Laural A. Bidwell - Moon Mount Rushmore & the Black Hills: With the Badlands

residents of the Wild Horse Sanctuary.

Carved into the side of a mountain, four U.S. presidents gaze placidly over the hills, over the pine forest, and into the distance of the vast plains to the south. This is Mount Rushmore, one of the most recognizable monuments in the United States. Admire the scope, scale, and artistry of the monument, then turn around and discover the breathtaking beauty of the Black Hills.

I am a road warrior by nature. My first visit to South Dakota was more accidental than intentional. Wandering north and east through the plains of Colorado and Nebraska I stopped to study a map. I noted the South Dakota border was just an hour away. Id never been there, which made the decision easy: head to Ardmore, South Dakota, get gas, and find a place to stay for the night. The buildings in Ardmore were in the process of tumbling to the ground. No gas, no people, and no place to stay. I continued north with fingers crossed and arrived in Hot Springs, the next town on the map. I got gas, got a room, and even better, discovered a landscape that captured my heart: the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The change from plains to hills is subtle. Miles of flatland transform into rolling swells of sparsely covered sand. One sharp incline and the view to the south is suddenly vast, empty, and as calming as staring out to sea. To the north, the soft hills are covered in dark ponderosa pine, the canyons are red, and the sky is an azure blue. This edgethis meeting of two worlds, the best of everythingis what the hills are all about. Farmland turns into ranchland here. Warm springs flow into cold rivers. Eastern birds and western birds mingle. Just 100 miles from north to south and 65 miles from east to west, this Island in the Plains offers a remarkable diversity of landscape, wildlife, history, and recreation.

wild iris

black-footed ferret

aerial view of the Black Hills

The broad western horizons and vistas of plains create a space where storms are visible for miles before they arrive. Lightning streaks sideways across the sky, and rain falls but never reaches the earth. Electric summer afternoon clouds crack open and pour white beads of hail over the grasslands, striking with just enough power to release the prairie scent of sage.

While the weather can be dramatic, this is not harsh country. The Black Hills are old and round and soft. Home to the American bison, this is a land sacred to Native Americans. Its history is steeped in gold, greed, gambling, gunfights, and broken treaties. It is a land of homesteading and healing waters.

Bestowed with great natural beauty, it has always been a rewarding road-trip destination. Remnants of the 1950s love affair with the automobile remain. Look for old hotels and diners that sport neon signs with names like the Rocket Motel. Roadside attractions abound. Pan for gold, visit a vineyard, pet wild burros, or attend a powwow. Bike, boat, ride a horse, or explore a cave. Hike the highest peak in North America east of the Rockies, or relax in the warm springs of a historic spa town. Its all here.

Iron Mountain Road

wild burro.

Pactola Reservoir

Where to Go

Mount Rushmore and the Central Hills

Mount Rushmore is a symbol of American exploration and expansion, a testimony to the visionary dreams of our founding fathers, and a tribute to individual effort and collective achievement. Its also at the heart of local tourism. Served by urban and transportation center Rapid City and supported by the old mining communities of Hill City and Keystone, this mountainous region is the hub of a Black Hills visit.

The Southern Hills

Its all about wildlife, warm water, and history in the soft rolling landscape of the Southern Hills. Custer State Park provides the best wildlife-viewing opportunities in the state, with accommodations that range from rustic to luxurious. Hot Springs originated as a place to travel to take the cure in the warm mineral springs that gave the town its name. Its also home to beautiful sandstone buildings and the Mammoth Site. Wind Cave and Jewel Cave are both in this region, and Custer, where gold was first discovered in the hills, provides easy access to all of the Southern Hills attractions, including the ongoing mountain carving of Crazy Horse, which honors the famous chief and the Lakota people who hold the Black Hills sacred.

The Northern Hills

Outdoor beauty and recreational opportunities grace every corner of the hills, and the northern region is no exception. Waterfalls, hiking trails, and biking trails abound in the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, which connects Spearfish to the historic mining town of Lead. There is plenty of wildlife in this region, though the definition of wildlife includes more than the local fauna. Once the stomping grounds of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, this is a place where the raucous spirit of the Wild West flourishes. Gambling, gunfights, and rodeos set the ever-active stage in