is a must-do when visiting the park. It includes a climb up a huge wood and wire ladder which starts off near horizontal and becomes vertical at the top. There are some relatively narrow ledges with steep drop-offs. We would rank this short but very rewarding hike among the top 10 hikes we have done in the USA. The payoff at the end of the hike is breathtaking.
The itinerary for our third full day included a trip to Crazy Horse Memorial, a drive down the Needles Highway to Custer State Park, and the return trip along one of the USA’s most famous and picturesque roads, Iron Mountain Road.
Crazy Horse Memorial: Huge mountain memorial stone sculpture under construction since 1948 with no end currently in sight, honoring the Lokota Warrior Crazy Horse, located in the Black Hills near Custer State Park on US Highways 385 and 16.
Needles Highway: Twisting 14-mile stretch, the Northernmost section of South Dakota Highway 87 with single-lane tunnels including the extremely narrow Needles Eye tunnel (8’4’’ wide). Named after the needle-like granite formations seen along the route. Highway 87 runs from US Highways 385 and 16 in the North about 3 miles South of Hill City, to US 385 in the South, about 6 miles east of Pringle or 14 miles North of Hot Springs.
Custer State Park: Huge state park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills famous for its scenic wildlife loop and wild animals, in particular its bison herd. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge made the State Game Lodge, located near the Visitor Center, his “Summer White House” in 1927. We drove the wildlife loop anti-clockwise from the Needles Highway around to the General Store, before turning back to exit the park at the East Entrance to drive Iron Mountain Road back towards Rapid City.
Iron Mountain Road: A 17-mile stretch of US Route 16A climbing from Custer State Park to the entrance of Mount Rushmore. This road is known for its pigtail bridges, switchbacks, one-lane tunnels blasted through solid rock that perfectly frame Mount Rushmore, and spectacular views of the Black Hills. One of the best drives in the USA!
Devils Tower National Monument: Iconic butte formed from igneous rock rising from the Bear Lodge Mountains of Northeastern Wyoming. Famously used as the landing site for the huge extra-terrestrial spaceship at the climax of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.