United States Destinations

Vacation in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota

By Sandy Campbell

Photo by Sandy Campbell

The Black Hills are an island of treed volcanic hills that rise out of the hot, dry South Dakota plains. Because they are cooler and more habitable, local Native Americans historically lived in the hills and went out to the plains to hunt. Today, habitation is mainly in towns dotted around the perimeter of the hills, with Rapid City being the largest service centre.

It can be a bit of a trek to get to this beautiful area, which is about 1,650 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. We drove for two solid days, through Great Falls, Montana and Sheridan Wyoming. You can also fly into Rapid City.

We made Hot Springs, a small town at the south end of the Hills, our base for exploring.

The town’s main street runs down a narrow river valley alongside the river.

The Victorian red sandstone buildings, built in the town’s health spa heyday have been preserved. Their crenellated tops make them look more like castles than hotels, seniors housing and a veteran’s hospital.

While the main hot springs have been turned into a family-friendly swimming pool complex, the town maintains its relaxed health-spa tone. There is a riverside park with a tap at Kidney Spring, where locals come to fill their water bottles with the natural mineral spring water. There is a waterfall a little further down the trail and deer wander the park.

While there are many restaurants in town, we were happy to find Sturdley’s, a family restaurant off the main street that served good quality, inexpensive meals. They also employ several musicians from the local elder community who rotate through the evenings, supplying live music. We heard lots of old-time dance tunes while we had our supper.

On the west side of the town is the amazing Mammoth Site, which has been highlighted on the Discovery Channel. About 27,000 years ago this was the site of a steep-sided water hole. Mammoths and other animals would come to drink and then perish when they could not get out.

Excavations under way for about 30 years have revealed many skeletons. The tour takes you on boardwalks above the dig, where many of the skeletons have been left in place. On the day we visited, volunteers from Earthwatch and Elderhostel were helping out with the dig.

About 14 kilometres north of Hot Springs is the Wind Cave, one of many caves in the area. Wind Cave is three-dimensional, with about 150 kilometres of cave under three square kilometres of surface. Only about five per cent of the cave has been explored. This cave is known for its box-work, honeycomb-like structures that result from softer rock being dissolved away.

We also visited the Black Hills Caverns, near Rapid City, which have been open since 1939. Much of this cave has been damaged by over use and touching of the structures. It was also damaged by the 1972 flood which completely filled the cave and washed away some of the structures.

No trip to the Black Hills is complete without a visit to Mount Rushmore. We took the back road to the site, 29 kilometres of winding, narrow road with single lane tunnels and pig-tail bridges that spiral under each other. This road is perhaps best enjoyed on a motorcycle. Mount Rushmore is easily accessible from Rapid City by highway.

With its portraits of four presidents, Mount Rushmore is a remarkable monument. One has to marvel not only at the artistry, but also at the technical skill required to create the sculptures. Even more remarkable is that there is no entry fee for this national monument.

In Rapid City, the Journey Museum is well worth a visit. It takes you on a historical journey from the beginning of time through to the present. The depiction of the shooting of Buffalo Bill Cody is particularly effective. Further north, you can visit Deadwood, which now, as in the old days, is primarily a place to gamble. The saloons have just been replaced by a large scale casino.

One of the Black Hills’ most famous events, taking place the first week of August, is one you will want to avoid if you don’t ride a motorcycle. If you do ride, you will want to be one of the 40,000 riders who head to the Hills that weekend for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, now in its 67th year.

This year the Rally included the World Championship of Custom Bike Building, six days of bike racing and the Mayor’s Ride. If you prefer to travel on four wheels, go any other week and enjoy the infrastructure built up to support the Rally. You will find paved roads for touring and lots of campgrounds, motels and restaurants.

The Black Hills can easily occupy visitors for a week, longer if you want to spend time in Custer State Park fishing, hiking or just enjoying the surroundings.

If you go:

Black Hills Caverns
2600 Cavern Road
Rapid City, SD 57702
(800) 837-9358
http://www.blackhillscaverns.com

Sturdley’s Family Eating
102 S Chicago St
Hot Springs, SD 57747
605-745-5363

The Journey Museum
222 New York Street
Rapid City, SD
605-394-6923
http://www.journeymuseum.org/english

The Mammoth Site
1800 West Hwy 18 Bypass
Hot Springs, South Dakota
605-745-6017
http://www.mammothsite.com/

Custer State Park
http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer

Elderhostel
http://www.elderhostel.org

Earthwatch Institute
http://www.earthwatch.org

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com