Travel South Dakota

Noel Newton
Dec 29, 2022
5 min read

Introduction

Fly into a small town in South Dakota, and you might think you've been transported to the Old West. The state's wide-open spaces are filled with cowboys and cattle ranches, making it a great spot for an authentic American adventure. From the Badlands to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, this wild western state offers plenty of opportunities for adventure seekers looking for some real cowboy culture.

Black Hills National Forest

The Black Hills National Forest is a United States National Forest located in western South Dakota, comprising 1,442,760 acres (5,879 km2) of land. The forest spans nine counties and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service from their local ranger district offices.

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park, located in the southwest corner of South Dakota, is one of the most remote parks in the country. It's easiest to get to by car or plane; if you opt for driving, plan on driving some long miles on a single road. The landscape here is varied and fascinating—the park contains both prairies and canyons, as well as plenty of fossils left behind by an ancient sea that once covered this area.

The best time to visit Badlands National Park depends on what you want to see: if you're looking for wildlife (bison or pronghorn antelope), spring or fall would be ideal; if you'd rather see wildflowers in bloom, late June through early July should do it; for stunning sunrise/sunset shots, summertime will work out great. You can also try winter if you're up for braving subzero temperatures!

Going there

To get from Rapid City to Badlands National Park: From Rapid City take Highway 385 north towards Wall Street exit onto Highway 44 toward Interior 77 highway toward Interior 77 highway toward Interior 77 highway toward Interior 77 highway toward Interior 77 highway toward Interior 77 highway toward Interior 77 highway towards Rushmore 76 turnoff road turnoff road turnoff road turnoff road turnoff road .

Custer State Park

Custer State Park is one of the most beautiful parks in South Dakota. It is located in the Black Hills and offers a wide range of activities including hiking, horseback riding and camping. The park is home to a variety of wildlife species such as bison, elk and deer.

Britton - Wilder Museum

The Britton-Wilder Museum is located in Mitchell, South Dakota, and it's open year-round.
The museum features a variety of exhibits, including an art gallery that features changing exhibits from regional artists.
There's also a research library on site with thousands of books and other materials that can be borrowed for free by members.

The gift shop at this museum has a wide selection of souvenirs for sale, as well as books about the history of Mitchell and the surrounding area.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a memorial to the first U.S. presidents, is one of the most famous sites in South Dakota. It's located in the Black Hills within Custer State Park and consists of four large sculptures carved into Mount Rushmore's granite rock face: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (the third president), Theodore Roosevelt (the 26th president) and Abraham Lincoln (the 16th president).

The memorial was designed by Gutzon Borglum and dedicated on October 31st, 1941—right before World War II started up again after being paused for nearly two decades following America's involvement in WWI. In 1947 it was designated as our country's 59th national park site; today it draws more than 2 million visitors every year who come see this beautiful piece of artistry created over an eight-year period by 400 workers using dynamite!

Crazy Horse Memorial

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain carving located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is the world's largest sculpture at 563 feet long by 641 feet high and it is still under construction.

The memorial was started in 1948 and expected to be completed in 2022.

Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD., Inc.

Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD., Inc. is a National Historic Landmark and the world’s largest mammoth fossil site. The museum displays one of the most complete collections of Ice Age fossils, including more than 15,000 bones and teeth from at least 800 individual mammoths, as well as numerous other animal species.

Mammoth Site was founded by Ales Hrdlicka in 1908. Hrdlicka was an anthropologist who led many expeditions to Alaska during his career; he also served as curator of physical anthropology at Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., where he worked until his death in 1943. During his time at Smithsonian he collected specimens from around the world including South Dakota, which prompted him to start excavations on his property near Hot Springs State Park after purchasing it in 1908 with some friends; these excavations eventually turned into what we know today as Mammoth Site SD

Corn Palace

The Corn Palace is a large, white, tent-like structure in Mitchell, South Dakota, that is made from corn. It’s the only place where you can see this kind of architecture.

The Corn Palace was built on top of a former armory building in Mitchell and the construction began in 1926. A group of local women wanted to make their city known for its agriculture and they saw an opportunity to do just that when they learned of the opening of a national corn show. They formed an association dedicated to creating this unique structure that would be filled with murals created by artists from all over America depicting scenes related to agriculture—and what better way than with corn?

The inside has many murals covering every inch: walls, ceilings and floors; however there are also some paintings on canvas by famous artists such as Haddon Sundblom (who designed Santa Claus for Coca-Cola) who decorated one entire room with his own paintings about farming life during World War II era..

One mural depicts George Washington crossing Delaware River during the American Revolution while another one shows Abraham Lincoln delivering his Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg Battlefield during Civil War era.. Another mural depicts Mount Rushmore being carved out by sculptor Gutzon Borglum.. Other topics include Lewis & Clark Expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark; Buffalo Bill Cody; John Deere tractors; Space Station MIR; Ulysses S Grant statue at Mount Rushmore National Memorial Park.. And more!

Takeaway:

Now that you've read the article, what have you learned? We've already mentioned that South Dakota is a beautiful place and that there are many things to do there, but at the end of the day, what's most important is your takeaway. We hope our guide has inspired you to visit South Dakota and try some of its amazing sights. Who knows? You might even decide to move there!

That being said, if we had to choose just one thing about South Dakota that makes it so special, it would be...

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed learning about our great state. There are so many things to see and do, and we would love for you to visit us soon!